History Creator / MuppetPerformers

* '''Creator/FrankOz:''' An associate of Jim Henson since 1963 and the son of [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust Holocaust]] refugees, he is known for originating the roles of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, Marvin Suggs, George the Janitor, Bert, Grover, Cookie Monster, Harvey Kneeslapper, Lefty the Salesman, Professor Hastings and many others. He retired from regular puppeteering duties around 2000 to focus on his career as a movie director, with credits including ''Film/LittleShopOfHorrors'' and ''Film/DirtyRottenScoundrels''. Outside of the Muppets, he is known for performing and voicing Yoda in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' franchise and for voicing Fungus in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' and Subconscious Guard Dave in ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut''.

* '''Richard Hunt:''' A PromotedFanboy who was hired to join the Muppets right out of high school in 1970, after building and performing his own puppets for children's birthday parties, he became a mainstay of the troupe, performing much-loved characters like Scooter, Janice, Beaker (his personal favorite), Statler, Sweetums, Wayne, Gladys the Cow, Don Music, Placido Flamingo, Sully, Sonny Friendly, Forgetful Jones, Junior Gorg, Gunge and many others. He was [[ThoseTwoActors frequently paired with Jerry Nelson]], and by TheEighties had become the Muppets' main talent scout, and the "puppet captain" on ''Sesame Street'', which made him the main mentor for the newer generation of performers who joined in that era. His death from AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40 was a big blow to the organization just as it was recovering from the loss of Jim Henson; some of his characters have never been recast, while others took a long time to find new performers. On two occasions - Scooter in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' and Richard's half of the Two-Headed Monster in a ''Sesame Street'' PC game - the replacement performer [[ItRunsInTheFamily was Richard's own brother, Adam]] [[labelnote:*]]who'd previously been one the dozens of puppeteers in the final scene of ''The Muppet Movie''[[/labelnote]]. Outside the Muppets he had small acting roles in ''Film/TradingPlaces'' and ''Oxford Blues'' (the latter as a result of his OddFriendship with the film's star Creator/RobLowe). He's the subject of ''Funny Boy'', a 2024 biography by Jessica Max Stein that details his fascinating life spent at the intersection of LifeOfTheParty and SadClown, with unexpected cameos by the likes of Music/BobDylan and Music/TheSexPistols, among others.[[note]]Before he started working with the Muppets full-time, Hunt took his puppets to Dylan's Greenwich Village flat to be the entertainment at young [[Music/TheWallflowers Jakob Dylan's]] birthday party, while he had a rather awkward chance meeting with the Pistols when he first went to London to work on ''The Muppet Show'', with neither party knowing what exactly to make of one another.[[/note]]

* '''Creator/FrankOz:''' An associate of Jim Henson since 1963 and the son of [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust Holocaust]] refugees, he is known for originating the roles of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, Marvin Suggs, George the Janitor, Bert, Grover, Cookie Monster, Harvey Kneeslapper, Lefty the Salesman, Professor Hastings and many others. He was part of many memorable ThoseTwoActors pairings with Jim Henson. He retired from regular puppeteering duties around 2000 to focus on his career as a movie director, with credits including ''Film/LittleShopOfHorrors'' and ''Film/DirtyRottenScoundrels''. Outside of the Muppets, he is known for performing and voicing Yoda in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' franchise and for voicing Fungus in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' and Subconscious Guard Dave in ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut''.

* '''Steve Whitmire:''' Joining in 1978, he initially performed background characters on ''The Muppet Show'' before rising to perform major roles like Rizzo the Rat, Foo Foo, Lips, Bean Bunny, Waldo C. Graphic, Wembley Fraggle, Sprocket, Murray the Minstrel, Jake the Polar Bear and others. After Jim Henson's death, Steve took over several of his roles, including Kermit the Frog, Ernie, Link Hogthrob and the Newsman, and also took over Beaker and Statler after Richard Hunt's death and Jerry Nelson's retirement respectively. He was part of many ThoseTwoActors pairings with Dave Goelz. Whitmire is also an accomplished musician and composed some music for the ''Fraggle Rock'' holiday episode. He was let go from the Muppets in 2016 due to various issues, but continues to perform as a puppeteer with his own original character, Weldon the I.T. Guy, and is active on social media.

* '''Richard Hunt:''' A PromotedFanboy who was hired to join the Muppets right out of high school in 1970, after building and performing his own puppets for children's birthday parties, he became a mainstay of the troupe, performing much-loved characters like Scooter, Janice, Beaker (his personal favorite), Statler, Sweetums, Wayne, Gladys the Cow, Don Music, Placido Flamingo, Sully, Sonny Friendly, Forgetful Jones, Junior Gorg, Gunge and many others. He was [[ThoseTwoActors frequently paired with Jerry Nelson]], and by TheEighties had become the Muppets' main talent scout, and the "puppet captain" on ''Sesame Street'', which made him the main mentor for the newer generation of performers who joined in that era. His death from AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40 was a big blow to the organization just as it was recovering from the loss of Jim Henson; some of his characters have never been recast, while others took a long time to find new performers. On two occasions - Scooter in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' and Richard's half of the Two-Headed Monster in a ''Sesame Street'' PC game - the replacement performer [[ItRunsInTheFamily was Richard's own brother, Adam]] [[labelnote:*]]who'd previously been one the dozens of puppeteers in the final scene of ''The Muppet Movie''[[/labelnote]]. Outside the Muppets he had small acting roles in ''Film/TradingPlaces'' and ''Oxford Blues'' (the latter as a result of his OddFriendship with the film's star Creator/RobLowe). He's the subject of ''Funny Boy'', a 2024 biography by Jessica Max Stein that details his fascinating life spent at the intersection of LifeOfTheParty and SadClown, with unexpected cameos by the likes of Music/BobDylan, Music/TheSexPistols.[[note]]Before he started working with the Muppets full-time, Hunt took his puppets to Dylan's Greenwich Village flat to be the entertainment at young [[Music/TheWallflowers Jakob Dylan's]] birthday party, while he had a rather awkward chance meeting with the Pistols when he first went to London to work on ''The Muppet Show'', with neither party knowing what exactly to make of one another.[[/note]]

* '''Richard Hunt:''' A PromotedFanboy who was hired to join the Muppets right out of high school in 1970, after building and performing his own puppets for children's birthday parties, he became a mainstay of the troupe, performing much-loved characters like Scooter, Janice, Beaker (his personal favorite), Statler, Sweetums, Wayne, Gladys the Cow, Don Music, Placido Flamingo, Sully, Sonny Friendly, Forgetful Jones, Junior Gorg, Gunge and many others. He was [[ThoseTwoActors frequently paired with Jerry Nelson]], and by TheEighties had become the Muppets' main talent scout, and the "puppet captain" on ''Sesame Street'', which made him the main mentor for the newer generation of performers who joined in that era. His death from AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40 was a big blow to the organization just as it was recovering from the loss of Jim Henson; some of his characters have never been recast, while others took a long time to find new performers. On two occasions - Scooter in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' and Richard's half of the Two-Headed Monster in a ''Sesame Street'' PC game - the replacement performer [[ItRunsInTheFamily was Richard's own brother, Adam]] [[labelnote:*]]who'd previously been one the dozens of puppeteers in the final scene of ''The Muppet Movie''[[/labelnote]]. Outside the Muppets he had small acting roles in ''Film/TradingPlaces'' and ''Oxford Blues'' (the latter as a result of his OddFriendship with the film's star Creator/RobLowe). He's the subject of ''Funny Boy'', a 2024 biography by Jessica Max Stein that details his fascinating life spent at the intersection of LifeOfTheParty and SadClown, with unexpected cameos by the likes of Music/BobDylan, Music/TheSexPistols and Creator/RobLowe.[[note]]Before he started working with the Muppets full-time, Hunt took his puppets to Dylan's Greenwich Village flat to be the entertainment at young [[Music/TheWallflowers Jakob Dylan's]] birthday party, while he had a rather awkward chance meeting with the Pistols when he first went to London to work on ''The Muppet Show'', with neither party knowing what exactly to make of one another.[[/note]]

* '''Richard Hunt:''' A PromotedFanboy who was hired to join the Muppets right out of high school in 1970, after building and performing his own puppets for children's birthday parties, he became a mainstay of the troupe, performing much-loved characters like Scooter, Janice, Beaker (his personal favorite), Statler, Sweetums, Wayne, Gladys the Cow, Don Music, Placido Flamingo, Sully, Sonny Friendly, Forgetful Jones, Junior Gorg, Gunge and many others. He was [[ThoseTwoActors frequently paired with Jerry Nelson]], and by TheEighties had become the Muppets' main talent scout, and the ''de facto'' chief of Muppet activities on ''Sesame Street'', which made him the main mentor for the newer generation of performers who joined in that era. His death from AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40 was a big blow to the organization just as it was recovering from the loss of Jim Henson; some of his characters have never been recast, while others took a long time to find new performers. On two occasions - Scooter in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' and Richard's half of the Two-Headed Monster in a ''Sesame Street'' PC game - the replacement performer [[ItRunsInTheFamily was Richard's own brother, Adam]] (who'd previously been one the dozens of puppeteers in the final scene of ''The Muppet Movie''). He's the subject of ''Funny Boy'', a 2024 biography by Jessica Max Stein that details his fascinating life spent at the intersection of LifeOfTheParty and SadClown, with unexpected cameos by the likes of Music/BobDylan and Music/TheSexPistols.[[note]]Before he started working with the Muppets full-time, Hunt took his puppets to Dylan's Greenwich Village flat to be the entertainment at young [[Music/TheWallflowers Jakob Dylan's]] birthday party, while he had a rather awkward chance meeting with the Pistols when he first went to London to work on ''The Muppet Show'', with neither party knowing what exactly to make of one another.[[/note]]

* '''Richard Hunt:''' A PromotedFanboy who was hired to join the Muppets right out of high school in 1970, having already acquired experience building and performing puppets for children's birthday parties, he became a mainstay of the troupe, performing much-loved characters like Scooter, Janice, Beaker (his personal favorite), Statler, Sweetums, Wayne, Gladys the Cow, Don Music, Placido Flamingo, Sully, Sonny Friendly, Forgetful Jones, Junior Gorg, Gunge and many others. He was [[ThoseTwoActors frequently paired with Jerry Nelson]], and by TheEighties had become the Muppets' main talent scout, and the ''de facto'' chief of Muppet activities on ''Sesame Street'', which made him the main mentor for the newer generation of performers who joined in that era. His death from AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40 was a big blow to the organization just as it was recovering from the loss of Jim Henson; some of his characters have never been recast, while others took a long time to find new performers. On two occasions - Scooter in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' and Richard's half of the Two-Headed Monster in a ''Sesame Street'' PC game - the replacement performer [[ItRunsInTheFamily was Richard's own brother, Adam]] (who'd previously been one the dozens of puppeteers in the final scene of ''The Muppet Movie''). He's the subject of ''Funny Boy'', a 2024 biography by Jessica Max Stein that details his fascinating life spent at the intersection of LifeOfTheParty and SadClown, with unexpected cameos by the likes of Music/BobDylan and Music/TheSexPistols.[[note]]Before he started working with the Muppets full-time, Hunt took his puppets to Dylan's Greenwich Village flat to be the entertainment at young [[Music/TheWallflowers Jakob Dylan's]] birthday party, while he had a rather awkward chance meeting with the Pistols when he first went to London to work on ''The Muppet Show'', with neither party knowing what exactly to make of one another.[[/note]]

* '''Kevin Clash:''' Joining in the late 1970s, he is best known for playing characters such as Clifford, Polly Lobster, Baby Sinclair, Howard Handupme, Hoots the Owl, Baby Natasha, Kingston Livingston III, Wolfgang the Seal, Benny Rabbit, Dr. Nobel Price and, most famously, Elmo. In addition, he worked as a director, producer and puppet captain for ''Sesame Street'' until 2012, when he resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct. He still works as a puppeteer for The Jim Henson Company on other projects, including performing Lyle and Mr. Bumblypants in ''Film/TheHappytimeMurders'', [=skekMal=] the Hunter and Aughra in ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance'', and Uncle Traveling Matt in some episodes of ''Series/FraggleRockBackToTheRock'' (voiced by Dave Goelz). The documentary film ''Film/BeingElmoAPuppeteersJourney'' is about his life and his most famous character.

* '''Richard Hunt:''' A PromotedFanboy who was hired to join the Muppets right out of high school in 1970, having already acquired experience building and performing puppets for children's birthday parties, he became a mainstay of the troupe, performing much-loved characters like Scooter, Janice, Beaker (his personal favorite), Statler, Sweetums, Wayne, Gladys the Cow, Don Music, Placido Flamingo, Sully, Sonny Friendly, Forgetful Jones, Junior Gorg, Gunge and many others. He was [[ThoseTwoActors frequently paired with Jerry Nelson]] and also mentored many of the newer performers who joined in TheEighties. His death from AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40 was a big blow to the organization just as it was recovering from the loss of Jim Henson; some of his characters have never been recast, while others took a long time to find new performers. On two occasions - Scooter in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' and Richard's half of the Two-Headed Monster in a ''Sesame Street'' PC game - the replacement performer [[ItRunsInTheFamily was Richard's own brother, Adam]] (who'd previously been one the dozens of puppeteers in the final scene of ''The Muppet Movie''). He's the subject of ''Funny Boy'', a 2024 biography by Jessica Max Stein that details his fascinating life spent at the intersection of LifeOfTheParty and SadClown, with unexpected cameos by the likes of Music/BobDylan and Music/TheSexPistols.[[note]]Before he started working with the Muppets full-time, Hunt took his puppets to Dylan's Greenwich Village flat to be the entertainment at young [[Music/TheWallflowers Jakob Dylan's]] birthday party, while he had a rather awkward chance meeting with the Pistols when he first went to London to work on ''The Muppet Show'', with neither party knowing what exactly to make of one another.[[/note]]

* '''Jennifer Barnhart''' : Joining in 2001, she is best known for her work on Sesame Street, being the current performer of Gladys the Cow since 2003, as well as taking over Mama Bear around the same time. She also took over the role of Zoe following Fran Brill's retirement. Outside of the Muppets, she's best known for portraying Cleo on ''Series/BetweenTheLions''.

* '''Tyler Bunch:''' Joining in 1993, he got his first big break performing Treelo, Pop and Doc Hogg on ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse''. He has performed various minor characters with The Muppets and on ''Sesame Street'', most notably Elmo's father Louie, who he inherited from Bill Barretta. He is also a voice actor for various non-Henson productions under the pseudonym of H.D. Quinn, including a number of Incineroars in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.

* '''Joey Mazzarino:''' Joining in 1989, he performed primarily on ''Sesame Street'', where he played Murray Monster, Colambo, Joey Monkey, Papa Bear, Stinky the Stinkweed and Horatio the Elephant, among others. He also served as a writer and director on ''Sesame Street'', as well as co-writing the screenplays for ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' and ''Film/TheAdventuresOfElmoInGrouchland''. He resigned from Sesame Street in 2015. Outside the Muppets, he was a voice actor on ''WesternAnimation/SheepInTheBigCity'' and played Sprinkles, Roary, and Boogie Woogie on ''Series/BluesRoom''. He would later go on to play Game Show Gator, among others in ''Series/DonkeyHodie''.

* '''Richard Hunt:''' A PromotedFanboy who was hired to join the Muppets right out of high school in 1970, having already acquired experience building and performing puppets for children's birthday parties, he became a mainstay of the troupe, performing much-loved characters like Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Statler, Sweetums, Wayne, Gladys the Cow, Don Music, Placido Flamingo, Sully, Sonny Friendly, Forgetful Jones, Junior Gorg, Gunge and many others. He was part of many memorable ThoseTwoActors pairings with Jerry Nelson and also mentored many of the newer performers who joined in TheEighties. His death from AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40 was a big blow to the organization just as it was recovering from the loss of Jim Henson; some of his characters have never been recast, while others took a long time to find new performers. On two occasions - Scooter in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' and Richard's half of the Two-Headed Monster in a ''Sesame Street'' PC game - the replacement performer [[ItRunsInTheFamily was Richard's own brother, Adam]]. He's the subject of ''Funny Boy'', a 2024 biography by Jessica Max Stein that details his fascinating life spent at the intersection of LifeOfTheParty and SadClown, with unexpected cameos by the likes of Music/BobDylan and Music/TheSexPistols.[[note]]Before he started working with the Muppets full-time, Hunt took his puppets to Dylan's Greenwich Village flat to be the entertainment at young [[Music/TheWallflowers Jakob Dylan's]] birthday party, while he had a rather awkward chance meeting with the Pistols when he first went to London to work on ''The Muppet Show'', with neither party knowing what exactly to make of one another.[[/note]]

* '''Brian Muehl[=/=]Meehl'''[[note]]Muehl is his birth name, but he's since changed the spelling to Meehl to better match its pronunciation[[/note]]: Joining in 1979, he focused most of his work on ''Series/SesameStreet'', performing Telly Monster, Grundgetta, Dr. Nobel Price and others, as well as being the first full-time performer of Elmo. Burned out with performing, he left in 1984 to focus on writing, but has made a few occasional return appearances in Muppet productions and worked with several other ''Sesame'' alumni (including Pam Arciero, who had taken over the role of Grundgetta after his departure) in ''Series/EureekasCastle''. More recently, Meehl has gained notice writing YoungAdultLiterature.

* '''Richard Hunt:''' A PromotedFanboy who was hired to join the Muppets right out of high school in 1970, he became a mainstay of the troupe, performing much-loved characters like Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Statler, Sweetums, Wayne, Gladys the Cow, Don Music, Placido Flamingo, Sully, Sonny Friendly, Forgetful Jones, Junior Gorg, Gunge and many others. He was part of many memorable ThoseTwoActors pairings with Jerry Nelson and also mentored many of the newer performers who joined in TheEighties. His death from AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40 was a big blow to the organization just as it was recovering from the loss of Jim Henson; some of his characters have never been recast, while others took a long time to find new performers. On two occasions - Scooter in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' and Richard's half of the Two-Headed Monster in a ''Sesame Street'' PC game - the replacement performer [[ItRunsInTheFamily was Richard's own brother, Adam]]. He's the subject of a biography, 2024's ''Funny Boy'' by Jessica Max Stein.

* '''John Lovelady:''' Starting in 1970, he worked on-and-off on various Muppet projects for the next decade, as a performer and a puppet designer. He helped out on ''Series/SesameStreet'' and was a cast member for season 1 of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', originating the role of Crazy Harry. He later worked on other puppet-heavy shows like ''Series/TheGreatSpaceCoaster'' and ''Series/DCFollies''. Trivia note: Lovelady attended the same Mississippi elementary school as Jim Henson (but Lovelady was five years older, so they didn't know each other).

* '''Eren Ozker:''' The only regular female performer during the first season of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', she played most of the female characters, including Hilda, Janice and Wanda. She left after that season, but did some occasional Muppet work afterwards, along with a busy stage acting career. She succumbed to cancer in 1993 at the age of 44.

* '''Jerry Nelson:''' Joining in 1965, he initially worked with the Muppets on and off throughout the 1960s before joining the Henson organization full-time in 1970. Known for his [[ManOfAThousandVoices vocal range]] and for his musical talent, Nelson performed more characters than any other Muppet performer, including Count von Count, Herry Monster, Mr. Johnson, The Amazing Mumford, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Frazzle, Sherlock Hemlock, Simon Soundman, Farley, Biff, Sam the Robot, Little Jerry, Herbert Birdsfoot, Poco Loco, Floyd Pepper, Camilla the Chicken, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Robin the Frog, Uncle Deadly, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Louis Kazagger, Slim Wilson, Pops, Thog, Statler, Gobo Fraggle, Pa Gorg, Marjory the Trash Heap, Architect Doozer, Featherstone, T.R. the Rooster, Emmett Otter, Blind Pew, Mad Monty, the Ghost of Christmas Present and many others. He made a number of live-action appearances on ''Sesame Street'' and other Henson works, even appearing alongside his daughter, Christine, in ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper'', before she sadly succumbed to cystic fibrosis at age 22. Outside the Muppets, he acted on TV series such as ''Naked City'' and ''The Defenders'' and in Jim Henson's experimental TV special ''The Cube'', voiced General Public in ''WesternAnimation/SheepInTheBigCity'', and, as a singer, released occasional recordings of his own, including an album, ''Truro Daydreams'', in 2009. Though he retired from puppeteering in 2004 due to poor health, he continued to lend his voice to ''Sesame Street'' and other Muppet projects until he died in 2012 at the age of 78.

* '''Richard Hunt:''' A PromotedFanboy who was hired to join the Muppets right out of high school in 1970, he became a mainstay of the troupe, performing much-loved characters like Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Statler, Sweetums, Wayne, Gladys the Cow, Don Music, Placido Flamingo, Sully, Sonny Friendly, Forgetful Jones, Junior Gorg, Gunge and many others. He was part of many memorable ThoseTwoActors pairings with Jerry Nelson and also mentored many of the newer performers who joined in TheEighties. His death from AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40 was a big blow to the organization just as it was recovering from the loss of Jim Henson; some of his characters have never been recast, while others took a long time to find new performers. On two occasions - Scooter in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' and Richard's half of the Two-Headed Monster in a ''Sesame Street'' PC game - the replacement performer [[ItRunsInTheFamily was Richard's own brother, Adam]].

* '''Creator/CarollSpinney:''' Joining in 1969, he played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on ''Sesame Street'' almost exclusively since the very first episode. In 2018, shortly after filming wrapped up on the show's 50th season, Spinney announced his retirement. He passed away from dystonia on December 8, 2019 at the age of 85. He is the subject of the documentary film ''Film/IAmBigBird''.

* '''Donna Kimball:''' Joining after the Muppets were sold to Disney, she's inherited the characters of Mokey Fraggle and Cotterpin Doozer from Kathryn Mullen, and voiced Aughra in ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance'' (puppeteered by Kevin Clash). Her non-Henson credits include ''Series/GregTheBunny'', ''Series/SigmundAndTheSeaMonsters'', and ''Series/CrankYankers'' among others.

* '''Jerry Nelson:''' Joining in 1965, he initially worked with the Muppets on and off throughout the 1960s before joining the Henson organization full-time in 1970. Known for his [[ManOfAThousandVoices vocal range]] and for his musical talent, Nelson performed more characters than any other Muppet performer, including Count von Count, Herry Monster, Mr. Johnson, The Amazing Mumford, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Frazzle, Sherlock Hemlock, Simon Soundman, Farley, Biff, Sam the Robot, Little Jerry, Herbert Birdsfoot, Poco Loco, Floyd Pepper, Camilla the Chicken, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Robin the Frog, Uncle Deadly, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Louis Kazagger, Slim Wilson, Pops, Thog, Statler, Gobo Fraggle, Pa Gorg, Marjory the Trash Heap, Featherstone, T.R. the Rooster, Emmett Otter, Blind Pew, Mad Monty, the Ghost of Christmas Present and many others. He made a number of live-action appearances on ''Sesame Street'' and other Henson works, even appearing alongside his daughter, Christine, in ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper'', before she sadly succumbed to cystic fibrosis at age 22. Outside the Muppets, he acted on TV series such as ''Naked City'' and ''The Defenders'' and in Jim Henson's experimental TV special ''The Cube'', voiced General Public in ''WesternAnimation/SheepInTheBigCity'', and, as a singer, released occasional recordings of his own, including an album, ''Truro Daydreams'', in 2009. Though he retired from puppeteering in 2004 due to poor health, he continued to lend his voice to ''Sesame Street'' and other Muppet projects until he died in 2012 at the age of 78.

* '''Dave Goelz:''' Originally an industrial designer, Goelz joined the Henson organization in 1973 as a puppet builder before becoming a performer, originating characters like Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Beauregard, Boober Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt, Rugby Tiger, Stinky the Skunk and others. He also inherited Waldorf after Jim Henson's death. He is the longest-lasting original Muppet performer, still working with the franchise to date after all the others have left or passed away, although his roles in the 2020s reboots of ''Fraggle Rock'' have been voice-only with the puppeteering handled by others. Outside the Muppets, he voiced Subconscious Guard Frank in ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' and is the current voice of Figment in Epcot's [[Ride/JourneyIntoImagination Journey Into Imagination with Figment]] attraction. As a child actor, he had a brief appearance in ''Film/{{The Parent Trap|1961}}'' in 1961.

* '''Richard Hunt:''' A PromotedFanboy who was hired to join the Muppets right out of high school in 1970, he became a mainstay of the troupe, performing much-loved characters like Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Statler, Sweetums, Wayne, Gladys the Cow, Don Music, Placido Flamingo, Sully, Sonny Friendly, Forgetful Jones, Junior Gorg and many others. He was part of many memorable ThoseTwoActors pairings with Jerry Nelson and also mentored many of the newer performers who joined in TheEighties. His death from AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40 was a big blow to the organization just as it was recovering from the loss of Jim Henson; some of his characters have never been recast, while others took a long time to find new performers. On two occasions - Scooter in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' and Richard's half of the Two-Headed Monster in a ''Sesame Street'' PC game - the replacement performer [[ItRunsInTheFamily was Richard's own brother, Adam]].

* '''Steve Whitmire:''' Joining in 1978, he initially performed background characters on ''The Muppet Show'' before rising to perform major roles like Rizzo the Rat, Foo Foo, Lips, Bean Bunny, Waldo C. Graphic, Wembley Fraggle, Sprocket, Jake the Polar Bear and others. After Jim Henson's death, Steve took over several of his roles, including Kermit the Frog, Ernie, Link Hogthrob and the Newsman, and also took over Beaker and Statler after Richard Hunt's death and Jerry Nelson's retirement respectively. He was part of many ThoseTwoActors pairings with Dave Goelz. Whitmire is also an accomplished musician and composed some music for the ''Fraggle Rock'' holiday episode. He was let go from the Muppets in 2016 due to various issues, but continues to perform as a puppeteer with his own original character, Weldon the I.T. Guy, and is active on social media.

* '''Louise Gold:''' Known for her singing voice, Gold was hired from England to work on ''The Muppet Show'' from its second season onward. She is best known for performing Annie Sue Pig, a role she reprised in ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted''. More recently, she has performed Funella Furchester in ''Series/TheFurchesterHotel'' and she was the only Skeksis performer of ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'' to return for ''[[Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance Age of Resistance]]'' (as [=skekAyuk=] the Gourmand).

* '''Leslie Carrara-Rudolph:''' Joining in 1996, she began her career with the Muppets performing Spamela Hamderson and others on ''Series/MuppetsTonight''. She joined ''Sesame Street'' during its 37th season, becoming best known for performing Abby Cadabby and Tango. She is married to ''Muppets Tonight'' and ''Sesame Street'' music coordinator Paul Rudolph.

* '''Stacey Gordon:''' She performs Julia, the very first Muppet with Autism, on ''Sesame Street''.

* '''Jennifer Barnhart''' : Joining in 2001, she is best known for her work on Sesame Street, being the current performer of Gladys the Cow since 2003, as well as taking over Mama Bear around the same time. She also took over the role of Zoe following Fran Brill's retirement. Outside of the Muppets, she's best known for portraying Cleo on ''Series/BetweenTheLions'' .

* '''Kevin Clash:''' Joining in the late 1970s, he is best known for playing characters such as Clifford, Polly Lobster, Baby Sinclair, Howard Handupme, Hoots the Owl, Baby Natasha, Kingston Livingston III, Wolfgang the Seal, Benny Rabbit, Dr. Nobel Price and, most famously, Elmo. In addition, he worked as a director, producer and puppet captain for ''Sesame Street'' until 2012, when he resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct. He still works as a puppeteer for The Jim Henson Company on other projects, including performing Lyle and Mr. Bumblypants in ''Film/TheHappytimeMurders'', the Skeksis Hunter and Aughra in ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance'', and Uncle Traveling Matt in some episodes of ''Series/FraggleRockBackToTheRock'' (voiced by Dave Goelz). The documentary film ''Film/BeingElmoAPuppeteersJourney'' is about his life and his most famous character.

* '''Creator/JimHenson:''' The creator of the Muppets, he was known for playing Kermit the Frog, Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, the SelfDemonstrating/SwedishChef, [[JustForFun/StatlerAndWaldorf Waldorf]], Link Hogthrob, the Newsman, Mahna Mahna, Ernie, Guy Smiley, Cantus the Minstrel, Convincing John and many others. He passed away on May 16th, 1990 at the age of 53.

* '''Matt Vogel:''' Joining in 1994, he is known for inheriting many roles originated by Jerry Nelson, including Count von Count, Mr. Johnson, Biff, Floyd Pepper, Camilla the Chicken, Robin the Frog, Crazy Harry, Uncle Deadly, Lew Zealand, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Pops and others. He also played 80s Robot in [[Film/TheMuppets the 2011 Muppets film]], Constantine in ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted'' and has performed Sweetums since 2009. On ''Sesame Street'', Matt also works as a writer, director and puppet captain, as well as being Caroll Spinney's understudy and eventual successor for Big Bird. In 2017, he took over the role of Kermit the Frog following Steve Whitmire's ousting. Outside the Muppets, he played Wilkins in ''Film/AliceThroughTheLookingGlass''.

* '''Caroll Spinney:''' Joining in 1969, he played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on ''Sesame Street'' almost exclusively since the very first episode. In 2018, shortly after filming wrapped up on the show's 50th season, Spinney announced his retirement. He passed away from dystonia on December 8, 2019 at the age of 85. He is the subject of the documentary film ''Film/IAmBigBird''.

* '''Jerry Nelson:''' Joining in 1965, he initially worked with the Muppets on and off throughout the 1960s before joining the Henson organization full-time in 1970. Known for his [[ManOfAThousandVoices vocal range]] and for his musical talent, Nelson performed more characters than any other Muppet performer, including Count von Count, Herry Monster, Mr. Johnson, The Amazing Mumford, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Frazzle, Sherlock Hemlock, Simon Soundman, Farley, Biff, Sam the Robot, Little Jerry, Herbert Birdsfoot, Poco Loco, Floyd Pepper, Camilla the Chicken, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Robin the Frog, Uncle Deadly, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Louis Kazagger, Slim Wilson, Pops, Thog, Statler, Gobo Fraggle, Pa Gorg, Marjory the Trash Heap, Featherstone, T.R. the Rooster, Emmett Otter, Blind Pew, Mad Monty, the Ghost of Christmas Present and many others. He made a number of live-action appearances on ''Sesame Street'' and various other Henson works, even appearing alongside his daughter, Christine, in ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper'', before she sadly succumbed to cystic fibrosis at age 22. Outside the Muppets, he acted on TV series such as ''Naked City'' and ''The Defenders'' and in Jim Henson's experimental TV special ''The Cube'', and, as a singer, released occasional recordings of his own, including an album, ''Truro Daydreams'', in 2009. Though he retired from puppeteering in 2004 due to poor health, he continued to lend his voice to ''Sesame Street'' and other Muppet projects until he died in 2012 at the age of 78.

** On a physical level, [[https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/The_Country_Trio The Country Trio]], who appeared on some variety and talk shows in TheSeventies, as well as singing some songs on ''The Muppet Show'', were caricatures of Henson, Oz and Nelson, and officially named Jim, Frank and Jerry. Lips of the Electric Mayhem also bears a strong physical resemblance to Steve Whitmire circa 1980.

* '''Dave Goelz:''' Originally an industrial designer, Goelz joined the Henson organization in 1973 as a puppet builder before becoming a performer, originating characters like Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Beauregard, Boober Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt, Rugby Tiger, Stinky the Skunk and others. He also inherited Waldorf after Jim Henson's death. He is the longest-lasting original Muppet performer, still working with the franchise to date after all the others have left or passed away, although his roles in the 2020s reboots of ''Fraggle Rock'' have been voice-only with the puppeteering handled by others. Outside the Muppets, he voiced Subconscious Guard Frank in ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' and is the current voice of Figment in Epcot's [[Ride/JourneyIntoImagination Journey Into Imagination with Figment]] attraction. As a child actor, he had a brief appearance in ''Film/TheParentTrap'' in 1961.