Kevin Clash

Kevin Jeffrey Clash is an American actor, puppeteer, producer, and director, who is best known for his voice role as Elmo in (1985–2012). His other Muppet characters include Hoots the Owl, Natasha, and Benny Rabbit. Clash resigned from in November 2012, following allegations of misconduct, despite having been cleared of the charges. He has since relocated to the Jim Henson Company, continuing to puppeteer for various projects.
For Disney, he portrayed Baby Sinclair, Howard Handupme, and Mr. Ashland in the comedy series Dinosaurs, as well as occasionally puppeteered Ethyl Phillips in a few early episodes. Other Muppet characters he played were Polly Lobster, Clifford, and Carter.
Outside of Disney, Clash is well-known for voicing Splinter in the first two live-action and Ace Yu in . In 2016, he played Wembley Fraggle of at a "Puppets for Puppetry" fundraiser event.
Clash was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to George Clash, a flash welder and handyman, and Gladys Clash, who ran a small daycare center in their two-bedroom, one-bath home in the Turner Station area of Dundalk, Maryland. Being the third of four children, Clash developed an interest in puppetry at an early age, inspired by children's shows, like and Sesame Street. He made his first puppet, a version of Mickey Mouse, at the age of ten. When he was twelve, he made a monkey puppet out of the lining of his father's coat. His first performances were for his mother's daycare children. By the time he was a teenager, he had built almost 90 puppets, which he based upon commercials, popular music, and his friends. While still in high school, Clash performed at venues throughout Baltimore, including schools, churches, fundraisers, and community events.
==Roles==
Baby sinclair.jpg|Baby Sinclair(Dinosaurs) 
Mrashland.jpg|Mr. Ashland(Dinosaurs)
Howardhandupme.jpg|Howard Handupme(Dinosaurs)
Polly Lobster.jpg|Polly Lobster(The Muppets franchise)
Clifford Muppets.jpg|Clifford(The Muppets franchise)
Carter.jpg|Carter(The Muppets franchise)
==External links==
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nl:Kevin Clash
Category:1960s births
Category:Males
Category:American people
Category:African American people
Category:LGBTQ+ people
Category:People from Maryland
Category:Actors
Category:Voice actors
Category:Puppeteers
Category:Producers
Category:Directors
Category:Muppet performers
Category:Muppet Treasure Island
Category:Dinosaurs (TV series)
Category:The Muppets
Category:ABC
Category:Touchstone Television