- Steve Whitmire
Infobox actor
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name = Steve Whitmire
birthdate = birth date and age|1959|09|24
occupation = Puppeteer
wife = Melissa WhitmireSteve Whitmire (born
September 24 1959 ) is apuppeteer withThe Jim Henson Company andSesame 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 , in1990 . Characters original to Whitmire includeRizzo the Rat , Lips (the trumpet player fromDr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem ),Foo-Foo (Miss Piggy 's beloved dog), "Fraggle Rock 's" Wembley Fraggle, andBean Bunny . Following the death of puppeteer Richard Hunt andJerry Nelson 's departure,Whitmire took over the roles ofBeaker andStatler .He also voicedLink Hogthrob in the Muppet Party Cruise.Born in
Atlanta, Georgia , he professed interest in puppetry in his childhood. While in 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 "Officer Don" Kennedy. Otis made appearances on various WATL 36 shows with Ludlow Porch, voice of the Georgia Bulldogs Larry Munson, Don Kennedy and Entertainment Page host Artie Goodman. Whitmire as his friend Otis, interviewed Olivia Newton John during a tour promoting her current album at the time. He worked with puppets after graduating from high school, and eventually got a job working on "The Muppet Show " in 1978. Since then, Whitmire has performed in every major Henson company project, including non-Muppet fare such as "The Dark Crystal ", "Labyrinth" and the ABC television series "Dinosaurs". He was also seen inDead Poetic 's "New Medicines " music video.External links
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*imdb name|0926209
* [http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/whitmire1.shtml "Ratting Out,"] a 1999 Muppet Central interview with Whitmire
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