Steve Whitmire

Steven Lawrence "Steve" Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is an American puppeteer, who began his career with the Muppets during season three of The Muppet Show in 1978, where he developed his first major character, Rizzo the Rat.
After Jim Henson passed away in May 1990, Whitmire was selected to take over the role of Kermit the Frog. Then, following Richard Hunt's death and Jerry Nelson's retirement, he also 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, Waldo C. Graphic, and Miss Piggy's dog, Foo-Foo.