Bill Barretta
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (April 2010) |
Bill Barretta | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Paul Barretta June 19, 1964 |
| Occupation(s) | Puppeteer, producer |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Spouse | Cristina Campbell |
| Family | Gene Barretta (brother) |
William Paul "Bill" Barretta (born June 19, 1964) is an American puppeteer and producer who has been performing with The Muppets since 1991, when he puppeteered the body of Sinclair family patriarch, Earl Sinclair on Dinosaurs. He later developed several new characters on Muppets Tonight, including Pepe the King Prawn, Johnny Fiama, Big Mean Carl and Bobo the Bear. Along with having his own Muppet characters, Barretta has taken over several of Jim Henson's roles, such as Dr. Teeth, Rowlf the Dog, Mahna Mahna and Swedish Chef, and briefly took over Jerry Nelson's role of Lew Zealand. His film debut as a principal puppeteer was in 1996's Muppet Treasure Island as Clueless Morgan. In addition, Barretta has produced two of the Muppets' television films, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005). Barretta also provides additional voices on Kim Possible. His most recent film performance was in Disney's Muppets Most Wanted, where he also served as a co-producer.[2] Barretta also served as an executive producer on the ABC series, The Muppets.[3]
Barretta is the younger brother of the children's book author and illustrator, Gene Barretta. He is a native of Yardley, Pennsylvania.
Career
Barretta attended St. Mary's Hall-Doane Academy in Burlington, New Jersey, eventually becoming a carpenter. He met Brian Henson while they were both working at Sesame Place.
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 | 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 | 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, Bobo the Bear, Bubba the Rat, additional characters | 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[4] | Phil Phillips | Puppeteer/voice |
Television
| Television credits | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year(s) | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1991–1994 | Dinosaurs | Earl Sinclair (puppetry), Nick (puppetry), Rabid Caveman | Performer |
| 1994 | Jim Henson's Animal Show | Armstrong the Chicken Hawk, Vernon the Grizzly, Baby Bear | Puppeteer/voice |
| 1996–1998 | Muppets Tonight | Bobo the Bear, Johnny Fiama, Pepe the Prawn, additional characters | Puppeteer/voice |
| 2002–2007 | Kim Possible | Additional voices | Voice role |
| 2015–2016 | The Muppets | Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, Pepe the King Prawn, Swedish Chef, Bobo the Bear, Big Mean Carl, additional characters | Puppeteer/voice |
Events
| Film 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 |
References
- ^ "Ratting Out", Muppet Central, 1999. Accessed 24 November 2009.
- ^ "Muppets Most Wanted: Press Kit" (PDF). The Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 7, 2015). "ABC Orders Shondaland and Jenna Bans Dramas, 'Muppets' Revival, More". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (September 13, 2017). "Elizabeth Banks Joins Gang For 'The Happytime Murders'". Deadline. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
