John Kennedy (puppeteer)
American puppeteer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Kennedy is an American puppeteer and voice actor. He is known for his work with The Jim Henson Company since 1990.[1] He was born in Plainfield, Indiana.[2] In 1991, Kennedy succeeded Jim Henson as Dr. Teeth, after which Bill Barretta took over in 2005. In 2006, he performed Kermit the Frog on the Disney Cruise Line show, Muppets Ahoy![3]
John Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Plainfield, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1991–present |
Filmography
Film
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Muppets from Space | Additional Muppets, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle | Assistant performer |
| 2001 | Cats & Dogs | Puppeteer | |
| 2002 | The Country Bears | Zeb Zoobler | |
| Kermit's Swamp Years | Arnie the Alligator, Blotch the Bullfrog, Monkey | Performer; Direct-to-video film | |
| It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie | Dr. Teeth | Performer; Television film | |
| 2005 | The Muppets' Wizard of Oz | Angel Marie, Floyd Pepper | |
| 2009 | Old Dogs | Puppeteer |
Television
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–94 | Dinosaurs | Baby Sinclair, Sid Turtlepuss | Puppeteer |
| 1995 | Eureeka's Castle | Assistant performer | |
| 1996–98 | The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss | Little Cat C, Horton the Elephant, Mr. Knox, Norval the Fish, Sam-I-Am, Felix Finkledooper, Milo, Alvin, Announcer, Armand, Birthday Bird, Celli, Delivery Bird, Downer Than Down Whozit, Earl, Flitzpizzle, The Grinch | Performer |
| 1996 | Muppets Tonight | Additional Muppets | |
| 1997–2020 | Sesame Street | Chicken, Dish, Fred, Ned The Green, Four-net Horn Player, Ball of Wax, Artie Abrams, Muppet Horse, The Elephant, Monkey Bunny, Additional Muppet | |
| 1998–99 | Brats of the Lost Nebula | Puppeteer | |
| 2002 | Play with Me Sesame | Performer | |
| 2003 | Animal Jam | DJ #1 | |
| 2005–07 | Jack's Big Music Show | Mel | |
| 2007 | Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman | Himself, Bernie the Pig | Episode: "Ruff's Big Break" |
| 2010–11 | Pajanimals | Apollo | Performer |
| 2017 | Julie's Greenroom | Toby the Dog | |
| 2019 | Helpsters | Uncle Squish | Performer; 1 episode |
| 2019–21 | The Slugs & Bugs Show | Morty the Raccoon | Performer |
| 2020 | The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo |
Video games
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Muppet Treasure Island | Dr. Teeth | Voice |
| 2000 | Muppet RaceMania | ||
| 2003 | Muppets Party Cruise | Dr. Teeth, Animal |
Other appearances
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Muppets Take the Bowl | Additional Muppets | Performer |
| 2018 | The Muppets Take the O2 |
Books
Kennedy has written instructional books on puppeteering, aimed at younger audiences:[4]
- John Kennedy (2004-01-04). Puppet Mania!. North Light Books. ISBN 978-1-58180-372-3.
- John Kennedy (2006-04-26). Puppet Planet: The Most Amazing Puppet-Making Book in the Universe. North Light Books. ISBN 978-1-58180-794-3.
