Matt Vogel (puppeteer)
| Matt Vogel | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Matthew J. Vogel II October 6, 1970 Kansas City, Kansas, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names |
Matt J. Vogel II Matthew J. Vogel Matthew Vogel Matt J. Vogel |
| Occupation | Puppeteer, director, singer |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse(s) | Kelly C. McDonnell (m. 1997) |
| Children | 5 |
| Website |
www |
Matthew J. "Matt" Vogel II (born October 6, 1970) is an American puppeteer, director and singer who has worked for the Jim Henson Company and Sesame Workshop. He is best known for his roles with the Muppets, Sesame Street, and Oobi.
Vogel first auditioned for the Jim Henson Company in 1993 and joined the crew of Sesame Street in 1996 as an ensemble puppeteer. He has served as a director and puppet captain on Sesame Street since 2008. He inherited many of Jerry Nelson's Muppet character roles in 2008, when he began performing with The Muppets Studio. Since 2017, he has performed Kermit the Frog.
Career
With the Muppets, Vogel is one of the principal cast performers with the roles of Kermit,[1] Floyd Pepper, Uncle Deadly, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Robin the Frog, Sweetums, Camilla the Chicken,[2] and Constantine under his tutelage.[1] On Sesame Street, Vogel is the performer of Count von Count, and Big Bird.[3] On Oobi, he performed Angus.[4]
Beginning his puppeteering career at the Jim Henson Company in the 1990s,[5] Vogel later served as the assistant puppeteer for Ernie on Sesame Street, performing with Steve Whitmire.[6] After studying the role of Big Bird under the performance of Caroll Spinney from 1996, he inherited the role, explaining "It takes a lot of physical exertion" and "I'm wearing the body of the bird".[7] Spinney remarked that "Vogel" is the German translation for "bird".[7] He also took over the puppetry of the Sesame Street character Count von Count, after Jerry Nelson died in 2012.[7]
With The Muppets Studio, Vogel has been performing since 2008, and has appeared in The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted, and a short-lived primetime series.[8] Vogel performed the Muppets that were used in Kenneth's view of the world in the 30 Rock episode "Apollo, Apollo".[9] In 2016, Vogel voiced the character of Wilkins in Alice Through the Looking Glass directed by James Bobin.[1]
From 2017 onward, Vogel was cast as the new performer for Kermit the Frog, replacing Steve Whitmire.[10] His first public performance as Kermit took place in July 2017 during a "Muppets Thought of the Week" segment on the Muppets' official YouTube channel.[1]
Personal life
He is from Kansas City, and was a fan of Sesame Street and The Muppet Show as a boy.[2] After 1993, he moved from Kansas City to New York.[2] Vogel has been married to his wife Kelly C. McDonnell since August 31, 1997; together they have five children.[11][12]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996-present | Sesame Street | Various characters Big Bird (understudy since 1998) Count von Count (since 2013) Ernie (assistant, 2000–03) |
| 1996 | Elmo Saves Christmas | Elf |
| 1996–98 | Big Bag | Ensemble puppeteer |
| 1999 | The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | Assistant for Big Bird |
| 2000 | Between the Lions | Ensemble puppeteer |
| 2002–07 | Play with Me Sesame | Assistant for Ernie |
| 2003 | Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic | Big Bird |
| 2003–05 | Oobi | Angus |
| 2008 | A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa | Floyd Pepper Camilla the Chicken Crazy Harry Lew Zealand Robin the Frog Pigeon Son |
| 2013 | Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map | Fred Jones |
| 2015 | The Muppets | Uncle Deadly Sweetums Floyd Pepper Camilla the Chicken Crazy Harry Lew Zealand Robin the Frog |
| 2016 | Alice Through the Looking Glass | Wilkins |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 Petski, Denise (July 10, 2017). "Kermit the Frog Voice Actor Exiting After 27 Years". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- 1 2 3 Gish, Sarah (July 2017). "KCK native Matt Vogel is the new voice of Kermit the Frog". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
- ↑ The Associated Press (July 11, 2017). "Kermit the Frog gets a new voice after 27 years". CBC News. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
- ↑ "Matt Vogel". TV.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
- ↑ Romano, Nick (July 11, 2017). "Kermit the Frog gets new voice actor after 27 years". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
- ↑ Leane, Rob (July 11, 2017). "The Muppets: Kermit actor quits the ensemble". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
- 1 2 3 Vogel, Matt (October 13, 2016). "Matt Vogel is Big Bird". BBC. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
- ↑ Caffrey, Dan (September 30, 2015). "The Muppets’ flaws are justified, if still slightly jarring". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
- ↑ Staff (January 31, 2013). "So long, 30 Rock: We bid Liz Lemon adieu with some of our favourite show moments". National Post. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
- ↑ Parker, Ryan (July 10, 2017). "Longtime Kermit the Frog Voice Actor Replaced After 27 Years". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ↑ "Ten Minutes With Matt Vogel". Archived from the original on February 4, 2015.
- ↑ Gish, Sarah. "KCK native Matt Vogel is the new voice of Kermit the Frog". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
External links
| Preceded by Alice Dinnean |
Performer of Camilla the Chicken 2008 – present |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Jerry Nelson |
Performer of Crazy Harry 2008 – present |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by John Kennedy |
Performer of Floyd Pepper 2008 – present |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Bill Barretta |
Performer of Lew Zealand 2008 – present |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Jerry Nelson |
Performer of Robin the Frog 2008 – present |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Noel MacNeal |
Performer of Sweetums 2009 – present |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Jerry Nelson |
Performer of Pops 2011 – present |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Jerry Nelson |
Performer of Uncle Deadly 2011 – present |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Jerry Nelson |
Performer of Count von Count 2013 – present |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Jerry Nelson |
Performer of Mr. Johnson 2016 – present |
Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by Steve Whitmire |
Performer of Kermit the Frog 2017 - present |
Succeeded by None |
