Matt Vogel | |
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Born | Matthew James Vogel October 6, 1970 Kansas City, Kansas, U.S. |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1993–present |
Spouse | Kelly C. McDonnell (m. 1997) |
Children | 5 |
Website | www |
Matthew James Vogel (born October 6, 1970) [1] is an American puppeteer, actor and director known for his work with Sesame Workshop and The Muppets Studio. He has performed Kermit the Frog since 2017, and has been the full-time performer of Big Bird since 2018 and Count Von Count since 2013.
Vogel was born in Kansas City, Kansas. As a child, he was a fan of both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show . [2] He interned at Mesner Puppet Theater where he played his first role of Victor Frankenstein in Paul Mesner Puppets’ production of “Frankenstein” in 1993. [3] After 1993, he moved from Kansas City to New York. [4]
Vogel began his career with the Jim Henson Company in 1996, joining Sesame Street as an ensemble puppeteer and understudy performer for Big Bird. In 2018, he became the full-time performer for Big Bird following Caroll Spinney's retirement. [5] [6] [7] Since 2008, he has additionally served as a director on the program and was appointed puppet captain in 2012. [8]
Vogel also served as the assistant puppeteer for Ernie, performing alongside Steve Whitmire. Following Jerry Nelson's death in 2012, he inherited the role of Count von Count. [6] He has additionally performed Mr. Johnson, Forgetful Jones, Sherlock Hemlock, and the Yip-Yip Martians. Since 2013, Vogel has performed Alex, a Muppet addressing parental incarceration, for the Sesame Street in Communities initiative. [9]
Since 2008, Vogel has been a principal performer with the Muppets, inheriting many of Nelson's character roles. Vogel has performed the characters Floyd Pepper, Uncle Deadly, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Sweetums, Camilla the Chicken, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Pops, '80s Robot, and Constantine. In July 2017, Vogel was officially announced as the new performer for Kermit the Frog, [10] succeeding Whitmire in the role. His first performance as Kermit was in a "Muppets Thought of the Week" segment on YouTube. [11] He performed Robin the Frog until 2017 with Peter Linz subsequently taking the role to allow Kermit and Robin to appear in scenes together. [8] [10] [4]
In 2016, Vogel voiced Wilkins in Alice Through the Looking Glass . [12]
Vogel has been married to his wife Kelly C. McDonnell since August 31, 1997. They have five children. [3] [13]
Year | Production | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | Big Bird | Assistant performer |
2005 | The Producers | Pigeon | Puppeteer |
2008 | A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa | Floyd Pepper, Camilla the Chicken, Lew Zealand, Robin the Frog, Pigeon Son | Performer; Television film |
2011 | The Muppets | Uncle Deadly, Floyd Pepper, Sweetums, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Robin the Frog | Performer |
2013 | Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map | Fred Jones | Performer (puppetry only); Direct-to-DVD film |
2014 | Muppets Most Wanted | Constantine, Floyd Pepper, Sweetums, Pops, Robin the Frog, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, '80s Robot, Camilla the Chicken, Uncle Deadly | Performer |
I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story | Documentary film; Self | ||
2016 | Alice Through the Looking Glass | Wilkins | Voice |
Year(s) | Production | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1996–present | Sesame Street | Big Bird (1998–present), [5] Count von Count (2013–present), Mr. Johnson (2014–present), Various characters | Performer (also director) |
1996 | Elmo Saves Christmas | Additional performer; Television special | |
1996–1998 | Big Bag | Additional performer | |
1998 | The Puzzle Place | Skye, Nuzzle | Performer (season 3) |
2000 | Between the Lions | Various characters | Ensemble performer |
2002–2007 | Play with Me Sesame | Ernie | Assistant performer |
2003–2005 | Oobi | Angus | Performer [14] |
2006 | Blue's Room | Alphabet Puppy | Puppeteer |
2007 | Jack's Big Music Show | Leonard the Country Squirrel | Performer, Episode: "Leonard the Country Squirrel" |
2008 | Studio DC: Almost Live | Camilla the Chicken, Floyd Pepper (puppetry only) | Performer |
2009 | 30 Rock | Puppeteer, [15] [16] Episode: "Apollo, Apollo" | |
2015–2016 | The Muppets | Uncle Deadly, Floyd Pepper, Sweetums, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Robin the Frog | Performer |
2016 | The Furchester Hotel | Big Bird, Count von Count | |
Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas | Count von Count, Constable/Mr. Johnson, Big Bird (puppetry only) | Performer (also director); Television special | |
2019 | Lip Sync Battle | Big Bird | Performer [17] |
2020–2021 | The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo | Count von Count, Big Bird, Biff, Mr. Johnson | Performer (also director) |
2020 | Amphibia | Crumpet the Frog | Voice role, Episode: "Swamp and Sensibility" Credited as Kermit the Frog [18] |
Muppets Now | Kermit the Frog, Uncle Deadly, Floyd Pepper, Camilla the Chicken, Cacti | Performer | |
2021–2023 | The Masked Singer | Kermit the Frog, Snail, [19] Crazy Harry, Uncle Deadly, Big Bird, Count von Count | 3 episodes; Contestant (season 5) [20] |
2021 | Donkey Hodie | King Friday | Performer |
A Capitol Fourth | Kermit the Frog | Performer; Television special | |
Muppets Haunted Mansion | Kermit the Frog, Floyd Pepper, Pops, Crazy Harry, Lew Zealand, Uncle Deadly, Sweetums | Performer; Disney+ Halloween special | |
2022 | Best in Snow | Kermit the Frog | Performer; Disney+ special [23] |
2023 | The Muppets Mayhem | Floyd Pepper | Performer; Main role |
Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | The Muppets Take the Bowl | Kermit the Frog, Uncle Deadly, Floyd Pepper, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Snowth, Sweetums (voice) | Performer, live show at the Hollywood Bowl, Sept. 8–10 [24] |
2018 | The Muppets Take the O2 | Performer, live show at the O2, Jul. 13–14 [25] | |
2019 | Muppet Babies Play Date | Kermit the Frog (baby) | Performer (puppetry only) |
2021 | The Muppets Christmas Caroling Coach [26] | Kermit the Frog, Camilla the Chicken | Voice, theme park show |
2023 | Disney Holidays in Hollywood [27] | Kermit the Frog | Voice, theme park show |
James Maury Henson was an American puppeteer, animator, actor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating Fraggle Rock (1983–1987) and as the director of The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986).
Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created in 1955 and originally performed by Jim Henson. An anthropomorphic green frog, Kermit is the pragmatic everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably as the showrunner and host of the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show and a featured role on Sesame Street. He has appeared in other television series, feature films, specials, and public service announcements through the years. He also served as a mascot of The Jim Henson Company and appeared in various Henson projects until 2004.
The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, surrealist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they have become a media franchise encompassing films, television, music, and other media associated with the characters. Owned by the Jim Henson Company for nearly five decades, the characters of the Muppets franchise were acquired by the Walt Disney Company in 2004.
Elmo is a red Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. A furry red monster who speaks in a high-pitched falsetto voice and frequently refers to himself in the third person, he hosts the last full five-minute segment on Sesame Street, "Elmo's World", which is aimed at toddlers. He was originally performed by Kevin Clash. Following Clash's resignation in late 2012, Elmo has been performed by Ryan Dillon.
Big Bird is a Muppet character designed by Jim Henson and built by Kermit Love for the children's television show Sesame Street. An eight-foot-two-inch-tall (249 cm) bright yellow anthropomorphic bird, he can roller skate, ice skate, dance, swim, sing, write poetry, draw, and ride a unicycle. Despite this wide array of talents, he is prone to frequent misunderstandings, on one occasion even singing the alphabet as a single word. He would refer to grocer Mr. Hooper as "Mr. Looper", among other mispronunciations. He lives in a large nest behind the 123 Sesame Street brownstone and right next to Oscar the Grouch's trash can. In Season 46, the nest sits within a small, furnished maple tree, and is no longer hidden by used construction doors. He has a teddy bear named Radar.
Jerry Nelson was an American puppeteer, best known for his work with The Muppets. Known for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and various Muppet movies and specials.
Steven Lawrence Whitmire is an American puppeteer, known primarily for his work on The Muppets and Sesame Street. Beginning his involvement with the Muppets in 1978, Whitmire inherited the roles of Ernie and Kermit the Frog after Jim Henson's death in 1990; he performed the characters until 2014 and 2016, respectively. As part of the Muppet cast, he has appeared in multiple feature films and television series, performing a variety of characters on The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock and during such occupations has been employed by The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop, and The Muppets Studio.
Richard Hunt was an American puppeteer, best known as a Muppet performer on Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and other projects for The Jim Henson Company. His roles on The Muppet Show included Scooter, Statler, Janice, Beaker, and Sweetums and characters on Sesame Street included Gladys the Cow, Don Music, and Forgetful Jones.
Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird is a 1985 American musical road comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis and written by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss. Based on the children's television series Sesame Street created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, it was the first theatrical feature-length Sesame Street film. It stars Muppet performers Caroll Spinney, Jim Henson and Frank Oz alongside Sandra Bernhard, John Candy, Chevy Chase, Joe Flaherty, Waylon Jennings, and Dave Thomas with Sesame Street regulars Linda Bove, Emilio Delgado, Loretta Long, Sonia Manzano, Bob McGrath, Roscoe Orman, Alaina Reed, and Kermit Love in supporting roles and the voices of Laraine Newman, Brian Hohlfeld, Cathy Silvers, Eddie Deezen, and Sally Kellerman.
"Bein' Green" is a song written by Joe Raposo, originally performed by Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog on both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. It later was covered by Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison, and other performers. Bein' Green is considered the signature song of Kermit the Frog.
Eric Jacobson is an American puppeteer. He is best known for his involvement with the Muppets, performing Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle for The Muppets Studio, as well as Sesame Street characters Bert, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, and Guy Smiley—all roles that he inherited from the characters' original performers, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, and Jim Henson.
Elmopalooza! is a Sesame Street 30th anniversary special that aired on ABC on February 20, 1998. It was taped in the middle of the 29th season of Sesame Street, and features music video remakes of several classic songs from the show performed by celebrity guests.
Bill Barretta is an American puppeteer, producer, writer, director and actor, best known for performing The Muppets characters Pepe the King Prawn, Bobo the Bear and Johnny Fiama. He originated the role of Louie, Elmo's dad, on Sesame Street. Barretta additionally inherited the roles of Rowlf the Dog, The Swedish Chef, and Dr. Teeth after the death of Jim Henson.
Peter Linz is an American puppeteer and voice actor. Known for his work with the Muppets, Linz's most prominent role is performing for the character Walter who was introduced in the 2011 feature film The Muppets. Since 1991, Linz has performed on Sesame Street, where he later took on the roles of Herry Monster and Ernie on Sesame Street in 2017. Linz recounts receiving the role of Walter as his favorite; "Apart from my wedding day and birth of my children, being cast as Walter was one of the greatest moments of my life. I was beyond happiness."
Alice Dinnean is an American puppeteer, writer and voice actress who works at The Jim Henson Company. Dinnean has performed on many children's television shows such as The Puzzle Place, Sesame Street, Big Bag, Bear in the Big Blue House, Cousin Skeeter, Jim Henson's Pajanimals, Sid the Science Kid and Jack's Big Music Show. She also did work on various non-Muppet productions such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
Joseph Mazzarino is an American puppeteer, writer, director and actor. He is best known for his roles on Sesame Street as Murray Monster, Stinky the Stinkweed and other Muppets, and being Head Writer and Director on Sesame Street, winning 22 Emmy Awards for his work.
Muppet Babies is an American animated television series featuring toddler versions of the Muppets characters that began airing on Disney Jr. on March 23, 2018 and is aimed at a target audience of children from aged 4–7. It is a reboot of the original 1984 animated series of the same name. 71 episodes were produced.
Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration is a 2019 musical television special to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street. Hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the special aired on November 9, 2019, on HBO, followed by a November 17 airing on PBS. It stars the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, including Kermit the Frog, from the past and present. Many retired cast members and characters reunited on the street for the first time in years since their last appearances. This is the final Sesame Street special to feature long-time Muppet performer Caroll Spinney, who performed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch for 50 years as well as the cast members Emilio Delgado and Bob McGrath, who played Luis and Bob, respectively, for 45 years.
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