John Nicholas Tartaglia (; born February 16, 1978) is an American actor, singer, and puppeteer.

Early life

Tartaglia was born in

Maple Shade Township, New Jersey Maple Shade Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 19,131. What is now Maple Shade was originally formed as Chester Township on November 6, 1688, and was ...

, and graduated from

Upper Dublin High School Upper Dublin High School (UDHS) is a four-year public high school located in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. It is the sole high school in the Upper Dublin School District. UDHS is recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by th ...

Fort Washington, Pennsylvania Fort Washington is a census-designated place and suburb of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,446 at the 2010 census. History Prior to the Revolutionary War the Fort Washington area was settle ...

, in 1996. Tartaglia joined ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

''s puppetry team in a part-time capacity at the age of 16, 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 was the understudy for

Kevin Clash Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director and producer known for puppeteering Elmo on ''Sesame Street'' from 1984 to 2012. He also performed puppets for ''Labyrinth'', ''Dinosaurs'', '' Oobi'', and various ...

Elmo Elmo is a red Muppet monster character on the long-running PBS/ HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who has a falsetto voice and illeism, he hosts the last full five-minute segment (fifteen minutes prio ...

. He performed as

Ernie Ernie is a masculine given name, frequently a short form (hypocorism) of Ernest, Ernald, Ernesto, or Verner. It may refer to: People * Ernie Accorsi (born 1941), American football executive * Ernie Adams (disambiguation) * Ernie Afaganis (born c ...

for the second season of ''

Play with Me Sesame ''Play with Me Sesame'' is an American children's television series, created by Sesame Workshop and Nickelodeon for their former joint venture Noggin. It is a spin-off of ''Sesame Street'' hosted by Ernie, Bert, Prairie Dawn, and Grover. The ser ...

'' and as Oscar the Grouch for '' Sesame Street 4D''. He became a full-time part of ''Sesame Street'' at the age of 18.

Personal life

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 are 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 2004, he helped to raise $525,000 for

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is an American nonprofit organization that raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States, headquartered in New York City. It is the theatre community's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. ...

. Tartaglia married Michael Shawn Lewis in New York in 2012.

Career

In 2003, he performed DJ 2 in '' Animal Jam''. Tartaglia created and puppeteered the roles of Princeton (the recent college grad) and Rod (the closeted

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

investment banker) in the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical '' Avenue Q'', which opened July 31, 2003. For the roles, he was nominated for the

Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival. The award has been given since 1948, but the nominees who did n ...

in 2004. He left the cast on January 30, 2005. Tartaglia appeared in 2004 at the 14th annual ''Broadway Bares'', which raised $525,000 to benefit

. Tartaglia reprised his roles as Princeton and Rod in the

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

sit-down production of ''Avenue Q'', starting in August 2005 until December 11, 2005. He then appeared in the musical ''

Newsical ''Newsical'' (styled "NEWSical") is a musical with music, lyrics, and book written by Rick Crom. In ever-changing songs and sketches, it lampoons current events, hot topics, celebrities, politicians, and other well-known entities. New songs are a ...

2006: The Next Edition'' in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, in a limited engagement in December 2005. Tartaglia joined the cast of ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

'' as Lumière on November 21, 2006, until early June 2007."John Tartaglia Broadway"
playbillvault.com, accessed January 4, 2016 He appeared in his own television series for

Playhouse Disney Playhouse Disney was a brand of programming blocks and international cable and satellite television channels that were owned by the Disney Channels Worldwide unit (now Disney Branded Television) of The Walt Disney Company's Disney–ABC Televi ...

called ''

Johnny and the Sprites ''Johnny and the Sprites'' is an American children's musical television show that aired every weekend on the "Playhouse Disney" block on Disney Channel. The show was created by, produced by, and starred John Tartaglia (most famous for his work o ...

'' as creator, executive producer, and star. While the episodes began as only 5-minute interstitials, the show began a full 30-minute series on January 13, 2007. The show began filming Season 2 during mid-2007. In 2007, Tartaglia provided the voice for Mr. Bluelight in

Kmart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inc ...

commercials. He played the roles of

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel '' The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan ...

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" ( it, Il gatto con gli stivali) is an Italian fairy tale, later spread throughout the rest of Europe, about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for ...

, and the Magic Mirror and puppeteered the dragon in ''

Shrek The Musical ''Shrek The Musical'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film ''Shrek'', along with elements of its sequels: '' Shrek 2'', ''Shrek Forever After'' ...

''. After a try-out in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, the show opened on Broadway at

The Broadway Theatre The Broadway Theatre (formerly Universal's Colony Theatre, B.S. Moss's Broadway Theatre, Earl Carroll's Broadway Theatre, and Ciné Roma) is a Broadway theater at 1681 Broadway (near 53rd Street) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan i ...

on December 14, 2008. Tartaglia performed in the show until August 16, 2009, and was replaced by Robb Sapp. He returned on December 14, 2009, and stayed until the production closed on January 3, 2010. Tartaglia created and wrote ''

John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean ''John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean'' is an Off Broadway musical about fish. It was written by and stars John Tartaglia, whose previous theatre acting credits include ''Avenue Q'' and ''Beauty and the Beast''. The show played at New World Stages, whic ...

'' which was produced Off-Broadway at

New World Stages New World Stages is a five-theater, Off-Broadway performing arts complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is between 49th and 50th Streets beneath the plaza of the Worldwide Plaza complex at Eighth Avenue. ...

, running from March 31, 2010, to September 4, 2011. The show has music and lyrics by William Wade, with puppets designed and built by The Puppet Kitchen and the set design by Robert Kovach. ''ImaginOcean'' is a puppet show about fish intended for audiences between the ages of 2 and 8. The puppets glow in the dark while the actors are in black, giving the effect that the puppets are floating. The show was nominated for the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience. Tartaglia performed in Los Angeles in the

Blank Theatre Company The Blank Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company located in Los Angeles, California. History Founded in 1990 by current Artistic Director/Co-Artistic Producer Daniel Henning, The Blank's mission is to produce either premieres or "reinv ...

production of ''

The Temperamentals ''The Temperamentals'' is a 2009 play by Jon Marans. It chronicles the founding of the Mattachine Society, the first sustained LGBT rights organization in the United States, and the love affair of two of its founding members, Harry Hay (Thoma ...

'', running from April 9 to May 22, 2011, at the 2nd Stage Theatre. He played

Genie Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic myt ...

in the production of '' Aladdin'' in St. Louis at

The Muny The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (commonly known as The Muny) is an amphitheatre, amphitheater located in St. Louis, Missouri. The theatre seats 11,000 people with about 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first ...

from July 5–13, 2012. In 2011, Tartaglia was named a "Givenik Ambassador" by the Broadway/charity site Givenik. Tartaglia hosts a radio show on Sirius XM On Broadway called ''Sunday Funday with John Tartaglia''. In 2016, he created the series '' Splash and Bubbles'' for PBS Kids, in which he voices Splash and other recurring characters. In 2017, he performed Hank in ''

Julie's Greenroom ''Julie's Greenroom'' is an American educational pre-school television series that was released on Netflix on March 17, 2017. Characters * Miss Julie (portrayed by Julie Andrews) – The director of the Wellspring Center for the Performing Arts ...

''.

Filmography

Film

* ''

Elmopalooza ''Elmopalooza!'' is a ''Sesame Street'' special that aired on ABC on February 20, 1998. It was taped in the middle of the 29th season of ''Sesame Street'' and featured songs by celebrity guests. About the show The special begins with an announce ...

'' - Additional Puppeteer * ''

Love the Hard Way ''Love the Hard Way'' is a 2001 crime drama film directed by . It is about the story of a petty thief who meets an innocent young woman and brings her into his world of crime while she teaches him the lessons of enjoying life and being loved. Th ...

'' - Jack (uncredited) * ''

Antwone Fisher Antwone Quenton Fisher (born August 3, 1959) is an American director, screenwriter, author, and film producer. His 2001 autobiographical book '' Finding Fish'' was a ''New York Times'' Best Seller. The 2002 film '' Antwone Fisher'' was writt ...

'' - Dancer (uncredited) * ''

Honey 2 ''Honey 2'' is a 2011 American dance film and a sequel to the 2003 film ''Honey'', directed by Bille Woodruff, who directed the original film. It stars Kat Graham, Randy Wayne, Seychelle Gabriel and Lonette McKee, reprising her role as Connie D ...

'' - Ballet Dancer * ''

The Women in Black ''The Women in Black'' is a 1993 novel by Australian author Madeleine St John. It is her first novel, and is the only one she set in Australia. Plot summary The novel tells the story of a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney. It ...

'' - Jewelry Salesman (uncredited) * ''

The Happytime Murders ''The Happytime Murders'' is a 2018 American adult puppet crime comedy film directed by Brian Henson and written by Todd Berger from a story by Berger and Dee Austin Robertson. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Bill Barretta, Joel McHale, Maya R ...

'' - Additional Voices

Television

* '' Animal Jam'' - DJ 2 * ''

Bear in the Big Blue House ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' is an American children's television series created by Mitchell Kriegman and produced by Jim Henson Television for Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney preschool television block. Debuting on October 20, 1997, it aire ...

'' - Additional Puppeteer * ''

Between the Lions ''Between the Lions'' is an American animated/live-action/puppet children's television series designed to promote reading. The show was a co-production between WGBH in Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, in association with Mis ...

'' - guest Sesame Street puppeteer (Elmo/Bert "Dance with Smartypants" segments) * ''

Dog City ''Dog City'' is an animated television series that was produced by Nelvana Limited and Jim Henson Productions in association with Channel 4, Global Television Network, FORTA and Canal+ Spain and aired on Fox Kids from September 26, 1992, to Nov ...

'' - Additional Puppeteer * ''

'' - Ernie (Season 2) * '' Fraggle Rock: Rock On!'' - Gobo Fraggle (taking over from

Jerry Nelson Jerry L. Nelson (July 10, 1934 – August 23, 2012) was an American puppeteer, best known for his work with The Muppets. Renowned for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on ''Sesame Street'', ' ...

); Boober Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt, and Wembley Fraggle (puppetry only) * ''

'' - Hank * '' Elmo's World'': Computer Graphic Puppeteer * ''

'': Johnny, Sage * ''

Sesame English ''Sesame English'' is an American television/video series developed as a collaboration between Sesame Workshop and Berlitz International. Launched in 1999, with Taiwan and China as the debut markets, the series differs from the typical interna ...

'': Tingo * ''

'': Alfred Duck, Phoebe (2002), The Great Quackini, Trey, Cookie Monster's Mommy (2004), Brandeis, Safety Chicken, Yip-Yip Martian, Various * '' Splash and Bubbles'': Splash, Various * ''

Word Party ''Word Party'' (also known as ''Jim Henson's Word Party'') is an American CGI animated children's streaming television series that began airing on Netflix in 2016. The series was created by The Jim Henson Company using Henson Digital Puppetry St ...

'': Kip the Wallaby (voice) * '' The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss'': Bird, Delivery Man

Stage

References

External links

* *
John Tartaglia & Michael Shawn Lewis's production company, Gable Grove Productions

John Tartaglia
talks with Craft Ideas Weekly about how he started making puppets
Stephanie D'Abruzzo and John Tartaglia
- ''Downstage Center'' interview at American Theatre Wing.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Tartaglia, John 1978 births 21st-century American comedians American puppeteers American male singers American male voice actors American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors American male musical theatre actors American gay actors Living people People from Maple Shade Township, New Jersey Sesame Street Muppeteers Theatre World Award winners Muppet performers