Steve Whitmire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Steve Whitmire
Whitmire at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2023
Born	Steven Lawrence Whitmire (1959-09-24) September 24, 1959 (age 65) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Puppeteer
Years active	1978–present
Spouse(s)	Melissa Whitmire ​ (m. 1978)​
Signature

Steven Lawrence Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is an American puppeteer. He is famous for his work with The Muppets and Sesame Street. Steve started working with the Muppets in 1978.

He created characters like Rizzo the Rat, Lips, Wembley Fraggle, and Bean Bunny. After Jim Henson passed away in 1990, Steve took over playing Kermit the Frog and Ernie. He performed Kermit until 2014 and Ernie until 2016. Later, he also played Statler and Beaker. Steve has been in many Muppet movies and TV shows. He worked for The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop, and The Muppets Studio.

Steve Whitmire's Career

Steve Whitmire's first unpaid performance was at Six Flags Over Georgia. He used his puppet, Otis, to entertain children. This was before a big show.

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 TV in Atlanta for two and a half hours every day. His show was called "The Kids Show with Otis." He took calls from children and adults. The show received over 2000 calls per hour. Steve, as Otis, even interviewed singer Olivia Newton-John.

After high school, Steve continued working with puppets. In 1978, he got a job on The Muppet Show. Since then, Steve has worked on almost every major project by the Henson company. This includes non-Muppet projects like The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Dinosaurs.

Characters Steve Whitmire Performed

Whitmire in 2014

Steve Whitmire became the second person to perform two very famous Muppets. 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 children, Brian Henson and Jane Henson, personally asked Steve to be Kermit. Steve hid the Kermit puppet for weeks before deciding to take on the role.

Steve also took over other characters. He started playing Beaker after Richard Hunt passed away. He also took over Statler after Jerry Nelson retired. In 2014, Billy Barkhurst started playing Ernie. Then, Peter Linz took over Ernie in 2017. Steve said that the change for Ernie happened because of budget changes for the show. It became too expensive to fly him to New York for filming.

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

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

Steve Whitmire's Departure from the Muppets

Whitmire at Raleigh Supercon in 2018

In July 2017, The Muppets Studio announced that Steve Whitmire was no longer working with the Muppets. They said that another puppeteer, Matt Vogel, would be the new performer for Kermit. Steve Whitmire said he was let go in October 2016. He mentioned that there were issues that had not been fully discussed before he was dismissed. Disney, which owns The Muppets Studio, talked with the Henson family. The Henson family supported the decision to find a new Kermit and for Steve to leave.

Brian Henson said that problems with Steve started in the mid-1990s. He mentioned that Steve would sometimes make "outrageous demands." Brian also said that Steve would send "emails and letters attacking everyone." He felt bad for not letting Steve go before Disney bought the Muppets in 2004. Lisa Henson said that Steve did not want Kermit to have a backup performer. She also said he refused to train someone else. This caused problems for smaller performances. She also stated that he would not work with some younger performers.

In an interview, Steve Whitmire said he was dismissed because of disagreements about Kermit's character. He also mentioned long talks about labor union agreements. Steve said Disney offered him "consolation prizes" if he left on his own. This included being honored as a Disney Legend. Debbie McClellan, who was in charge of The Muppets Studio, said they had concerns about Steve's behavior for many years. She said he did not fix the issues. Steve said he wanted to make things right and return to the Muppets if possible.

Some of Steve's fellow Muppet performers have supported him. Terri Hardin, a longtime Muppet performer, said Steve was fired for wanting to keep the Muppet characters true to themselves. She said he was unfairly called "a diva." Frank Oz said he had worked with Steve since Steve was 18. He said Steve was "terrific" when performing. Director Kirk Thatcher said Steve was "a sweetheart on set." He called him "one of the easiest people to work with."

Steve Whitmire's Personal Life

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

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Video Game Roles

Other Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Steve Whitmire para niños