Steve Whitmire

Steve Whitmire, born September 24, 1959, is a puppeteer who began his career with the Muppets during the third season of The Muppet Show, where he developed his first major character, Rizzo the Rat.

When Jim Henson passed away in 1990, Whitmire was selected to take over the role of Kermit the Frog. Following Richard Hunt's death and Jerry Nelson's retirement, he took over the roles of Beaker and Statler respectively. His wife, Melissa Whitmire, has also puppeteered on occasion.

Other Muppet characters that Steve has performed include Lips, Bean Bunny and Miss Piggy's dog Foo-Foo.

Outside Disney, Steve has performed Ernie on Sesame Street (another character that he took over from Jim Henson) and Wembley Fraggle and Sprocket on Fraggle Rock.