Bill Barretta

Bill Barretta is an American puppeteer, producer, writer, director and actor, best known for performing The Muppets characters Pepe the King Prawn, Bobo the Bear and Johnny Fiama. He originated the role of Louie, Elmo's dad, on Sesame Street. Barretta additionally inherited the roles of Rowlf the Dog, The Swedish Chef, and Dr. Teeth after the death of Jim Henson.

Bill Barretta
Barretta in 2023
Born	Yardley, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1]
Occupations	Puppeteer producer writer director actor
Years active	1991–present
Relatives	Gene Barretta (brother)[1]

Career

Barretta began performing with The Jim Henson Company in 1991, as the body performer of Earl Sinclair on Dinosaurs.^[2] He later developed several new characters on Muppets Tonight, including Pepe the King Prawn, Johnny Fiama, and Bobo the Bear.^[2]

Barretta has taken over several of Jim Henson's roles, such as Dr. Teeth, Rowlf the Dog, and Swedish Chef.^[3][4] His muppet film debut was in the 1996 Muppet Treasure Island as Clueless Morgan.^[5] He had several roles in Muppets from Space (1999)^[6] and served as Muppet captain on The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted.^[4][7] He played the main puppet character Phil Phillips in The Happytime Murders (2018),^[8] which won a Houston Film Critics Society best worst film award.^[9]

For Sesame Street, Bill Barretta originated the role of Elmo's dad, Louie,^[10] in 2006. At first, Louie only appeared in a few direct-to-video specials, becoming a regular character later on. Barretta based Louie's voice on Louis Prima's.^[11] In 2010, Tyler Bunch took over the role after consulting with Barretta. In an interview, Barretta explained that he had to fly to New York for every appearance on Sesame Street, so once Louie started to appear more often, it was much more practical for a New York-based puppeteer to take over the role.^[11]

Barretta has served as a producer on various Muppet projects, including It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005). In 2014, he served as a co-producer on Muppets Most Wanted.^[12] He also served as an executive producer on the ABC series, The Muppets.^[13] For Disney+, Barretta produced Muppets Haunted Mansion^[14] and co-created The Muppets Mayhem, which won a Children's and Family Emmy Award in 2023.^[15][16]

Filmography

Film

Film credits
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1995	Murder in the First	Man on the Street	Live-action role
1995	Born to Be Wild	Gorilla Team	Live-action role
1995	Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree	Bear	Puppeteer/voice
1996	Muppet Treasure Island	Clueless Morgan, Blind Pew (puppetry; hands), Swedish Chef, Jacques Roach, Mudwell the Mudbunny (singing)	Puppeteer/voice
1999	Muppets from Space	Pepe the Prawn, Bobo the Bear, Johnny Fiama, Bubba the Rat, The Swedish Chef, Rowlf the Dog, Cosmic Fish #2	Puppeteer/voice
1999	The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland	Additional Muppet performer	Puppeteer
2002	Kermit's Swamp Years	Croaker, Horace D'Fly, Roy the Frog, Turtle #2	Puppeteer/voice; Direct-to-video
2002	It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie	Pepe the King Prawn, Johnny Fiama, Bobo the Bear, Rowlf the Dog, Swedish Chef, Lew Zealand, Howard Tubman, additional characters	Puppeteer/voice; TV movie
2005	The Muppets' Wizard of Oz	Pepe the Prawn, Dr. Teeth, Johnny Fiama, Swedish Chef, Lew Zealand, Bubba the Rat, additional characters	Puppeteer/voice; TV movie
2010	When Families Grieve	Louie	Puppeteer/voice; TV movie
2011	The Muppets	Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, Pepe the Prawn, Bobo, Swedish Chef	Puppeteer/voice
2014	Muppets Most Wanted	Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, Pepe the King Prawn, The Swedish Chef, Big Mean Carl, Bobo the Bear, Carlo Flamingo, Leprechaun Security Guard, Baby Boss	Puppeteer/voice
2018	The Happytime Murders[17][failed verification]	Phil Phillips, Junkyard, Boar	Puppeteer/voice

Television

Television credits
Year(s)	Television	Role	Notes
1991–1994	Dinosaurs	Earl Sinclair (in-suit performer), Nick (in-suit performer), Rabid Caveman, various characters	Performer
1994	Jim Henson's Animal Show	Armstrong the Chicken Hawk, Vernon the Grizzly, Baby Bear, Dullard the Aardvark, Jared the Tiger, Lazlo the Hyena, Randall the Zebra, Timothy the Owl, Vernon the Grizzly	7 episodes; Puppeteer/voice
1996–1998	Muppets Tonight	Bobo the Bear, Johnny Fiama, Pepe the Prawn, Rowlf the Dog, Big Mean Carl, Clueless Morgan, Howard Tubman, David Hoggselhoff, Zippity Zap, Snookie Blyer, Ernst Stavros Gropuer, additional characters	Puppeteer/voice
1996	The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss	Uncle Berklummer	1 episode; Puppeteer/voice
2001	Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story	Thunderdell	TV-mini series; live-action role, 2 episodes
2002–2007	Kim Possible	Jackie the Jackal, Jilly from Jersey, Motor Ed's 'Main Bro'	Voice role
2006	Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King	Savage Commando	TV mini-series; Live-action role
2006–2010	Sesame Street	Louie (Elmo's dad)	Puppeteer/voice in Episode 4160 and direct-to-video specials
2007	Tinseltown	Bobby	TV series short; Puppeteer/voice Also director
2011	Saturday Night Live	Rowlf the Dog	1 episode; Puppeteer/voice
2012	Jimmy Kimmel Live!	Dr. Teeth	1 episode; Puppeteer/voice
2014	Piper's Picks TV	Swedish Chef	1 episode; Puppeteer/voice
2015–2016	The Muppets	Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, Pepe the King Prawn, Swedish Chef, Bobo the Bear, Big Mean Carl, Mahna Mahna, Howard Tubman, additional characters	Puppeteer/voice Also director; 1 episode
2015	Muppet Moments	Rowlf the Dog, Bobo the Bear, Pepe the King Prawn	TV series short; Puppeteer/voice Also director
2017–2020	Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Lonny DuFrane/Mr. Frumpus	3 episodes; Actor/Puppeteer
2018	Muppet Babies	Dr. Teeth	1 episode; Puppeteer/voice
2019	Drop the Mic	Pepe the King Prawn	2 episodes; Puppeteer/voice
2020	Muppets Now	Pepe the King Prawn, The Swedish Chef, Howard Tubman, Big Mean Carl, Dr. Teeth, Bobo the Bear, Bubba the Rat	Also director and executive producer
2021	Muppets Haunted Mansion	Pepe the King Prawn, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, Johnny Fiama, Howard Tubman, Bobo the Bear, Big Mean Carl, Andy Pig, Bubba the Rat, Beautiful Day Monster, Clean Gene the Behemoth, Party Tomato	Also teleplay and story by, and executive producer
2023	The Muppets Mayhem	Dr. Teeth	Also co-creator and executive producer

Video games

Video games
Year(s)	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Muppet Race Mania	Pepe the King Prawn, Bobo the Bear, Johnny Fiama, Swedish Chef	Voice role
2000	Muppet Monster Adventure	Pepe the King Prawn, Swedish Chef	Voice role
2003	Muppets Party Cruise	Pepe the King Prawn, Rowlf the Dog, Bobo the Bear, Johnny Fiama, Swedish Chef	Voice role

Events

Event credits
Year	Event	Role	Notes
2017	The Muppets Take the Bowl	Pepe the King Prawn, Rowlf, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth, Bobo, Mahna Mahna	Puppeteer/voice, live show at the Hollywood Bowl, Sept. 8–10
2018	The Muppets Take the O2	Pepe the King Prawn, Rowlf, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth, Bobo, Mahna Mahna	Puppeteer/voice, live show at the O2, July 13–14
2021	The Muppets Christmas Caroling Coach[18][failed verification]	Pepe the King Prawn	Voice, theme park show at Disneyland during Disney Merriest Nights

References

1. Hunt, Kristin (May 10, 2023). "Yardley native brings Dr. Teeth, the Swedish Chef and other Muppet characters to life". PhillyVoice. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
2. Shane, Kryss (May 10, 2021). Creating an LGBT+ Inclusive Workplace: The Practical Resource Guide for Business Leaders. Routledge. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-000-38862-6.
3. Garlen, Jennifer C.; Graham, Anissa M. (January 10, 2014). Kermit Culture: Critical Perspectives on Jim Henson's Muppets. McFarland. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-7864-5375-7.
4. Stamberg, Susan (November 21, 2011). "For Muppeteers, It Isn't Easy Being Invisible". NPR. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
5. Radenhausen, Jim (May 18, 2023). "Muppets mania coming to Mahoning | Times News Online". Times News. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
6. Van Gelder, Lawrence (July 14, 1999). "FILM REVIEW; Close Encounters of a Gonzo Kind". The New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
7. "Bill Barretta explains how playing a Muppet is more than a funny voice, it's a state of mind". Los Angeles Times. September 8, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
8. Travers, Peter (August 24, 2018). "'The Happytime Murders' Review: Puppet Raunchfest Is Dead on Arrival". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
9. Darling, Cary (January 4, 2019). "'The Favourite,' 'Roma' tie as Houston Film Critics' favorite films". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
10. Tucci, Joseph (November 9, 2022). "CT puppeteer has ties with Elmo, Coldplay and stars in classic show on Disney+". CT Insider.
11. "Muppet Performer Bill Barretta on Pepe The King Prawn, Rowlf The Dog & His Epic Career!" – via www.youtube.com.
12. "Muppets Most Wanted: Press Kit" (PDF). The Walt Disney Studios. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 15, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
13. Goldberg, Lesley (May 7, 2015). "ABC Orders Shondaland and Jenna Bans Dramas, 'Muppets' Revival, More". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
14. "Muppets Haunted Mansion". Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
15. Lee Lenker, Maureen (March 27, 2023). "'The Muppets Mayhem' is ready to jam in first look at new Disney + series". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
16. Nordyke, Kimberly (December 18, 2023). "'Sesame Street,' 'Muppets Mayhem,' Jack Black Among Winners at Children's and Family Emmy Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
17. Hipes, Patrick (September 13, 2017). "Elizabeth Banks Joins Gang for 'The Happytime Murders'". Deadline. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
18. "Video: The Muppet Christmas Caroling Coach Debuts at Disney Merriest Nites". laughingplace.com. November 11, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2022.

External links

• Official website
• Bill Barretta at IMDb
• Bill Barretta explains how playing a Muppet is more than a funny voice, it's a state of mind, 2017 video
• MuppetZine Interview

Preceded by Jim Henson	Performer of Rowlf the Dog 1996 – present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by David Rudman	Performer of The Swedish Chef 1996 – present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by John Kennedy	Performer of Dr. Teeth 2005 – present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Jim Henson	Performer of Mahna Mahna[broken anchor] 2005 – present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by None	Pepe the King Prawn 1996 – present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by None	Bobo the Bear 1996 – present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by None	Carl the Big Mean[broken anchor] 1996 – present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Jerry Nelson	Performer of Lew Zealand 2002 – 2005	Succeeded by Matt Vogel