Steve Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is a puppeteer who works with The Jim Henson Company and Sesame Workshop. He has been the performer of two signature Muppets - Kermit the Frog and Sesame Street's Ernie - since the passing of their creator, Jim Henson, in 1990. 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 F...
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Steve Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is a puppeteer who works with The Jim Henson Company and Sesame Workshop. He has been the performer of two signature Muppets - Kermit the Frog and Sesame Street's Ernie - since the passing of their creator, Jim Henson, in 1990. 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 puppeteer Richard Hunt and Jerry Nelson's departure, Whitmire took over the roles of Beaker and Statler. He also voiced Link Hogthrob in the Muppet Party Cruise.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he professed interest in puppetry in his childhood. While in high school at Berkmar High School, Whitmire swore to his classmates that he would one day be Kermit the Frog. Steve first appeared on local Atlanta TV with his then alter ego puppet Otis. WATL-TV was owned at that time by former Atlanta kids show host ...
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