Gerry isn’t very famous in America but many Sci-Fi fans know him because he was behind numerous puppet-based shows, namely Thunderbirds and the live-action yet quite dull Space: 1999. I’ve always thought there were strong foundations in his material, it just fell down in the execution. Oddly the Guardians obit overlooked the movie version of Thunderbirds starring Bill Paxton. I saw it on cable, it was for kids.
There’s rumblings of a remake for Space: 1999 too. It’ll be called Space: 2099 and that’s about all these people claiming to be producers have achieved. Gerry must’ve been on to something with his Eagle spaceships, the Millennium Falcon originally resembled one until Lucas was inspired by a sandwich. Seems plausible after Jar Jar Binks being a major character in The Phantom Menace.
Gerry’s creations were certainly more famous in his native land. On one episode of Absolutely Fabulous, Edina had a nightmare involving a marionette resembling Lady Penelope who was supposed to be Patsy. Probably the equivalent of a Star Trek reference for us Americans.