Leslie Carrara, sometimes credited as Leslie Carrara-Rudolph or the misspelling Leslie Carrera-Rudolph, is an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

, performer, puppeteer, speaker,

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

and

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, t ...

. She is probably best known as a Muppet performer on ''

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) and ...

'', most notably playing Abby Cadabby. She is also known for her original characters, including Lolly Lardpop. She is also a voice actress, creates artwork and performs in cabaret.

Career

Rudolph is known for performing the fairy Abby Cadabby on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

/ HBO series ''

'', for which she was nominated for a 2009 Emmy Award for best performer in a children's series. She is also known for her puppeteer role as Ginger on the Disney Channel preschool series '' Johnny and the Sprites''. She performed the Muppet, Jesse for ''Sesame Street''s military outreach project ''Touch, Listen, and Connect'', which starred

Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...

. Rudolph plays various Muppet characters, besides Abby, on ''Sesame Street'' and has voiced animated characters and played live-action characters on the show. She got her start on ABC's '' Muppets Tonight'' as Spamela Hamderson and Darci. Other puppeteering credits include Edi the Zebra on '' Jim Henson's Animal Jam'' and the evil, blonde-haired vampire puppet in the movie ''

Forgetting Sarah Marshall ''Forgetting Sarah Marshall'' is a 2008 American comedy film directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Russell Brand. The film, which was written by Segel and co-produced by Judd Apatow, was releas ...

''. Rudolph is one of the founding members of the Henson improv group '' Puppet Up!'', which was later retitled as Stuffed and Unstrung. She was part of the improv cast for its debut at the Aspen Comedy Festival. She toured with them to the comedy festival in Australia and was a cast member for the off-Broadway show at the Union Square Theater. She also played the main role of Blue, the female blue puppy in Nick Jr.'s '' Blue's Room''. Her original character Lolly Lardpop has a musical comedy CD out called ''Sunkinsass''. Rudolph portrayed the human children's show star Miss Poppy in the satirical play ''Pigeon-Holed'', written by ''Sesame Street'' writer Annie Evans and ''Sesame Street'' puppeteer regulars. She does regular voiceover work, including characters in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'', ''

Ratchet & Clank ''Ratchet & Clank'' is a series of action platformer and third-person shooter video games. The franchise was created and developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation consoles, such as PlayStation ...

'', and the English dub of the anime '' Zatch Bell''. She has a BA degree from San Francisco State University in her major "Child Development Through the Arts". When she is not performing, she illustrates children's books and paints. Rudolph performs an original, candy-obsessed character, Lolly, in several clubs and events in New York and Los Angeles, and works in children's outreach programs. Carrara-Rudolph released a Lolly children's CD called ''Spunkinsass''. Rudolph has written and produced several one-woman shows. Her latest musical, ''Entertaining a Thought'', which was developed at the 2009 Ojai Play Write Conference, recently received a Jim Henson Foundation Grant and a 2009–2010 UNIMA Citation of Excellence in the Art of Puppetry. She just finished a run of her newest interactive show, ''Wake Up Your Weird'', at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta. The show she created for the Disney company, ''The Wahoo Wagon'', ran for six months at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood and featured all of her original characters. Some of Rudolph's voiceover credits include the voice of Peg Puppy for Nickelodeon's animated series '' T.U.F.F. Puppy'', and additional voices for ''

'' and for '' The Electric Company (2009 TV series)'', for which she voices Wolfman, Bat, and Mummy. She joined the cast of the podcast series ''

The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd ''The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd'' is a short audio and video series distributed via podcasting. Created by Grant Baciocco and Doug Price, it is a family friendly show in the style of old-time radio. The show also draws much inspiration from ...

'' in the season 3 premiere and has guest-starred several times since. She plays the character Bubbles in '' Splash and Bubbles''. She was an additional puppeteer in '' Julie's Greenroom''.

Filmography

* '' Muppets Tonight'' - Spamela Hamderson, Darci, Shirley, Dorothy Bovine, Belle the Bubble Mom, Additional Muppets * '' The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss'' - Little Cat A, Morton the Elephant Bird, Princess Tizz, Additional Muppets * '' Animal Jam'' - Edi the Zebra * '' Blue's Room'' - Blue * '' Johnny and the Sprites'' - Ginger * ''

'' - Abby Cadabby, Lotta Chatter, Rosa, Sleeping Beauty, Virginia Virginia,

Mrs. Grouch The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson, many for the purpose of appearing on the children's television program ''Sesame Street''. Some of the best known Muppets on ''Sesame Street'' include Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch ...

(episode 4237), Tango, Additional Muppets * '' T.U.F.F. Puppy'' - Peg Puppy (voice) * ''Frances'' - Mom (voice) * '' Rugrats: All Grown Up'' - Myron (voice) * '' Poochini's Yard'' - Wendy White (voice) * '' Splash and Bubbles'' - Bubbles, Flo * '' Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal'' - Sasha Phyronix

References

External links

Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carrara-Rudolph, Leslie Living people American women singers American puppeteers American voice actresses Muppet performers Place of birth missing (living people) Sesame Street Muppeteers Year of birth missing (living people)