Steve Whitmire

[[Image:Stevewhitmirephoto.JPG|frame|Steve Whitmire]] '''Steve Whitmire''' (b. September 24, 1959) is a puppeteer who has been working for [[the Jim Henson Company]] since 1978. His career with the Muppets began on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'', where he developed his first major character, [[Rizzo the Rat]]. Other main characters included [[Bean Bunny]] and, on ''[[Fraggle Rock]]'', [[Wembley Fraggle]] and [[Sprocket]]. When [[Jim Henson]] passed away in 1990, Whitmire was selected to take over the roles of [[Kermit the Frog]] and [[Ernie]]. Following [[Richard Hunt]]'s death and [[Jerry Nelson]]'s retirement, he took over the roles of [[Beaker]] and [[Statler and Waldorf|Statler]], respectively. His wife, [[Melissa Whitmire]], has also puppeteered on occasion. ==Early Years== [[Image:Stevelips.jpg|300px|thumb|Whitmire, [[Lips]], and [[Hal Linden]] on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'']] [[File:Bts_tms2.jpg|thumb|300px]] [[File:Swrizzo.jpg|thumb|300px]] Born near Atlanta, [[Georgia]], Steve Whitmire became interested in puppetry in his childhood, around the time that ''[[Sesame Street]]'' began airing in 1969. Whitmire recalled, "I wrote a letter to Jim Henson at the time, and he wrote back. It's an amazing thing for a ten-year-old to get a letter back from a TV star."<ref>[http://www.bhspress.com/theliberty/2003-2004/stories/november_2003/000562.shtml Interview with Berkmar High School Newspaper]</ref> Building on that early enthusiasm, Whitmire created his own puppets and performed throughout high school, even winning the school talent show on one occasion. After graduating high school, he briefly puppeteered at local theme park The World of Sid and Marty Krofft, performing his own character Otis the Beach Bum, and later cohosted ''The Kid's Show'' with his best friend Gary Koepke for WATL in Atlanta, which was nominated for a state [[Emmy Awards|Emmy Award]]. <ref name="plume">Plume, Kenneth [http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/whitmire1.shtml Muppet Central interview]</ref><ref>[http://bellsouthpwp.net/g/k/gkoepke/perf.htm Official website of Gary Koepke]</ref> Whitmire first made contact with the Muppets through [[Caroll Spinney]], whom he met at the Southeastern Regional Puppetry Festival in 1977. That fall, Spinney informed Whitmire that auditions were being held for puppeteers for ''[[Sesame Street]]''; upon calling the Henson offices, Whitmire learned that [[Jane Henson]] was coming to Atlanta the following week to inspect the Kermit balloon for the [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]] and that she could meet with him while there. After seeing Whitmire perform, she recommended him to Jim Henson, who eventually formally auditioned him and asked him to join the performers on ''[[The Muppet Show]]''. His first day of performing was March 24, 1978.<ref name="plume" /> ==From Right-Handing to Regular== Whitmire slowly became a major performer. On ''The Muppet Show'', he often performed one-shot characters, right hands, and filled in when two of another performer's characters were in the same scene (for example, if [[Fozzie Bear]] and [[Miss Piggy]] were in a scene together, Whitmire would generally perform Fozzie). He was given his own recurring characters, such as [[Foo-Foo]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], and [[Lips]], all of whom were minor characters on ''The Muppet Show'', with very little dialogue. Whitmire became one of the core Muppet performers since performing on ''The Muppet Show'', and received his own major characters on ''Fraggle Rock'', where he performed Sprocket and Wembley Fraggle, and the semi-recurring role of [[Marlon Fraggle]]. He would also add more characters to his repertoire over the years, performing many roles on ''[[The Jim Henson Hour]]'', and Rizzo the Rat would gradually become a core member of the main cast. ==The 1980s== [[Image:Steveskeksis.JPG|300px|thumb|Whitmire performing on ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'']] Following the end of ''The Muppet Show'', Whitmire continued to work within the Henson fold. He performed the [[SkekTek|Skeksis Scientist]] in ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'', and was the only puppeteer who both operated and voiced his character. (Jerry Nelson also did vocal work on the movie, but did not puppeteer.) Whitmire commented on this: {{quote|Jim Henson and [[Frank Oz]] had people submit tapes of what they thought a [[Skeksis]] would sound like, and it just so happened that the voice I did was exactly what they had in mind. So I just happened to get lucky and get a voice that worked with no particular effort... It just happened to be the one that was the right one.<ref name="plume" />}} Whitmire also puppeteered for the 1986 Henson film ''[[Labyrinth]]'', and starred as [[Mew]] in the television special ''[[The Christmas Toy]]''. In ''[[The Tale of the Bunny Picnic]]'', he performed the special's protagonist, Bean Bunny. Bean Bunny would soon go on to become a main character, starting with ''The Jim Henson Hour'', for which Whitmire also performed a variety of other characters, including [[Flash]] and [[Waldo C. Graphic]]. He also appeared on-screen as himself in ''[[Episode 110: Secrets of the Muppets|The Secrets of the Muppets]]''. ==Television Work in the 1990s== Whitmire performed many characters on ''[[Dinosaurs]]'', most notably [[B.P. Richfield]] and the face of [[Robbie Sinclair]] (with voices later looped) and was also heard as various one-shot hand puppet characters, such as [[Mr. Mason Dixon]]. Following the end of the series in 1994, he was paired with [[Dave Goelz]] as the title duo on ''[[The Animal Show|Jim Henson's Animal Show with Stinky and Jake]]'', playing [[Jake the Polar Bear|Jake]] and various other characters. In addition to reprising Kermit, Rizzo, and Beaker on ''[[Muppets Tonight]]'', Whitmire also performed the regular roles of [[Andy Pig]] and [[Mr. Poodlepants]]. ==Continuing Kermit and Others== [[Image:Stevekermit.jpg|thumb|300px]] [[Image:News_kermit.jpg|300px|thumb|Whitmire performs Kermit on ''Sesame Street'']] [[Image:Steve Kermit 2.jpg|thumb|300px]] [[Image:Steve and Kermit, Dave and Gonzo.jpg|thumb|300px|Steve Whitmire and Dave Goelz, with Kermit and Gonzo]] [[Image:Steve and Rizzo.jpg|thumb|300px|Steve Whitmire with his original Muppet character, Rizzo the Rat]] [[Image:Stevewhitmireandernie.jpg|thumb|300px|Whitmire and Ernie on the set of ''Count on Sports'']] Steve Whitmire took on the role of Kermit the Frog after the death of Jim Henson, starting in ''[[The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson]]''. Although ''The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson'' was his first on-screen performance as Kermit, he considers ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]'' to be his first real production as Kermit.<ref name="plume" /> Later, Whitmire learned that there was consideration of him performing Kermit even before Henson's death: {{quote|I have been told that Jim had said something about it to Frank. Not that I would perform Kermit when he died, but that he would need somebody else to do Kermit some of the time because he was so busy. He never said that to me, but I heard that through somebody that it had been talked about. Just that the two of them were so busy, that they may need to have to find stand-ins for their characters, so I guess it had been mentioned, but the actual time I was asked was by Brian. We were in Disney World for something. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I think it was the big tribute they did for Jim, and we went down for that. While we were there, one night I went over and met with [[Jane Henson]], Brian, and Frank, and Brian mentioned me doing it. I was just overwhelmed by the request. It was a huge honor, and it also just scared the daylights out of me, the thought of trying it.<ref name="plume" />}} When it was decided that Steve Whitmire would take over as the frog, [[Heather Henson]] arranged for a Kermit puppet to be sent to Atlanta for Whitmire to practice performing. Whitmire thought that the puppet smelled like Jim Henson, and although he put the puppet on once, he couldn't get himself to go near it and try out a voice for months. Eventually, Brian Henson called and asked him to do something with Kermit, record it on tape, and send it to him, so Whitmire performed Kermit singing "[[Bein' Green]]."<ref name="plume" /> Regarding his first performance as Kermit, Whitmire has said: {{quote|When we did [[The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson|the special]], I always had this fantasy that the first time I performed Kermit it would be a nice, dark little moment in the studio and it would be 5 or 6 of the main guys... It would be real gentle and easy to do. What it turned out to be was that the closing scene of that special had about 50 puppets in it. So it was basically every puppeteer I've ever worked with in New York City, which was probably 25-30 people.<ref name="plume" />}} One of the hardest things that Steve Whitmire had to do in ''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' was pre-record Kermit's voice for all of the songs first, as he recalled in an interview with [[Muppet Central (website)|Muppet Central]]: {{quote| I went to London for the start of ''Christmas Carol'', and they already started working on the music a couple days before I got there. We pre-recorded all of the songs before we did the movie, so the first thing I was going to have to do was go in to record Kermit's voice, which I was super-nervous about, because I didn't have the puppet to rely on. There was something about seeing the puppet as one was hearing my voice, at that stage, that made it more believable, and it got people into it. If I just walked in and did Kermit's voice, they didn't buy it necessarily. They were still hearing Jim. If I had the puppet on, it was more believable.}} After [[Richard Hunt]]'s death, he took over as Beaker: {{quote|I think it was Dave's [Goelz's] idea that I do Beaker. They asked Dave, "Who do you think should do Beaker?" and he suggested me because we like to work together, and we work well together. Beaker was difficult because I had no clue where it came from in Richard. I didn't know at all how Richard did this. It was really just a matter of being silly with Dave. The truth is, I still don't know where it came from. I just don't know what part of Richard it came from... What facet of his personality. I don't relate to the character the way that Richard did, so really, with Beaker, I'm doing an awful lot of just copying Richard. I wouldn't say that I've got a good handle on that character, but it's fun. It's a fun character.<ref name="plume" />}} Whitmire joined ''Sesame Street'' in 1993, when it was decided to permanently recast Ernie, although Jim Henson had originally auditioned him for the series years earlier. His first performance as Ernie was [[Ernie_and_Bert_Sketches:_Expeditions#fishingnote|a fishing sketch]] with Bert, and he transitioned into the role on a more regular basis. Although [[John Tartaglia]] substituted during the second season of ''[[Play With Me Sesame]]'', Whitmire continues to perform Ernie to this day. According to Whitmire, {{quote|[Performing Ernie] came about because they were looking for someone to do the voice for toys. I asked if I could audition for it. I did vocal recordings for Ernie toys for 2-3 years... A lot of them. When it came time to recast the character, I ended up doing it.<ref name="plume" />}} In contrast to his regular ''Sesame Street'' work as Ernie, Whitmire has rarely performed new material with Kermit the Frog on that series. Among the notable exceptions are sketch where Kermit teaches [[Grover]] the difference between light and dark, Kermit reporting on [[Slimey]] landing on the moon ([[Episode 3740]]), Kermit reporting on Slimey returning home ([[Episode 3785]]), in the song [[Everybody Be Yo'Self]] and reporting on the hurricane that hit [[Sesame Street (location)|Sesame Street]] ([[Episode 3976]]). Whitmire has, however, performed Kermit in the ''Sesame Street'' specials ''[[Elmopalooza]]'', ''[[Elmo Saves Christmas (special)|Elmo Saves Christmas]]'', ''[[CinderElmo]]'', and the direct-to-video ''[[The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street]]''. In the early 2000s, he started performing Statler, beginning with the [[Weezer]] music video "[[Keep Fishin']]." Whitmire puppeteered him in ''[[It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie]]'' while [[Jerry Nelson]] looped the voice later; one of Whitmire's lines, "Historical landmark," remained un-looped. Following Nelson's retirement from the role, Steve Whitmire took over as Statler (with the notable exception of ''[[Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony]]'', where [[Drew Massey]] assumed the role from the eight episode onward). In an interiew, Whitmire talked about playing Statler: {{quote|For Statler, I was trying to decide if I should make it more like Jerry's original, or do I make it like Richard’s, which everyone knows from ''The Muppet Show'', or do I make it like Jerry's since Richard's [death]. He’s just been passed around a lot. It's always been a problem for me that the characters got passed around. I get very conservative about this idea of one person doing the characters, and we shouldn't recast them so the character can grow and not be different every time we see them. So, I've tried to aim for more like what Richard did on ''The Muppet Show''. And I know I don't really sound like Richard, and I have so much fun doing the character. And they only do like three lines at a time, but when we ad lib with them between scenes, it's so much fun. We have so much fun.<ref>Whitmire, Steve [[Tough Pigs]] interview: [http://www.toughpigs.com/my-week-with-steve-day-3/ My Week with Steve : Day 3]</ref>|}} In 2008, new Muppet video content was added to [[Disney Extreme Digital]], where in addition to continuing to perform Kermit and Rizzo, Steve Whitmire also took over as [[the Newsman]]. In September 2009, Whitmire took an unexpected leave from performing Kermit, for appearances on ''[[America's Got Talent]]'' and the [[MTV Video Music Awards]]. Kermit was briefly performed by [[Artie Esposito]] in these instances. Whitmire returned to the role at a press conference for [[Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.]] Since 2006, Steve's availability for ''Sesame Street'' has somewhat lessened due to his commitment to projects with [[The Walt Disney Company]]. However, he has performed Ernie on several [[Ready to Learn]] PSA's, ''[[Elmo's Christmas Countdown]]'', ''[[Abby in Wonderland]]'', ''[[Count on Sports]]'', and the songs [[What I Am]] and [[I Wonder]]. He also performed Kermit for his cameo in [[Elmo's World: Frogs]]. Whitmire has stated that he doesn't think he could have taken over Jim Henson's characters if he had not worked with Henson for so many years.<ref>Louise Gitkow, ''[[Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street]]'', page 135</ref> ==Steve Whitmire and Dave Goelz== [[Image:Mtigoelzwhitmire.jpg|300px|thumb|Goelz and Whitmire being interviewed for "[[The Tale of the Story Beyond the Tale]]"]] [[Image:Behindthescenes.muppetmovie01.jpg|thumb|300px|On the set of ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'': Steve Whitmire with [[Kermit the Frog|Kermit]], [[Kathryn Mullen]] with [[Camilla the Chicken]] and [[Dave Goelz]] with [[Gonzo]].]] [[File:DSC00091.jpg|300px|thumb|Goelz and Whitmire puppeteering Statler and Waldorf ''[[The Today Show]]'']] As acknowledged by Whitmire in interviews, he and Dave Goelz work very well together. The aforementioned Bunsen and Beaker pairing was not the only time the two would work together as a team. On ''Fraggle Rock'', Whitmire's Wembley often found himself paired off with Goelz as [[Boober Fraggle|Boober]], and they played Mew and [[Rugby Tiger|Rugby]] respectively in ''The Christmas Toy''. [[Gonzo]] and Rizzo have become an almost inseparable team over the years, beginning with ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]''. In the same film, Goelz and Whitmire were paired as [[Betina and Belinda Cratchit]], doing variations of Frank Oz's Miss Piggy. On ''Muppets Tonight'', the two remained paired as Piggy's nephews, [[Andy and Randy Pig]]. Whitmire took over the role of Beaker, playing off Goelz's [[Dr. Bunsen Honeydew|Bunsen]]. Whitmire also recently took over the role of Statler, playing off [[Statler and Waldorf|Waldorf]], whom Dave Goelz has performed since 1992, and during the 1990s, the two performed the duo Jake and [[Stinky the Skunk|Stinky]] on ''The Animal Show''. ==Puppeteer Credits== [[Image:Whitmire_swamp_years.jpg|thumb|300px|Whitmire with [[Jack Rabbit]] on the set of ''Kermit's Swamp Years'']] [[Image:Steve Whitmire and Wembley.jpg|thumb|300px|Whitmire with his ''Fraggle Rock'' character, Wembley Fraggle.]] * ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' Characters: [[Billy Boy]], [[Fletcher Bird]] (voice), [[Foo-Foo]], [[Geri and the Atrics]] tuba player, [[Jabberwock]], [[Leo]] ([[Episode 403: Shields & Yarnell|episode 403]]), [[Lips]], [[Pinocchio (Muppet Show)|Pinocchio]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Rowlf the Dog]] (occasional, hands only), [[Security Guard]], [[The Snorers' Chorus]] member, [[Thog]] ([[Episode 502: Loretta Swit|episode 502]]), [[Timmy Monster]] (occasional, voice in [[Episode 423: Carol Channing|episode 423]]), [[Trevor the Gross]], [[The White Rabbit (Muppet Show)|The White Rabbit]], [[Winky Pinkerton]] ([[Episode 308: Loretta Lynn|episode 308]]), [[Zeke]] (1979-1981) * ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]] (assistant for [[The Rainbow Connection]] number) * ''[[The Great Muppet Caper]]'': [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Lips]] * ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'': [[SkekTek|Skeksis Scientist]] * ''[[Fraggle Rock]]'': [[Wembley Fraggle]], [[Sprocket]], [[Marlon Fraggle]], [[Murray the Minstrel]] (except [[Episode 512: The Honk of Honks|episode 512]]), [[Flange Doozer]], [[Crusty Doozer]], [[Flying Batworm]], [[Mermer Merggle]], [[Papa Tree Creature]] (Gorg Bird), [[Phil Fraggle]] (puppeteer only), [[Sir Blunderbrain]], [[Venerable Sage Hambo]] * ''[[The Muppets Take Manhattan]]'': [[Gil]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Dogs]] * ''[[Dreamchild]]'': [[The Caterpillar]], [[The Mock Turtle]] (puppetry only) * ''[[Labyrinth]]'': [[Ambrosius]], [[The Fireys|Fiery 4]], one of The Four Guards (puppetry only) * ''[[The Christmas Toy]]'': [[Mew]] * ''[[A Muppet Family Christmas]]'': [[The Christmas Turkey]], [[Wembley Fraggle|Wembley]], [[Sprocket]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Foo-Foo]], [[Lips]] * ''[[The Tale of the Bunny Picnic]]'': [[Bean Bunny]] * ''[[Inner Tube]]'': Henry, Duke * ''[[The Jim Henson Hour]]'': [[Flash]], [[Jacques Roach]], [[Waldo C. Graphic]], [[The Extremes|Yellow Extreme]], [[Bean Bunny]], [[Foo-Foo]] * ''[[The Cosby Show]]'': [[Singing Food]] * ''[[The Muppets at Walt Disney World]]'': [[Bean Bunny]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Foo-Foo]], [[Sprocket]], [[Lips]] * ''[[The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson]]'': [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Bean Bunny]], [[Kermit the Frog]], * ''[[Muppet*Vision 3D]]'': [[Bean Bunny]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], and [[Waldo C. Graphic]] * ''[[Dinosaurs]]'': [[B.P. Richfield]] (puppet), [[Robbie Sinclair]] (face), [[Chief Elder]] (face), [[Mr. Mason Dixon]], [[Sonny]], [[Woody]], [[Blarney]], [[Judge H.T. Stone]] (puppet) * ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]'': [[Belinda Cratchit]], [[Laundress]], [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Bean Bunny]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Beaker]], [[Sprocket]], [[Whatnots]], [[Rats]], [[Inkspots]], [[Lips]], Pig Buisnessman * [[Muppet Meeting Films]]: [[Boo Monster|Flunky]], [[Kermit]], [[Mr. Briteweight]] * ''[[Billy Bunny's Animal Songs]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]] * ''[[Sesame Street Stays Up Late!]]'': [[Ernie]] * ''[[Sesame Street]]'': [[Ernie]] (1993-), [[Kermit the Frog]] (1996-2001, 2009), [[Dr. Feel]], [[Cookie Monster's Mommy]] (2003) * ''[[The Animal Show|Jim Henson's The Animal Show with Stinky and Jake]]'': [[Jake the Polar Bear|Jake]] * ''[[Muppet Classic Theatre]]'': [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Kermit the Frog]] * ''[[Muppets on Wheels]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]] * ''[[Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]] * ''[[Muppet Treasure Island]]'': [[Walleye Pike]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Beaker]], [[Jacques Roach]], [[Inkspots]], [[The Dodo]], [[Rats]] * ''[[Things That Fly]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]], Co-Pilot * ''[[Muppets Tonight]]'': [[Andy Pig]], [[Captain Pighead]], [[Eugene (Muppets Tonight)|Eugene]], [[Lash Holstein]], [[Miss Weatherington]], [[Mr. Poodlepants]], [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Beaker]], [[Meepzorp]], [[George the Janitor]], [[Bug Llewelyn]], [[Farm person]], [[Pigeons]], [[Nigel's Mom]] * ''[[Elmo Saves Christmas]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]] * ''[[123 Count with Me]]: [[Ernie]]'' * ''[[Quiet Time]]'': [[Ernie]] * ''[[Elmopalooza]]'': [[Ernie]], [[Kermit the Frog]] * ''[[The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]] * ''[[Muppets from Space]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Rizzo the Rat]] [[Beaker]], [[Bean Bunny]], [[Cosmic Fish]], Beach Hippie * ''[[The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland]]'': [[Sharon Groan]], [[Bad Humor Man]], [[Stuckweed]], [[Football Stenchman]], [[Ernie]] * ''[[CinderElmo]]'': [[Prince the Dog]], [[Ernie]], [[Kermit the Frog]] * ''[[Muppet Race Mania]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Rizzo the Rat]] [[Beaker]], [[Bean Bunny]] [[Link Hogthrob]], [[Gil]], [[Flange Doozer]] * ''[[Play With Me Sesame]]'': Ernie * ''[[Bert & Ernie's Word Play]]'': Ernie, [[The Frosty Four|Lead Singer of The Frosty Four]], [[Mo (Word Play)|Mo]] * ''[[Kermit's Swamp Years]]'': [[Jack Rabbit]], [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Young Kermit]], and [[Chico]] * ''[[It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Beaker]] [[Bean Bunny]]. [[Mr. Poodlepants]], [[Statler]], one of the [[Elvises]] * ''[[Talk, Read, Write]]'': [[The King of Reading and Writing]] * ''[[Muppets Party Cruise]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Beaker]], [[Bean Bunny]], [[Andy Pig]], [[Link Hogthrob]] * ''[[The Muppets' Wizard of Oz]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Statler and Waldorf|Statler]], [[Bean Bunny]], [[Beaker]], [[Rizzo the Rat]] * ''[[From the Balcony]]'': [[Statler and Waldorf|Statler]] * ''[[Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]] * [[Disney Extreme Digital]]: [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[The Newsman]], [[Statler]], [[Beaker]], [[Singing Food]], [[Bean Bunny]] , [[Turkey]] * ''[[Virmup]]'': [[Beaker]], [[Statler]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Pumpkins]], [[Penguins]], [[Turkey]], [[Rabbits]], [[Kermit]] * ''[[Count on Sports]]'': [[Ernie]] * ''[[Studio DC: Almost Live!]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Statler]] and [[Beaker]]. * ''[[Abby in Wonderland]]'': [[Ernie]] * ''[[A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Rizzo the Rat]], [[Beaker]], [[Statler]] * ''[[The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Beaker]], [[The Newsman]], [[Andy and Randy Pig|Andy Pig]] * ''[[The Muppets (2011)|The Muppets]]'': [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Beaker]], [[Statler and Waldorf|Statler]], [[The Newsman]], [[Rizzo the Rat]] ==Trivia== [[Image:SteveKermit.BN.jpg|thumb|300px|At a Barnes & Noble appearance in NYC.]] [[Image:Tippiandsteve.JPG|thumb|300px|Whitmire and [[Tippi Hedren]].]] * Was nicknamed Kermit in his youth because he aspired to become a puppeteer and even performed with a Kermit which he made. His high school yearbook even has the name "Kermit" on the front cover. <ref>''[[A&E Biography: Sesame Street]]''</ref> * Shares the same birthday (September 24) as Jim Henson. * At one of his last meetings with Jim Henson, Henson commented to Whitmire that although he was a main Muppet performer, he didn't really have any main Muppet characters besides Rizzo and Bean Bunny, and told him that he was going to try to create a new main character for Whitmire to perform. <ref name="plume" /> * Steve Whitmire's favorite Muppet movie is ''[[The Muppet Movie]]''.<ref>[http://www.2momluvme.com/interview 2momluvme interview]</ref> *In ''The Muppet Movie'', he used a remote control device to operate Kermit's hand while playing the banjo during [[The Rainbow Connection]].<ref>''[[The Importance of Jim Henson]]'' pg 76-77</ref> * A quote from the Muppet Central interview with Steve Whitmire: "I designed the little mechanism inside of [Rizzo] that makes his mouth move." * Supporter/chairperson and volunteer at actress [[Tippi Hedren]]'s wildlife preserve [[Shambala Wild Animal Protection Act of 2000|SHAMBALA]], located in Acton, CA. Whitmire and his wife, Melissa have volunteered countless hours helping bring wild cats for veterinarian care, etc. ==See also== *[[Steve Whitmire Cameos]] ==Sources== <references /> ==External links== *[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0926209/ IMDb] *[http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/whitmire1.shtml Muppet Central's Interview with Whitmire] *[http://www.2momluvme.com/interview.html 2momluvme interview with Whitmire] *[[Tough Pigs]] interview: [http://www.toughpigs.com/my-week-with-steve-day-1/ Part 1], [http://www.toughpigs.com/my-week-with-steve-day-2/ Part 2], [http://www.toughpigs.com/my-week-with-steve-day-3/ Part 3], [http://www.toughpigs.com/my-week-with-steve-day-4/ Part 4], [http://www.toughpigs.com/my-week-with-steve-day-5/ Part 5] *[http://integrallife.com/contributors/steve-whitmire Integral Life website Interview]