Kevin Clash

 KEVIN   JEFFREY   CLASH  ( b . Sep tem b e r 1 7 t h, 1 9 6 0  ) is an accomplished  Muppeteer  whose  character s  include  Elmo  ,  Clifford  , &  Hoots the Owl . He previous ly served a s  SESAME STREET  Muppet Captain & c o - executive produce r. He was promoted to " senior creative advisor " at  Sesame  Work shop  in May  2 00 7. The 2 0 11  documentary  Be in g  Elmo  : A Puppeteer ’ s Journey  chronicles  CLASH  ’ s life as a  puppeteer. He had also voice d a few  GROUCH  relate d character s.

 CLASH  resigned from  SESAME STREET  in No ve mb er 2 0 1 2  in response to 2| 2  allegation s t h a t he had sexual relation ship s wit h teen age boys & has since re locate d to the  Los Angeles  area, continuing t o puppeteer on other  JIM HENSON   Company  project s.  CLASH  has since been twice cleared of t he charge s.

 SESAME  Work shop  release d a statement on No ve mb er 2 0 t h :

"  SESAME  Workshop  ' s mission is to harness the educational power of media to help all c h i l d r e n the world over reach the ir highest potential .  KEVIN   CLASH  has helped u s achieve that mission f or 28 year s, & none of u s , especially  KEVIN  , want any thin g to divert ou r attention from ou r focus on serving as a lead in g educational organization . Un fortunately , the controversy surround in g  KEVIN  ’ s personal life has become a distract i on that none o f u s w ant , & he has conclude d that he can no longer be effective i n his job & has resigned fro m  SESAME STREET  . This i s a sad d a y f o r  SESAME STREET  . "

Background
 CLASH  w as born & raise d in Turner ’ s Station, a pre dominantly " black " suburb of Baltimore  ,  Maryland.

 KEVIN   JEFFREY   CLASH  grew up with parent s George & Glad y s, o l d e r sibling s , George , Jr ( Georgie ) & Anita ( " NeNe " ) & little sister Pam. His father works as a flash welder operator at Raymond Metals & a neighborhood handyman, & his mother ran a daycare.

 CLASH  began build in g puppet s at age 1 0.  CLASH  ’ s parent s were supportive of his interest i n puppetry, driving him to puppet show s , allowing for his love o f T V & c raft , & not urging him to attend college when he announce d he was pursuing puppetry professionally. Among his T V view in g were such series a s Shari Lewis  &  Lamb Chop ,  Kukla , Fran , & Ollie  , & '' H. R. Pufnstuf ''.  CLASH  has admitted he watched TV inches away from the screen, with no permanent eye damage. H i s parent s were supposedly more amuse d than angered when he cut his father ’ s good over coat a part to create a monkey puppet with the fuzzy black lining. As a tribute,  Elmo  ’ s parents were name d George  &  Gladys  in an  Elmo  ’ s World  segment ;  the  ir  name s have since bee n change d.

He performed on Baltimore  ’ s Harbor Front as a teenage r. In high school he was vote d " Most Likely t o b e a Million air e ".

Early T V work
 CLASH  ’ s 1| 1 st television work was for a  C B S  affiliate i n  Baltimore. He also performed a pelican character f or  Zep , a local Washington , D . C .  show airing on WTOP.

In the early ' 8 0 s , he performed regular l y , with  Jim Martin  , on  Bob Keeshan  ' s  Wake   Up   wit h   the   Captain  , a continuation of  Captain   Kangaroo .  CLASH  performed a young boy named Artie & other characters, built puppets , & occasionally appear ed on - camera  , as  KEVIN  the college student & various ensemble role s.

From 1 9 8 1  t o  1 9 8 6 , he appeared in  The   Great   Space   Coaster  as Goriddle Gorilla , Rory & Huggle Scuffy. During this stint, he attracted the attention of Muppet   designer   Kermit Love  , who invited him t o work on various  HENSON  project s.

Coming to the Muppet s
 KEVIN   CLASH  first met Kermit Love  in the  1 9 7 0  s, who occasionally arranged for the fledgling puppeteer to visit the set of  SESAME STREET . In 1 9 7 9 , all the main  Muppet eer s  were performing in a huge  Muppet Movie  float in the  Macy ' s   Thank s giving Day   Parade  , & extra puppeteer s were needed for the  SESAME STREET  float.  CLASH  was brought in to perform  Cookie Monster  for the e vent.

Later, in 1 9 8 3  , he was officially hire d to perform in  1 0   episode s  of  SESAME STREET . However, at the time he was performing full - time on 2| 2 other show s , & the produce r s of both refuse d to work around his schedule. Thus,  CLASH  was force d to tear his contract up to appear o n  SESAME STREET .

 KEVIN   CLASH  was also given the opportunity to perform in  The Dark Crystal , but Kermit Love  dissuaded him , urging  CLASH  to concentrate on his other series work.

 KEVIN   CLASH  officially became a  SESAME STREET  Muppeteer  i n  1 9 8 4. Some of his earliest character s  include d  Hoots the Owl  &  Dr . Nobel Price , late r supplemented by the like s of  Baby Natasha  &  Kingston Livingston III. However, it was  Elmo  who became his main character  , once  CLASH  assume d the  part  from previous  Muppet eer s   Brian Muehl  &  RICHARD HUNT  , & placed his own i m print on the  red monster.  CLASH  has also sung in voice - over in a variety of film & cartoon insert s on the series , including "  Animal Book s  " & "  Take Care of T hat Smile  ".

 CLASH  serve d as an additional Muppet eer  on  Follow That  BIRD , where he performed the voice of 1| 1  of the feathered friend s as well as t h at o f  Hoot s the Owl  & he reprise d  Elmo  , along with other  characters  , in the  feature film   The Adventure s of  Elmo  in  GROUCH  land  & innumerable special s , appearance s & video s.

More Muppet s
During the l ate 1 9 8 0  s,  CLASH  was involve d with a variety of  HENSON  product i on s. He perform ed P . J .  in the  Play - Along  video s, &  Father Bunny  &  B e - Bop  in  The Tale of the Bunny Picnic . He would, al so , perform Eliot Shag  on  Dog City  & various other  characters  in  Muppet Time   insertions. He also performed t he title character ,  Billy Bunny  i n the  Muppet   Sing - Along   video   Billy Bunny ’ s Animal Songs .

 CLASH  became 1| 1 of the main  Muppet eer s  on  The  JIM   HENSON  Hour . His 2| 2 main  characters  on the series were the lizard - like  Leon  &  Clifford , the bass guitar / percussion player. O ut o f these 2| 2, only  Clifford  has as remained a major  character  , subsequently appearing in  The Muppet s a t Walt Disney World  ,  The Muppet s Celebrate  JIM   HENSON  , a guest spot on  The Arsenio Hall Show  , the albums  Muppet Beach Party  &  KERMIT   UN PIG  g ed  , & the feature film s  Muppet s from Space  &  The Muppet s ' Wizard of Oz . How ever,  Clifford  became a star when he  hosted the short - lived  Muppet s Tonight  , for which  CLASH  had also  performed   Mulch  &  Craniac  ( as well as  Waldorf  ’ s performer in  episode s   1 0 1  &  11 0  fill in g in f or  DAVE GOELZ  ). Also, just as expected ,  CLASH  was incredibly devastate d when his very dear friend & boss ,  JIM HENSON  , unexpectedly die d.

 CLASH  performed in many of the recent Muppet   films , including  Muppet Treasure Is la n d  ,  Muppet s from Space  ,  It ’ s a Very Merry Muppet Christ m as Movie  &  The Muppet s ' Wizard of Oz . In  Muppet Treasure Is la n d , he performed 1| 1 o f the main villain s ,  Polly Lobster  , as well as  S pa ' am  &  Black Dog. He also performed the Muppetry  of many of  FRANK OZ  ’ s  character s  in many scene s, &  FRANK OZ  performed the voice s late r. Although he performed the  Sam the Eagle  puppet  but not the voice in  Muppet Treasure Is la n d , he later perform ed t he  character  ’ s voice , but not the  Muppet ry  , in  It ’ s a Very Merry Muppet Chris t m as Movie  follow in g the retirement of  FRANK OZ  from  the Muppet s  (  John Kennedy  performed the  Muppetry  ) , as well as in the video game  Muppet s P art y Cruise .

Creature Shop Work
 CLASH  worked on 1| 1 of  JIM HENSON  ’ s fantasy films,  Labyrinth . He puppeteer ed & voiced the lead Fiery , while also operating  Ambrosius  & 1| 1  of the 4| Four   Guards.  CLASH  also worked on  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle s , &  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle s II : The Secret of the Ooze  , supplying t he face & voice of Splinter.

On  Dinosaur s ,  CLASH  starred as Baby Sinclair  & also played  Howard Handupme  & various episodic mammal s.

Reflecting on his decade s as a Muppeteer , in the fall of  2 00 6  ,  KEVIN   CLASH  release d an autobiography titled  My Life a s a  Furry   Red   Monster .

FRAN BRILL &  KEVIN   CLASH
Muppet eer in g on  SESAME STREET  soon partnered  CLASH  with various different Muppet eer s  over the years. His most frequent partner how eve r, was  FRAN BRILL . Ever since 1 99 3 , when  BRILL  1| 1  st originate d the role o f  Zoe  , the  character  has always been paired with  KEVIN   CLASH  ’ s  Elmo  , who quickly became  Zoe  ’ s best friend , & vice versa.  BRILL  &  CLASH  have had several other pair in g s over the year s also :

FRAN BRILL /  KEVIN   CLASH  Muppet s  Pair in g s

 *  Zoe  /  GROUCH   Cab Driver 
 *  Zoe  /  Wolfgang the Seal 
 *  Zoe  /  Kingston Livingston III 
 *  Zoe  /  Elmo 
 * Mae /  Elmo 
 * Miss Fran /  Elmo 
 *  Sandy  /  Elmo 
 *  Mary  /  Elmo 
 * Bell /  Elmo 
 * Birthday Cake /  Elmo 
 * Camera /  Elmo 
 * Bow /  Elmo  ( with  Tyler Bunch  ’ s  Violin  character )
 *  Wanda Cousteau  /  Wolfgang the Seal 
 *  Roxie Marie  /  Elmo 
 *  Roxie Marie  /  Kingston Livingston III 
 *  Roxie Marie  /  Hoots the Owl 
 *  Roxie Marie  /  Preposterous 
 *  Roxie Marie  /  Benny Rabbit 
 *  Prairie Dawn  /  Hoots the Owl 
 *  Prairie Dawn  /  Elmo 
 *  Prairie Dawn  / Benny Rabbit
 *  Prairie Dawn  /  Kingston Livingston III 
 *  Mary  /  Hoots the Owl 
 *  Queen Olivia  /  Elmo 
 *  The Sun  /  Elmo 
 *  Little Bird  /  Elmo 
 *  String Bean  /  Elmo 
 * Porcupine /  Billy Bunny
 *  Polly Darton  / Second Dog

Inter view s
The Academy of Television Art s & Science s Foundation interviewed  CLASH  in 2 00 4  for the Archive of  Ame ri can  Television. T he 2| 2 - h our interview was posted on YouTube in  2 00 8.


 * Part 1
 * Part 2
 * Part 3
 * Part 4

Muppeteer Credit s

 *  CLASH  ’ s  main  Muppet   character s  :


 *  Elmo  :  SESAME STREET  Sea s o n 1 6  (  1 9 8 5  ) -  Sea s on 44  (  2 0 1 2  ) )


 *  Ryan Dillon  :  SESAME STREET  Sea s on 44  (  2 0 1 3  ) - present


 *  SE SAME STREET  :  Elmo  ( 1 9 8 4  -  2 0 1 2  ),  Baby Fats Domino  ,  Baby Tooth  , a beet f rom "  Grow Low Grow High  " ,  Benny Rabbit  ,  The Big Bad Wolf  ( several  ' 8 0 s   SESAME STREET   New s Flash  skit s ) ,  Billy Idle  ,  Cee Lo Green   Muppet  ,  Chad  ,  Chef John  ,  Chip the Cat  ,  Clementine  (  1 9 8 5  -  1 9 88  ) ,  Cloud  ,  Cookie Monster  ’ s  Mommy  ( "  The 1 st Time  Me  E a t  Cookie  " ) ,  Dexter  ( hea d ) ,  T h e Duck  ,  Dr . Nobel Price  (  1 9 8 4  -  1 9 88  ) ,  Eel  ,  Elmo  (  1 9 8 5  -  2 0 1 2  ) ,  Ernie  ’ s  Lavender   Any thin g Muppet  friend from "  DON ’ t  Throw That  TTRASH  on t h e Ground  " ,  Female Sun  ,  Ferlinghetti Donizetti  ,  1 of the 4 Grouches Name d Moe  ,  The Grand High Triangle Lover  ,  Gus  ,  Honkers  ,  Hoots t h e Owl  ,  J . P.  ,  Kermit the Frog  ’ s  Doctor  ,  Kingston Livingston III  ,  L eft  , "  Let ' s G o Driving  " s on ,  Luba Merquick  ,  Next Generation Security Officer   Mel  ,  Mike the Lady bug  ,  Miss Blech man  ,  Baby Natasha  , w:c:muppet:Pablo Paint Palette Pablo Paint Palette  ,  Patti Paint brush  ,  Paul Pencil  ,  Peter Piper  ,  Pizzeria Dos  Lavender worker ,  Preposterous  ,  Professor D . Rabbit  ,  Sad  ,  Sam  ( pianist ) ,  Selma  WORM  ,  Sergeant Gab riel  ,  S h a r k  in "  I Get a Kick Out of  U  " ,  The Sun  ( in "  Where D o I Be long ?  " ) ,  The Super Food s  broccoli ,  Timmy  ,  Watson  ,  Wolfgang the Seal  ,  Yip Yip Martian
 *  Follow That  BIRD  : Additional Muppet eer
 *  The Alphabet Game  : Dimple s the Dog
 *  Getting Ready to Read  : Sam
 *  F ree to Be . . . a Fam ily  : Unemployed Bear
 *  Labyrinth  : Fi re y 1 ,  Ambrosius  , 1| 1  of the 4| Four   Guards  ( both  Muppet ry  only )
 *  The Tale of the Bunny Picnic  : Be - Bop ,  Father Bunny
 *  JIM   HENSON  ’ s Play - Along Video  series : P . J.
 *  Wo w, You ’ re a Cartoonist !  : Artie
 *  Neat Stuff T o Know & To D o  : Dwayne ,  Vinny Brontosaurus
 *  The  JIM   HENSON  Hour  :  Clifford , Leon  ,  A ce Yu  ( "  Dog City  " ) ,  Caiman  ( "  The Song of the Cloud F o r est  " ) ,  Nick  ( "  The Song of the Cloud F o r est  " ) ,  Blue Extreme  ,  Doglion  ,  Frackles  ,  Bob
 *  The Cosby Show  : The Hippocritic Oa f ,  Beautiful Day Monster  ,  Luncheon Counter Monster  , Pineapple
 *  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle s  : Splinter
 *  The Muppets at Walt Disney World  :  Clifford 
 *  The Muppets Celebrate  Jim   Henson  :  Clifford 
 *  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle s II : The Secret of the Ooze  : Splinter
 *  Dinosaur s  : Baby Sinclair ,  Howard Hand up me  ,  Howl in ' Jay  ,  Female Grap delite  ,  Dinosaur Chief  ( face ) ,  Ethyl Phillips  ( some time s ,  Muppet ry  ) ,  Mr . Ashland  (  Muppet ry  ) , Pterodactyl (  Muppet ry  )
 *  Dog City  : Eliot Shag
 *  Billy Bunny ’ s Animal Song s  : Billy Bunny
 *  SESAME   STREET  Stay s Up Late  :  Elmo  ( 1 9 8 4  -  2 0 1 2  ),  Cousin Pe pe  ,  Elmo  - nos ke  &  Bjarne Betjent  ( voice )
 *  Muppet Time  : Do Re Mi Monster ,  Jeffy
 *  M r . Willow by ’ s Chris t m as Tree  : Father Mouse
 *  Muppet Treasure Is la n d  : Bad Polly ,  Spa ' am  ,  Black Dog  ,  Real Old Tom  ;  Muppeteer  for  Miss Piggy  ,  Fozzie Bear  ,  Sam the Eagle  ( some scenes ) ,  Mr . Bimbo
 *  The Wubbulous World o f Dr . Seuss  : Little Cat Fleep
 *  Muppet s T o night  : Carter ,  Clifford  ,  Composta Heap  ,  Craniac  ,  Galahad  ,  Moo - Ing  ' s  henchman  ,  Mulch  ,  Lester Tomwater  ,  Arthur Modell  ,  Waldorf  (  1 0 1  &  11 0  )
 *  Muppets from Space  :  Clifford 
 *  T he Ad venture s of  Elmo  i n  GROUCH  land  :  Elmo  ( 1 9 8 4  -  2 0 1 2  ),  Grouch   Cab Driver  ,  Grouch   Jail er  ,  Pestie 
 *  Muppet Race Mania  :  Clifford  & Spa ' am
 *  Bert  &  Ernie  ’ s Word P l a y  :  Elmo  ( 1 9 8 4  -  2 0 1 2  ), ,  The Frosty Four
 *  It ’ s a Very Merry Muppet Chris t m as Movie  :  Sam the Eagle  ( voice on l y ) &  Clifford 
 *  The Muppet s ' Wizard of Oz  :  Clifford 
 *  SESAME  Beginning s  :  Baby Elmo 
 *  Elmo  ’ s Chris t m as  Count  d ow n  :  Elmo  ( 1 9 8 4  -  2 0 1 2  ),  The Mouse King
 *  Panwapa  :  Azibo the Monster 

Animation voice s

 *  SESAME STREET  : Grand pa  MUD  cat , "  Mad l en k a  " theme sing er , "  Fee t s Too  BIG  " shoe sale s m an
 *  BIG  Bag  :  A very 
 *  A  SESAME   STREET  Chris t m as Carol  : Sam the Super Auto m at e d Ghost of Chris t m as Future

Direct o r

 *  Beginning Together  ( 2 00 6  )
 *  Make Music Together  ( 2 00 6  )
 *  A Celebration of  ME ,  Grover  ( 2 00 4  )
 *  Ki ds ' Favorite Country Song s  ( 2 00 7  )
 *  Let ’ s Eat !  ( 1 99 8  )
 *  Here for You  ( 2 00 7  )
 *  Abby  i n Wonder l and  ( 2 00 8  )

Produce r

 *  The Ad venture s of  Elmo  in  GROUCH  land  ( 1 999  )
 *  Elmo  ’ s World  ( 1 99 8  -  2 0 11  )
 *  SESAME  Beginning s  ( 200 6  )
 *  Elmo  pa looza  ( 1 99 8  )
 *  Cinder  Elmo  ( 1 999  )
 *  Coming Home  ( 2 00 9  )

Other

 *  Lab y rin t h  ( 1 9 8 6  ), assistant production coordinator
 *  Muppet Treasure Is l a n d  ( 1 9 9 6  ), puppet coordinator
 *  Dog City  ( 1 99 2  -  1 99 5  ), puppet captain
 *  BIG  Bag  ( 1 99 6  -  1 99 8  ), production consultant

Note s

 * His daughter Shannon was born in 1 99 3  . A s a little girl, she thought  Elmo  w as her brother . L at er on : " [ Laugh s , impersonating h is daughter ] " H i Daddy , can I speak t o  Elmo  ? " " Yeah , yea h , O K . " [ I n  Elmo  ’ s voice ] " H i  Shannon  . " " Hi  Elmo  — listen there ’ s this new Barbie t hat I … " [ Laugh s ] L et me tell you , Shannon has earned man y more  Emmy s  than I have w it h her dramatic s … I ' d take my  Emmy  & put it down on t h e f loor . [ Applauding ] " O h , you deserve t his , girl . "
 *  CLASH  i s left - handed.
 *  CLASH  rarely eve r appeared on talk show s with out  Elmo  . 1| 1 of the few instance s in which he appeared on TV as himself was on  The Oprah Winfrey Show , in a  2 00 6  episode , " The Face s Behind the Famous Name s ".
 * He made a longer appearance on the July 11 t h, 2 00 6  b road cast of  Rove Live  performing  Elmo  first & later appearing as himself with  Elmo  . Other appearance s on T V as himself include  Emeril Live  &  Grill   It !   with   Bobby Flay  . In the latter , he prepares a rib eye steak & his favorite vidalia onion recipe with butter & garlic which he describe s as what  SESAME STREET  would call a "  some time food  ".
 *  CLASH  made an appearance  on The C W ’ s  The   Game  in the  2 00 9  episode " Do the Wright Thing " as t he o n - camera puppeteer o f  Mookie.

Award s & honors

 * Clash won Day time Emmy A war d s for Out stand in g Performer in a C h i l d r e n ’ s Series for his work as  Elmo  &  Hoot s the Owl  on  SESAME STREET  i n 1 9 9 0 ,  2 00 1  ,  2 00 2  ,  2 00 3  ,  2 00 4  ,  2 00 5  &  2 00 7.

External l in k s

 * KEVIN CLASH o n I M D b