Steve Whitmire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Steve Whitmire
Whitmire at the QA in the Patty Hawkins Galaxy Con Raleigh at 2023
Born	Steven Lawrence Whitmire (1959-09-24) September 24, 1959 (age 65) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Puppeteer voice actor
Years active	1978–present
Spouse(s)	Melissa Whitmire ​ (m. 1978)​
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Steven Lawrence Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is an American puppeteer and voice actor. He is famous for his work with The Muppets and Sesame Street. Steve started working with the Muppets in 1978. After Jim Henson passed away in 1990, Steve took over playing characters like Ernie and Kermit the Frog. He performed Ernie until 2014 and Kermit until 2016.

As a Muppet performer, Steve appeared in many movies and TV shows. He brought various characters to life on The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock. He worked for companies like The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop, and The Muppets Studio.

Steve Whitmire's Career Journey

Steve Whitmire's journey as a puppeteer began early. He first performed for free at a special event. This was at Six Flags Over Georgia, an amusement park. He used his puppet, Otis, to entertain kids.

Before finishing high school, Steve got his first professional puppeteering job. He used Otis at "The World of Sid & Marty Krofft" in Atlanta. This was the first indoor theme park. After that, Steve appeared on local Atlanta TV for two and a half hours every day. His show was called "The Kids Show with Otis." He would take phone calls from children and adults. The show received more than 2,000 calls each hour.

Steve Whitmire at Galaxy Con Raleigh in 2023

Steve continued working with puppets after high school. In 1978, he got a job on The Muppet Show. Since then, Steve has been part of almost every major project by the Henson company. This includes projects not related to the Muppets, such as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Dinosaurs.

Famous Characters He Performed

Steve Whitmire became the second person to perform two very famous Muppet characters. These were Kermit the Frog and Ernie. He took over these roles after their creator, Jim Henson, passed away in 1990. Jim Henson and Steve Whitmire even shared the same birthday! Jim's son, Brian Henson, and his wife, Jane Henson, personally asked Steve to become Kermit's performer.

Steve also took over other important roles. He became the performer for Beaker after Richard Hunt passed away. He also took on the role of Statler after Jerry Nelson retired. In 2014, Billy Barkhurst took over the role of Ernie. Then, Peter Linz started performing Ernie in 2017.

Steve also created many original Muppet characters. These include Rizzo the Rat, Lips (the trumpet player for Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem), and Miss Piggy's dog, Foo-Foo. On Fraggle Rock, he performed Wembley Fraggle and Sprocket the Dog. He also brought to life Bean Bunny, who first appeared in The Tale of the Bunny Picnic (1986).

Steve Whitmire also voiced Link Hogthrob in video games like Muppet RaceMania and Muppets Party Cruise. He performed Link in the 2011 movie The Muppets. This was the first time Link had spoken in a movie since Jim Henson passed away. Steve also performed Link in Muppets Most Wanted. In 2008, Steve took over another of Jim Henson's roles, The Muppet Newsman.

Whitmire at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2022

Changes in Roles

In July 2017, The Muppets Studio announced a change. Steve Whitmire would no longer be performing with the Muppets. Another Muppet performer, Matt Vogel, was chosen to be the new performer for Kermit. Steve Whitmire explained that he stopped performing these roles in October 2016. This was due to some disagreements that had not been fully discussed before.

The Walt Disney Company (who owns The Muppets Studio) talked with the Henson family about this decision. The Henson family supported the change for Kermit and Steve's roles. Brian Henson mentioned that there had been ongoing issues with Steve since the mid-1990s. He said that Steve would sometimes make very strong demands. He also said that Steve would send emails and letters that were critical of the writing and directing. Brian Henson also felt bad for not making this change before Disney bought the Muppets in 2004.

Lisa Henson said that Steve did not want Kermit to have a backup performer. She said he refused to train someone else. This caused problems for smaller performances, like ribbon-cutting events. She also said he sometimes refused to work with younger performers.

In an interview, Steve Whitmire said he left because of disagreements about Kermit's character. He also mentioned long talks between Disney and the performers' union, SAG-AFTRA. These talks had delayed his work on Muppet projects. Steve said that Disney offered him "consolation prizes" if he left on his own. This included being honored as a Disney Legend. The public reason would be that he was retiring. Debbie McClellan, who was in charge of The Muppets Studio at the time, said that they had concerns about Steve's actions over many years. She said he did not fix these issues. Steve Whitmire has said he hopes to make things right and return to his Muppet roles in the future.

About His Life

In June 1978, Steve Whitmire married his wife, Melissa. They met when he was in his last year at Berkmar High School in Lilburn, Georgia. They live in Atlanta, Georgia.

Where You've Seen His Work

Movies

TV Shows

Video Games

Other Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Steve Whitmire para niños