Kevin Clash

Kevin Jeffrey Clash is an American puppeteer, director, and producer best known for performing Elmo on Sesame Street from 1985 to 2012, along with characters like Hoots the Owl and Clifford. He began building puppets at age 10 in Baltimore, worked on Captain Kangaroo, and joined Sesame Street full-time in 1984 after catching the attention of Muppet designer Kermit Love. Clash resigned in 2012 amid allegations of improper sexual conduct and has authored an autobiography, My Life as a Furry Red Monster.