Steve Whitmire

A highly successful puppeteer and voice actor, Steve Whitmire has been closely associated with Jim Henson and Henson Company projects his entire career. The Atlanta native's interest in puppets began at an early age and he reportedly vowed, while still in high school, that he would one day be Kermit the Frog. He began his career on Henson's iconic series "The Muppet Show" in 1978 and provided voices for countless characters. He also appeared in several Muppet film projects, voicing characters he created such as Rizzo the Rat, trumpet player Lips and Miss Piggy's dog Foo-Foo. He was also a key member of the popular cult show "Fraggle Rock," voicing his original creations Wembley Fraggle and Bean Bunny. Whitmire appeared in other Henson projects without Muppets such as the fantasy feature "Labyrinth" and the family adventure "Dark Crystal." After Jim Henson's death in 1990, Whitmire assumed the role of two of his mentor's most popular creations--Ernie from "Sesame Street" and as he had predicted, Kermit the Frog. He continued to be closely involved with Henson Company projects including "Dinosaurs," the family sitcom starring prehistoric anthropomorphic creatures.