Biography
Steve Whitmire is an American puppeteer and voice actor. He began working with the Muppets in 1978 on The Muppet Show and originated several characters, including Rizzo the Rat, Lips and Bean Bunny.
Following Jim Henson's death in 1990, Whitmire took over the roles of Kermit the Frog and Ernie, performing them until 2016 and 2014 respectively. He is credited as Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat and Beaker in Muppet Treasure Island (1996), and has appeared in other Muppet films and projects including The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and The Muppets (2011).
Whitmire has also worked on non-Muppet Henson productions such as The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986).
