Ozker was born in
Ankara,
Turkey, and grew up in
Farmington Hills, Michigan. She received a bachelor's degree in drama from the
University of Michigan in 1970. Reviews described her as "an Off-Broadway favorite" and as "a fire-cracker burning at both ends." In 1975, she joined the Hartman Theater Company for its first production,
The Government Inspector, meeting her future husband,
William Bogert, in the process during the original production of
The Runner Stumbles. In 1976, Ozker went to
England and joined the cast of
The Muppet Show. As the only full-time female Muppet performer on the show at the time, she performed most of the female characters. These included: •
Wanda - one-half of the singing duo
Wayne and Wanda. Their "wholesome, uplifting and decent" acts, as described by
Sam the Eagle, were always cut short in disastrous circumstances. •
Hilda - mostly restricted to backstage appearances, Hilda was the wardrobe lady for the show with a
Slavic accent. •
Janice - Ozker's most famous character, Janice is the guitarist for
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, as taken over from
Richard Hunt. Of her three main characters, only Janice survived after Ozker left the show at the end of the first season. Janice was subsequently performed by
Richard Hunt,
Matt Vogel,
Brian Henson,
Tyler Bunch and, most recently,
David Rudman. After performing in Henson productions
The Muppet Movie and ''
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, Ozker retired from the Muppet scene and returned to the United States to focus on her family. Her last puppeteering performance was in the 1988 production of The Warrior Ant'' at the
Brooklyn Next Wave Festival. In 1989, Ozker founded and became chairwoman of the Puppeteers Caucus, a working group within the
Screen Actors Guild. Ozker was presented the Joseph C. Riley award by the Guild in 1991 in recognition of her services to the industry. Ozker died on 25 February 1993, aged 44. Her husband, actor William Bogert, confirmed after her death that she died from
cancer. ==Filmography==