32 Facts About Kevin Clash

Kevin Clash performed puppets for Labyrinth, Dinosaurs, Oobi, and various Muppet productions.

Kevin Clash joined the cast of Captain Kangaroo in the early 1980s and began performing on Sesame Street in 1984.

Kevin Clash was the fifth puppeteer to perform Elmo, who became his signature character, and he served as an executive producer and director for the show.

Kevin Clash worked in various productions with The Jim Henson Company and occasionally on projects.

Kevin Clash returned to puppeteering as a supporting performer in the adult comedy The Happytime Murders.

Kevin Clash developed an interest in puppetry at an early age, inspired by children's shows like Kukla, Fran and Ollie and Sesame Street.

Kevin Clash made his first puppet, a version of Mickey Mouse, at the age of 10.

In 1979, on Love's recommendation, Kevin Clash appeared as Cookie Monster in the Sesame Street float during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and met Jim Henson, who later became his boss, mentor, and good friend.

When he was 19, Kevin Clash became a puppeteer for Captain Kangaroo, initially as a guest performer, in which he made occasional on-camera appearances.

In 1984, Kevin Clash had to turn down Henson's offer to work on his film The Dark Crystal because he was working on two TV shows at the same time, Captain Kangaroo and Love's syndicated program The Great Space Coaster, in which he was producer for the first time.

Kevin Clash started working at Sesame Street for ten episodes in 1983, mostly performing nondescript, stand-in puppets known as Anything Muppets.

Kevin Clash based Elmo's character on the preschool children that attended his mother's daycare in Baltimore and upon his own personality and the personality of his parents.

Kevin Clash followed the advice of fellow puppeteer Frank Oz, who told Kevin Clash to always "find one special hook" for each character.

Kevin Clash decided that the central characteristic for Elmo should be that he "should represent love".

Kevin Clash recruited, auditioned, and trained its puppeteers, and became the senior Muppet coordinator, a writer, director, and co-producer of the "Elmo's World" segment of the show.

Kevin Clash worked with and mentored the puppeteers of Sesame Street's international co-productions.

Kevin Clash found working with the co-productions "a lot of fun" and "very rewarding".

Kevin Clash worked on the 1985 feature film Follow That Bird.

Kevin Clash worked on the first film version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in 1990 and the sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, which was dedicated to Henson, in 1991, voicing Master Splinter.

Kevin Clash performed in several productions with Jim Henson Productions, including as the Muppet Clifford in The Jim Henson Hour, and performing the puppetry for Frank Oz's characters in Muppet Treasure Island.

Kevin Clash performed in the films Muppets from Space and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, and the TV series Muppets Tonight, in which he reprised Clifford, who served as the show's host.

Kevin Clash performed characters and worked behind the scenes on the sitcom Dinosaurs.

In 2006, Kevin Clash published his autobiography, co-written by Gary Brozek and Louis Henry Mitchell, entitled My Life as a Furry Red Monster: What Being Elmo Has Taught Me About Life, Love and Laughing Out Loud.

Kevin Clash's life was featured in the 2011 documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey.

Kevin Clash later puppeteered in the 2019 Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which serves as a prequel series to the 1982 Jim Henson film The Dark Crystal.

Kevin Clash has stated that although children ignore him and speak directly to Elmo, black adults tend to be surprised when they meet him.

Kevin Clash has stated in interviews that his racial identity was pertinent to his work, and that it came through in his performances.

Kevin Clash was married for 17 years and has a daughter who was born in 1993.

In 2015, Kevin Clash moved to Los Angeles to work on other Jim Henson Company productions, including The Happytime Murders and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, performing Lyle and Mr Bumblypants in the former and Aughra in the latter.

Kevin Clash acknowledged that he had been in a relationship with the accuser; however, he said the relationship was between two consenting adults.

In July 2013, the three cases against Kevin Clash were dismissed because it was ruled that the claims were made more than six years after each man reasonably should have become aware of Kevin Clash's alleged violations during the three years after each turned 18.

Kevin Clash's lawyers expressed his hope that the ruling would allow him to restore his personal and professional life.