Kevin Clash

Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director and producer whose characters included Elmo, Clifford, Benny Rabbit, and Hoots the Owl from Sesame Street; and Azibo the Monster from Panwapa.\n', '

Clash developed an interest in puppetry at an early age and, in his teen years, performed for local TV children\'s shows in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. He joined the cast of Captain Kangaroo in the early 1980s and began performing on Sesame Street in 1984. He was the fifth puppeteer to perform Elmo, who became his signature character, and also served as an executive producer and director for the show. Clash worked in various productions with The Jim Henson Company and occasionally on other projects. Clash\'s autobiography, My Life as a Furry Red Monster, was published in 2006; he was later the subject of the documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteer\'s Journ…