Kevin Clash facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kevin Clash
Clash at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2023
Born	Kevin Jeffrey Clash (1960-09-17) September 17, 1960 (age 64) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Education	Dundalk High School
Occupation	Puppeteer director producer
Years active	1978–2012 2018–present
Spouse(s)	Genia Clash ​ ​ (m. 1986; div. 2003)​
Children	1

Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director, and producer. He is most famous for being the puppeteer for Elmo on Sesame Street from 1985 to 2012. He also brought to life puppets for movies like Labyrinth and TV shows such as Dinosaurs and various Muppet productions.

Kevin Clash became interested in puppets when he was very young. As a teenager, he performed for local TV shows in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. He joined the cast of Captain Kangaroo in the early 1980s. In 1984, he started working on Sesame Street. He was the fifth puppeteer to perform Elmo, who became his most well-known character. He also worked as an executive producer and director for the show. Clash worked on many projects with The Jim Henson Company. His book, My Life as a Furry Red Monster, came out in 2006. A documentary about him, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, was released in 2011.

Clash left Sesame Street in 2012 due to personal reasons. He returned to puppeteering as a performer in the movie The Happytime Murders in 2018.

Early Life and Puppet Beginnings

Kevin Clash was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 17, 1960. He was the third of four children. His father, George Clash, was a handyman. His mother, Gladys Clash, ran a small daycare center at their home.

Kevin loved puppets from a young age. He was inspired by shows like Kukla, Fran and Ollie and Sesame Street. He made his first puppet, a Mickey Mouse version, when he was 10. At age 12, he made a monkey puppet from his father's coat lining. His first shows were for the children at his mother's daycare.

Teenage Puppeteer

By the time he was a teenager, Kevin had built almost 90 puppets. He based them on commercials, popular music, and his friends. While still in high school, Clash performed all over Baltimore. He performed at schools, churches, and community events.

At a neighborhood festival, Kevin was discovered by TV personality Stu Kerr. Kerr became Kevin's first mentor. He hired Kevin to perform on the children's show Caboose at Channel 2. Kevin also built puppets for the Romper Room show.

When he was 17, he met puppeteer Kermit Love. Love became another important mentor for Kevin. In 1979, Love suggested Kevin appear as Cookie Monster in the Sesame Street float. This was during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. There, he met Jim Henson, who would become his boss and friend.

Starting His Career

When he was 19, Kevin Clash became a puppeteer for Captain Kangaroo. He started as a guest performer. He sometimes appeared on camera too. The show's producers even used some of Kevin's own puppet creations.

In 1984, Jim Henson offered Kevin a job on his film The Dark Crystal. But Kevin had to say no. He was busy working on Captain Kangaroo and The Great Space Coaster. He was a producer for the first time on The Great Space Coaster.

Becoming a Professional Puppeteer

Captain Kangaroo ended in 1984. Great Space Coaster also finished. This allowed Kevin Clash to work on projects with Jim Henson. These included the movie Labyrinth and Sesame Street.

Kevin started working on Sesame Street in 1983. He performed general, unnamed puppets called Anything Muppets. Some of his first characters were saxophone-playing Hoots the Owl and Baby Natasha. He also worked on the 1985 movie Follow That Bird.

The Voice of Elmo

After 1985, Elmo, a furry red monster, became Kevin's main character. Three other puppeteers had performed Elmo before Kevin. But it was Kevin's work that made Elmo famous. He gave Elmo his unique high-pitched voice.

Kevin based Elmo's character on the young children at his mother's daycare. He also used parts of his own personality and his parents' personalities. Fellow puppeteer Frank Oz advised Kevin to "find one special hook" for each character. Kevin decided Elmo's main quality should be "love."

Kevin Clash with Elmo at the Peabody Awards in 2010

Growing Responsibilities

Elmo became very popular, especially with the "Tickle Me Elmo" toy craze in 1996. Kevin's duties at Sesame Street grew. He helped find and train new puppeteers. He became the senior Muppet coordinator. He also became a writer, director, and co-producer for the "Elmo's World" part of the show.

Kevin worked with and guided puppeteers for Sesame Street's international versions. He found this work "a lot of fun" and "very rewarding." In 2007, he became a senior creative adviser for the Sesame Workshop. Until 2011, he was the only person to perform Elmo in public appearances. This made his schedule very busy. Cheryl Henson, president of the Jim Henson Foundation, called him "essential" to the show.

Other Puppet Projects

Kevin Clash worked on the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie in 1990. He also worked on the sequel in 1991. He voiced Master Splinter in both films.

He performed in many productions with Jim Henson Productions. He was the Muppet Clifford in The Jim Henson Hour (1989). He also performed the puppetry for Frank Oz's characters in Muppet Treasure Island (1996). These characters included Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear. Kevin performed in the films Muppets from Space (1999) and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005). He also worked on the TV series Muppets Tonight (1996–1998), where he hosted as Clifford. He performed characters and worked behind the scenes on the sitcom Dinosaurs.

In 2006, Kevin Clash published his book, My Life as a Furry Red Monster. It was about what being Elmo taught him. His life was also shown in the 2011 documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey.

After a break of several years, Kevin returned to performing. He worked on the film The Happytime Murders (2018). This movie was directed by Brian Henson. He also puppeteered in the 2019 Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. This show is a prequel to the 1982 Jim Henson film The Dark Crystal.

Personal Life

Kevin Clash has mentioned that children often talk directly to Elmo, not to him. He has said that his background as a Black man was important to his work. He felt it showed in his performances.

Kevin was married for 17 years. He has a daughter who was born in 1993.

In 2015, Kevin Clash moved to Los Angeles. He continued to work on other Jim Henson Company productions. These included The Happytime Murders and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

Awards and Honors

• Kevin Clash won Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series. He won for his work as Elmo on Sesame Street in 1990, 2005–2007, and 2009–2013. In total, he has won 27 Daytime Emmys and one Primetime Emmy.
• He received the 'Miss Jean' Worthley Award for Service to Families and Children. This award was given by Maryland Public Television on June 9, 2007.
• On May 19, 2012, Clash received an honorary degree. This was from Washington & Jefferson College.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Kevin Clash para niños