Steve Whitmire

Steve Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is a puppeteer with the Jim Henson Company. He has been the performer of two signature Muppets - Kermit the Frog and Sesame Street's Ernie - since the passing of their creator, Jim Henson, in 1990. Characters original to Whitmire include Rizzo the Rat, Foo-Foo (Miss Piggy's beloved dog), Fraggle Rock's Wembley Fraggle, and Bean Bunny. Born near Atlanta, Georgia, he professed interested in puppetry in his childhood.