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Steve Whitmire
Whitmire at a White House screening of Muppets Most Wanted in 2014.
Born	Steven Lawrence Whitmire (1959-09-24) September 24, 1959 (age 65) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Puppeteer
Years active	1978–present
Spouse	Melissa Whitmire

Steven Lawrence "Steve" Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is an American puppeteer, best known for being the performer of Kermit the Frog and Ernie—roles he inherited after Jim Henson's death in 1990. In his career, Whitmire has performed several characters on The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and The Muppets series and during such occupations has worked for the Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop, and Disney's The Muppets Studio.

Career

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Steve Whitmire first appeared (unpaid), as a pre-show event at Six Flags Over Georgia. He performed with his then alter-ego puppet Otis for the children waiting to see a multimedia show.

From there Whitmire appeared on local Atlanta TV with his puppet Otis. WATL-TV was owned at that time by former Atlanta children's television host "Officer Don" Kennedy. Otis made appearances on various WATL 36 shows with Ludlow Porch, performing with the Georgia Bulldogs' Larry Munson, Don Kennedy, and Entertainment Page host Artie Goodman. As Otis, Whitmire interviewed Olivia Newton-John during a tour promoting an album.

He worked with puppets after graduating high school, and eventually got a job working on The Muppet Show in 1978. Since then, Whitmire has performed in almost every major Henson company project, including non-Muppet fare such as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Dinosaurs.

Characters performed

Whitmire has been the performer of two signature Muppets — Kermit and Ernie from Sesame Street and The Muppet Show — since the death of their creator and original performer Jim Henson in 1990.

Muppet characters original to Whitmire include Rizzo the Rat, Lips (the trumpet player from Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem), Foo-Foo (Miss Piggy's beloved dog), Fraggle Rock's Wembley Fraggle, and Bean Bunny.

Following the death of Richard Hunt and the practical retirement of Jerry Nelson, Whitmire took over the roles of Beaker and Statler. He voiced Link Hogthrob in the Muppet RaceMania and Muppet Party Cruise video games. He also performed Hogthrob for the 2011 movie The Muppets. This was the first speaking appearance of the puppet since the death of Jim Henson, the original performer of the character. Hogthrob appears in several scenes in the background and gets a moment in the spotlight as part of a barbershop quartet, singing "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Since 2008, Whitmire has also been the new performer of another of Jim Henson's roles, The Muppet Newsman.

Filmography

Film

Television

Other appearances

References

1. "Ratting Out", Muppet Central, 1999. Accessed 24 November 2009.
2. Hennes, Joe (15 October 2008). "My Week with Steve: Day 4". ToughPigs.com. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
3. Lloyd, Robert (May 16, 2015). "If Harry Shearer leaves 'The Simpsons,' what will happen? Just ask Bugs Bunny". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
4. "Voice Of Rizzo the Rat". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
5. top-story (2009-01-01). "The Stories Behind 20 Muppet Favorites". Mental Floss. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
6. Graser, Marc (6 December 2013). "Watch: The Muppets Star in New Series of 'Muppisodes'". Variety. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
7. Graser, Marc (August 1, 2014). "Disney Launches The Muppets Digital Series". Variety. Retrieved August 2, 2014.

External links

• Steve Whitmire at IMDb

Template:Persondata

• 1959 births
• American puppeteers
• Living people
• Muppet performers
• Sesame Street Muppeteers
• Fraggle Rock performers
• Artists from Atlanta, Georgia