Martin P. Robinson is an American puppeteer, best known for his work on Sesame Street, having performed the characters of Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Slimey, Irvine, Buster the Horse, and Shelley the Turtle. He performed the characters Riff the Cat and Clef on Allegra's Window, and was an animatronic puppeteer for Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Early life
Robinson's father was a hydraulics engineer and his mother was a teacher. He grew up in Milwaukee and graduated from Brookfield East High School in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. He graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1974.
Robinson originally intended to become a character actor, but work was scarce. He later toured with a marionette company, eventually working under puppeteer Bil Baird.
Personal life
Robinson married Sesame Street writer Annie Evans on August 9, 2008, on the set of Sesame Street in the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York. Evans gave birth to twin daughters on February 12, 2009. Robinson also has three children from a previous marriage and two grandchildren. He and his family live in Redding, Connecticut.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Production
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1984
|The Muppets Take Manhattan
|Swedish Chef (hands), Buster the Horse, additional Muppets
|Performer
|-
|1985
|Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird
|Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Board of Birds Member, Grouch Diner Patron, additional Muppets
|Performer
|-
|1990
|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
|Leonardo
|Facial assistant
|-
|1999
|The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
|Telly Monster, Laundromat Manager, Little Ricky
|Performer
|-
|2008
|A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa
|Crazy Harry, additional Muppets
|Performer, voice
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable"
!Year(s)
!Production
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1981–present
|Sesame Street
|Telly Monster (1984–present), Mr. Snuffleupagus (1981–present), Slimey the Worm, Buster the Horse, Irvine, Mrs. Grouch, Dicky Tick, Vincent Twice, Old MacDonald, Freddy, additional Muppets
|Performer
|-
|1983
|Don't Eat the Pictures
|Mr. Snuffleupagus
|Performer; television special
|-
|1985
|Little Muppet Monsters
|Rat, Cow, Walrus, additional Muppets
|Performer
|-
|1986
|The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
|Telly Monster
|Performer (uncredited); television special
|-
|1986
|The Tale of the Bunny Picnic
|Farmer, additional Muppets
|Performer; television special
|-
|1987
|A Muppet Family Christmas
|Additional Muppets
|Performer; television special
|-
|1988
|The Transformers
|Powermaster Optimus Prime
|Puppeteer (season 5)
|-
|1990
|The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson
|Telly Monster, additional Muppets
|Performer; television special
|-
|1994–1996
|Allegra's Window
|Riff, Clef
|Voice, performer
|-
|1996
|Elmo Saves Christmas
|Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Santa's Elf, additional Muppets
|Performer; television special
|-
|1998
|The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss
|The Cat in the Hat
|Performer (season 2)
|-
|1988
|Jim Henson's Play-Along Video
|Crocodile, Raccoon, additional Muppets
|Performer; direct-to-video series
|-
|2003
|Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic
|Telly Monster
|Performer, theme park film
|}
See also
- List of Sesame Street puppeteers