Ryan Dillon

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Ryan Dillon
Born (1988-05-25) May 25, 1988 (age 35)
OccupationPuppeteer
Years active2005–present
EmployerThe Jim Henson Company
Known forThe voice of Elmo

Ryan Dillon (born May 25, 1988) is an American puppeteer who has worked as an ensemble muppeteer for the Jim Henson Company since 2005.[1] He also played Cooper and Paul Ball for the interactive series Sesame Street TV for Xbox Kinect, and appeared on all four seasons of the new CBeebies and co-productions of Sesame Street, The Furchester Hotel, and The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo as Elmo.[2] In March 2017, Dillon was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming.[3][4]

Background and career[edit]

Dillon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a young puppeteer, Dillon came to the attention of Sesame Street producers when he went to an audition as a high school student.[citation needed] He took time off from school during his senior year to participate in the shooting for Season 37 in 2005. Since 2013, he has taken over performing Elmo in new productions and appearances, taking over for Kevin Clash after his resignation from Sesame Street in November 2012. Ryan has also taught classes in television puppetry at Pennsylvania State University, and various schools and centres in the United States.[5] He also replaced the late Richard Hunt as Don Music in Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary tribute.[citation needed] In addition to playing Elmo, Dillon has appeared on Kraft MilkBite commercials, "Healthy Teeth, Healthy Me," "Little Children, Big Challenges," "Little Discoverers: Big Fun With Science, Math and More," Julie's Greenroom, The Muppets Take the Bowl, The Muppets Take the O2, the Nickelodeon webseries "Ask Sylvia" as the title character, and John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean (2010).[citation needed]

Filmography[edit]

Years Title Role Notes
2013–present Sesame Street Elmo
2014–2017 The Furchester Hotel Elmo, Guinea Pig (ep. 12), Mail Bird (ep. 68), Christmas Elf on Phone (ep. 68), Mr. Peckwood (ep. 74), Cat Bride (ep. 96)
2016 The Toycracker: A Mini-Musical Spectacular Elmo TV short; uncredited
2020 Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration Don Music, Elmo, Lefty the Salesman, Roosevelt Franklin (puppetry only)
2020–2021 The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo Elmo
2022–present Mecha Builders Mecha Elmo

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Award Category Work Result Refs
2023 Children's and Family Emmy Awards Outstanding Puppeteer Performance Sesame Street Won [6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ng, Gwendolyn (5 October 2017). "Meet Ryan Dillon, the new man behind Sesame Street puppet Elmo". Star2.com. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Ryan Dillon". Puppeteer Bios. Sesame Street. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  3. ^ "Ryan and Elmo Red Carpet Interview". DailyMotion. May 7, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  4. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (March 22, 2017). "Daytime Emmy Nominations: 'Young and the Restless' Tops List; THR Scores Nom". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  5. ^ "Ryan Dillon Resume". DillyPuppets.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  6. ^ Coates, Tyler (November 2, 2023). "Children's & Family Emmy Awards: Disney Dominates Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 7, 2023.

External links[edit]

Preceded by Elmo performer
2013–Present
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by Don Music performer
2019–Present
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by Lefty the Salesman performer
2019–Present
Succeeded by
None