John Nicholas Tartaglia (born February , ) is an American puppeteer,
actor, singer and dancer.Tartaglia was born in Maple Shade Township,
New Jersey, USA, and graduated from Upper Dublin High School in Fort
Washington, Pennsylvania in .Tartaglia joined Sesame Street's puppetry
team at the age of part-time, making him one of the youngest Sesame
Street puppeteers in the show's history. He performed as a right hand
and many minor characters, including Phoebe and being the understudy
for Kevin Clash's Elmo. He performed as Ernie for the second season of
Play with Me Sesame and as Oscar the Grouch for Sesame Street D. He
became a full-time part of Sesame Street at the age of .Tartaglia is
openly gay. Regarding the matter, he has stated "I'm less worried
about being a positive role model as a gay person than making sure
there's no negative stereotypes of any sort." He considers "nothing
more addictive than the sound of an audience laughing" and regarding
the possibility of being "pigeonholed" as a children's entertainer,
stated "If I get pigeonholed, I get pigeonholed. When I do my dark,
one-hour miniseries on Lifetime, you'll know!" In , he helped to raise
$, for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
actor, singer and dancer.Tartaglia was born in Maple Shade Township,
New Jersey, USA, and graduated from Upper Dublin High School in Fort
Washington, Pennsylvania in .Tartaglia joined Sesame Street's puppetry
team at the age of part-time, making him one of the youngest Sesame
Street puppeteers in the show's history. He performed as a right hand
and many minor characters, including Phoebe and being the understudy
for Kevin Clash's Elmo. He performed as Ernie for the second season of
Play with Me Sesame and as Oscar the Grouch for Sesame Street D. He
became a full-time part of Sesame Street at the age of .Tartaglia is
openly gay. Regarding the matter, he has stated "I'm less worried
about being a positive role model as a gay person than making sure
there's no negative stereotypes of any sort." He considers "nothing
more addictive than the sound of an audience laughing" and regarding
the possibility of being "pigeonholed" as a children's entertainer,
stated "If I get pigeonholed, I get pigeonholed. When I do my dark,
one-hour miniseries on Lifetime, you'll know!" In , he helped to raise
$, for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.