Bill Barretta

Bill Barretta (b. June 19th, 1964) has been performing with the Jim Henson Company since 1991 & has become 1 of the leading Muppet performers.

Originally from Yardley, Pennsylvania, Barretta was trained at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City as an actor & has appeared in the feature films Murder in the First & Born to Be Wild. He also worked as a carpenter before joining Henson. He met Brian Henson while they were both working at Place Sesame Place, & the younger Henson encouraged him to join the company.

His 1st break came performing the body of Earl Sinclair on Dinosaurs. From suit performance, Barretta transitioned to assisting & supporting roles in The Animal Show, playing multiple small character roles in Classic Theater Muppet Classic Theater & Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree], and made his film debut as a principal performer playing Clueless Morgan in Muppet Treasure Island. He later developed a whole bunch of new characters on Muppets Tonight, which include Pepe the King Prawn, Bobo the Bear & Fiama Johnny Fiama.

As well as having his own Muppet characters, Barretta has taken over several of Jim Henson's characters, namely the Swedish Chef, Mahna Mahna, the Dog Rowlf the Dog, & Dr. Teeth. Most recently, he has also taken on the role of Louie, Elmo's dad, in Sesame Beginnings.

In addition, Barretta has served as a producer for 2 of the Muppets' more recent television movies, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christ mas Movie & The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, & co-wrote the screenplay of the Creature Shop film Jack & the Beanstalk: The Real Story (appearing on camera as Thunderdell).

Barretta directed a test pilot for the America's Next Muppet pitch & directed another presentation pilot featuring the Muppets in mock documentary style, focusing on the Muppets' efforts to launch a network television series. The next presentation pilot was written & produced by Bill Prady & featured puppetry by Barretta, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire & Eric Jacobson.

In the latest production, The Muppets, Barretta was not only a major performer but also acted as Muppet Captain.

Muppeteer Credits

 * Barretta's primary Muppet characters:
 * Rowlf the Dog (Muppets Tonight episode 2 (1996) - present)
 * Jim Henson (Prina Dog Commercials (1962) - The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990))
 * The Swedish Chef (Muppet Treasure Island (1996) - present)
 * Jim Henson (The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975) - The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990)
 * Mahna Mahna
 * Jim Henson (The Muppet Show Live (2001) - present) (Sesame Street Season 1 (1969) - The Muppet Show (1976))
 * Bill Barretta
 * Dr. Teeth (The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005) - present)
 * Jim Henson (The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975) - The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990)
 * John Kennedy: Muppets on Location: Days of Swine & Roses (1991), Muppet Treasure Island video game (1996), Muppets from Space (1999), Muppet RaceMania video game (2000), We Are Family music video (2002), Muppet Party Cruise video game (2003)
 * Pepe the King Prawn
 * Bobo the Bear
 * Fiama Johnny Fiama
 * Big Mean Carl
 * 1 of the Elvises
 * Bubba the Rat
 * Zippity Zap
 * Dinosaurs: Earl Sinclair (body)
 * Muppets on Wheels
 * The Animal Show: Armstrong the Chicken Hawk, Bubba the Walrus, Dave the Human, Jake (right hand), various guest animals including Tommy the Thomson's Gazelle, Sly the Crocodile, Eugene the Hunting Dog, Randall the Zebra, Frankie the Wildebeest, Slick the Sea Lion, Lenny the Crocodile, Guffrey the Vulture, Octavio the Octopus, Lamont the Sloth, Jared the Tiger, Rudy the Spider, Johnny the Wolf, Vernon the Grizzly Bear, Baby Bear (voiceover), Gabi the Gila Monster, Rocky the Bighorn Sheep, Humphrey the Badger, Lazlo the Hyena, Nemets the Ant, Bufo the Toad, Travis the African Buffalo, Milton the Blue-Footed Booby, D'kembe the Gemsbok, Rudy the Roadrunner, Custer the Bison, Dullard the Aardvark, Cornelius the Crab, Timothy the Owl, Paul the Pelican, Stanley the Mouse, Frankie the Crocodile, Mel the Lemur, Max the Wasp, Bart the Coyote, Galahad the Grasshopper Mouse, Larry the Fish, Charlie the Chamois, Julius the Spoonbill, Quincy the Flying Squirrel, Kyle the Secretary Bird & Malcolm the Lion
 * Muppet Treasure Island: Clueless Morgan, Flaubert, Blind Pew (hands), Pigs, Angel Marie, Mudwell the Mudbunny, Mr. Bitte, <span style="color:The Swedish Chef'''
 * Things That Fly: Balloon Salesman Whatnot, Pigs, Pilot, Slick
 * Muppets Tonight: The AL-1995 Plus Tax, http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Baby_George Baby George], Carla the Big Mean Mom, David Hoggselhoff, Dr. Phil van Neuter (hands only)
 * The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss: Uncle Berklummer
 * Muppets from Space: Lead-singing Alien Gonzo
 * The Adventures of Elmo in Grouch : Additional performer
 * Kermit 's Swamp Years: Croaker, Horace D' Fly
 * It's a Very Merry Muppet Christ mas Movie: [Lew_Zealand Lew Zealand ]
 * Sesame Beginnings: Louie
 * Xtreme Digital Disney Xtreme Digital: Bigger Burger Drive Thru Man, Topo Sticky, Pickles (alligator)
 * 'Studio DC: Almost Live!'
 * A Muppets Christ mas : Letters to Santa: Husband Pigeon
 * Families Stand Together
 * Virmup
 * Bohemian Rhapsody: the Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth Mahna Mahna,
 * Christ mas in Rockefeller Center: Gonzo the Great & Zoot
 * The Muppets: the Dog Rowlf the Dog, the Swedish Chef, Mahna Mahna, Dr. Teeth, Muppet Gary, Behemoth, Hobo Muppet, Singing Food in "Me Party"

Production credits

 * Dinosaurs, "A New Leaf"- choreographer, with Leif Tilden, of "It's a Most Unusual Day"
 * Long John Silver's commercials - director
 * It's a Very Merry Muppet Christ mas Movie - stage director
 * Jack & the Beanstalk: The Real Story - co-writer
 * It's a Very Merry Muppet Christ mas Movie- producer
 * The Muppets' Wizard of Oz- producer
 * Tinseltown- executive producer, writer, director
 * The Muppets - associate producer, Muppet captain

Trivia

 * He attended St. Mary's Hall in Burlington, New Jersey
 * In addition to his puppeteering, Barretta has provided several episodic character voices on the Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible.
 * He is the brother of Gene Barretta.
 * Barretta met Jim Henson twice; once at Sesame Place, where he helped Henson find the automated characters, & later at his apartment.
 * Rowlf talked about Barretta in 2011: "Bill Barretta? That name sure is familiar, but I can't quite place him...Oh, wait a second, is that the fellow who gives me a lift now & then? Sure! Great guy-funny, creative, & I can beat him at cards. What's not to like?"