First and last performances by Muppeteers

First and last performances by main performers with the Muppets or Sesame Street. Some continued to puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company or other companies, retired, or shifted to other fields.
==Jim Henson (performing 1954-1990)==
	First Known Performance:Henson's first televised performance was on The Junior Morning Show in June 1954.6/–/1954 – ‘Began puppets with Russell Wall on WTOP, Washington, DC’
	Last Known Performance:Henson's last public performances were on Today and The Arsenio Hall Show on May 4, 1990. Henson died less than two weeks later.See also: Posthumous works
==Frank Oz (performing 1963-2012)==
	First Known Performance:Oz's first performances with the Muppets was in 1963, right-handing for Rowlf the Dog in variety appearances and later on The Jimmy Dean Show.
	Last Known Performance:Oz's last known performance with the Muppets was as Miss Piggy on January 14, 2002 as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of NBC's Today. Oz's last known performance on Sesame Street was as Farson, Clucky Luciano and Grover in inserts for Season 43.See also: Return performances
==Jerry Nelson (performing 1965-2012)==
	First Known Performance:Nelson first worked with Henson in 1965 performing the right hand of Rowlf on The Jimmy Dean Show.
	Last Known Performance:Nelson reprised his role as announcer during The Muppet Telethon in 2011's The Muppets and served as announcer for Jim Henson's Musical World in 2012. Nelson continued to voice his characters for Sesame Street up until his death (although he stopped puppeteering in the mid 2000s); his later work for Sesame Street continued to air into Season 44. Nelson's final performances as the Count include the song "Five By" and the street story in Episode 4401.See also: Posthumous works
==Caroll Spinney (performing 1969-2018)==
	First Known Performance:Spinney's first work with the Muppets was on Sesame Street, performing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch in the first episode of the show.
	Last Known Performance:Spinney stopped doing the puppeteering for Big Bird in 2015 but continued providing the voices for him and Oscar until retiring. His final work before officially retiring was on October 18, 2018 when he recorded vocals for Episode 5022 of Sesame Street.Original Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, Leaves ‘Sesame Street’ After Nearly 50 Years However when it aired, his vocals were dubbed over. Otherwise, his final aired performance was Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration, appearing in an onscreen cameo and providing the voice of the taxi driver in the cold open.
==Fran Brill (performing 1970-2014)==
	First Known Performance:Brill's first project with the Muppets was The Great Santa Claus Switch in 1970.
	Last Known Performance:Brill retired from performing in September 2014.The Jim Henson Legacy - Fran Brill: A Job Well Done. Her final work on Sesame Street was in season 45 and the television special The Cookie Thief.
==Richard Hunt (performing 1970-1991)==
	First Known Performance:Hunt's first project with the Muppets was The Great Santa Claus Switch in 1970. Hunt performed Bing and other characters.
	Last Known Performance:Hunt performed Scooter alongside Gonzo on a UK morning show in the fall of 1991 promoting Walt Disney World and its Disney-MGM Studios park attractions. Hunt's final work on Sesame Street was in season 23, including a Sonny Friendly performance in Episode 2926, which aired two weeks after his death; Episode 2984 was the final episode Hunt taped.See also: Posthumous works
==Dave Goelz (performing 1973-present)==
	First Known Performance:Goelz joined Henson Associates as a part-time puppet builder in 1973. He got his first crack at performing, playing Brewster, in The Muppets Valentine Show.
==Steve Whitmire (performing 1978-2016)==
	First Known Performance:Whitmire joined The Muppet Show on March 24, 1978.Plume, Kenneth Muppet Central interview part 1, July 19, 1999 His first episode was Episode 307: Alice Cooper, in which he puppeteered Thog.Plume, Kenneth Muppet Central interview part 2, July 19, 1999
	Last Known Performance:Whitmire's final performances as Kermit, following the end of The Muppets TV series, included the Vulture Festival in May 2016, two pre-recorded video appearances (one for Tough Pigs' "Fozzie Awards" and another for the Puppets for Puppetry event honoring Dave Goelz, both in September 2016), and a pre-recorded audio track for Great Moments in American History which debuted in October 2016.
==Brian Henson (performing 1978-2021)==
	First Known Performance:Aside from making on-screen cameos as a child in his father's live-action films, Henson right-handed Fozzie Bear in scenes for The Muppet Movie and assisted with the bicycle sequence in The Great Muppet Caper during a summer break from high school.
	Last Known Performance:After a nearly 16-year hiatus, Henson returned to perform Sal Minella for Muppets Haunted Mansion in 2021.
==Kevin Clash (performing 1979-2012)==
	First Known Performance:In 1979, Clash performed Cookie Monster on the Sesame Street float in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Later, in 1983, he was officially hired to perform in ten episodes of Sesame Street.
	Last Known Performance:Clash resigned from Sesame Street in November 2012. Material featuring Clash as Elmo continued to be featured throughout season 44 of Sesame Street. Clash pre-recorded vocals for the 2012 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and an appearance in the television special Michael Bublé: Home for the Holidays. Clash's last known public performance of Elmo was during a radio interview with WNYC on October 30, 2012 (twenty days before his official resignation from Sesame Workshop). See also: Elmo performer transition (Season 44).
==Martin P. Robinson (performing 1981-present)==
	First Known Performance:Robinson's first performance on Sesame Street was as Mr. Snuffleupagus in Episode 1603, taped on August 25, 1981. Robinson has recalled his first show as Episode 1601 (taped the next day), where he and Big Bird sing about what it would be like to own a dinosaur.Below the Frame (Facebook Live): Season Two, Episode One Below the Frame (Podcast): Season One, Episode Four
==David Rudman (performing 1982-present)==
	First Known Performance:Rudman's first performance with the Muppets was an appearance in the 1982 special I Love Liberty.David Rudman interview with BBC His first day as a regular Sesame Street performer came during production for season 17, where he performed a monster and a dentist.Rudman, David The MuppetCast Show #41
==Joey Mazzarino (performing 1989-2015)==
	First Known Performance:Mazzarino's first performance on Sesame Street was puppeteering one of the sailors for the song "Wet and Dry."Joey Mazzarino (Sesame Street, Donkey Hodie, Muppets) - Under The Puppet 62
	Last Known Performance:Mazzarino left Sesame Street in late 2015; with Season 46, featuring performances as Murray and others, being his last. In 2018, he performed a Muppet clown at a Puppets for Puppetry event for Caroll Spinney.
==Bill Barretta (performing 1991-present)==
	First Known Performance:Barretta performed the body of Earl Sinclair on Dinosaurs. Barretta's first puppeteering for the Muppets was as a background weasel in the "Kokomo" music video.MuppetZine: An Interview with Bill Barretta
==Peter Linz (performing 1991-present)==
	First Known Performance:Linz was hired as an additional puppeteer on Sesame Street during Season 23. His first jobs included assisting Kevin Clash in performing one of the monsters in Baby Tooth and the Fuzzy Funk, and operating a pair of dancing bugs in "Night Bug Boogie."Puppet Tears podcast Episode #3
==Stephanie D'Abruzzo (performing 1993-present)==
	First Known Performance:D'Abruzzo's first day performing on Sesame Street was November 3, 1993, working on episode 3162 where she played Monster #3.Stephanie D'Abruzzo's Official Website
==Matt Vogel (performing 1994-present)==
	First Known Performance:Vogel first joined The Jim Henson Company in 1994 when he became John Henson's understudy for the Coca-Cola Polar Bear.Tough Pigs "Interview: Sesame Street's Matt Vogel" by Ryan Roe, August 8, 2008
==Sources==
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Category:Behind the Scenes