Who is Bill Barretta? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: William Paul Barretta

Age: 59 Years, 59 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Cristina Campbell

siblings: Gene Barretta

children: Jackson Barretta

Born Country: United States

Directors Voice Actors

Notable Alumni: Doane Academy

U.S. State: Pennsylvania

More Facts

education: Doane Academy

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Childhood & Early Life

Bill Barretta was born William Paul Barretta, on June 19, 1964, in Yardley, Pennsylvania, U.S., into a middle-class family. He grew up with his older brother, Gene, who is now a popular illustrator and children’s book author.

Both the brothers were hugely interested in creative activities ever since they were kids. Gene was the elder of the two and was mostly the one who planned out such activities, which included organizing TV shows and playing with puppets.

Over time, he also became hugely inspired to become an actor. However, he was also looking for ways to make his own puppet. Bill was 10 years old when he and his brother went to a local store to buy supplies to make their own puppets.

This went on for a year, and the brothers began performing. Eventually, their mother also began supporting them, and she bought them different kinds of puppets, which led Bill to further explore his puppeteering talent. Even though Bill was not confident of becoming a puppeteer, his mother was sure of his abilities.

Following his high-school graduation, he moved to New Jersey to attend the ‘St. Mary’s Hall-Doane Academy,’ where he learned carpentry.

Bill was mostly interested in acting. He eventually moved to Los Angeles to audition for acting roles. He also did a few odd jobs in various production houses, before he became earning fame.

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Career

He was working for the operations department at the ‘Sesame Place’ in Pennsylvania when he met Brian Henson. They remained in touch over the years. Bill moved to Los Angeles to try his luck as an actor when he came to know that Brian was producing a show called ‘Dinosaurs.’ The show had a role for which Bill auditioned. He was eventually selected to play ‘Earl Sinclair’ on the show.

The show, a family sitcom, began airing in 1991 and was hugely successful. Bill received a lot of appreciation for his role.

In 1994, he was selected to lend his voice to characters such as ‘Armstrong the Chicken Hawk’ and ‘Baby Bear’ on ‘Jim Henson’s Animal Show.’ He appeared in seven episodes of the series and worked as a puppeteer and a voice actor for many characters.

Meanwhile, as he was constantly looking for some serious work as a puppeteer, he was also struggling to find live-action acting jobs. His search ended in 1995, when he was hired to play a small role in the film titled ‘Murder in the First.’ The same year, he appeared in another small role, in the film titled ‘Born to be Wild.’

However, his acting career did not take off as he had expected. Later that year, he appeared as a puppeteer/voice actor in the Christmas special titled ‘Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree,’ playing a bear.

In 1996, he received yet another huge break when he was signed to lend his voice and be a puppeteer for the live-action puppet-oriented family series titled ‘Muppets Tonight.’ The show had many characters, such as ‘Pepe the Prawn,’ ‘Bobo the Bear,’ and ‘Rowlf the Dog.’ It was considered a huge breakthrough for his career. ‘Pepe the Prawn’ became his most popular character.

In 1996, he appeared in a single episode of the show titled ‘The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss.’ The show had him puppeteering and voice-acting for the character ‘Uncle Berklummer.’

In the early 2000s, he lent his voice to the hugely popular animated series titled ‘Kim Possible.’ The series saw him voice characters such as ‘Jackie the Jackal’ and ‘Jilly from Jersey.’ He stayed on the show from 2002 to 2007.

As for his film career, he made of the most of his association with ‘The Muppets.’ He took to puppeteering and voice-acting in spin-off films such as ‘Muppet Treasure Island,’ ‘Muppets from Space,’ and ‘It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie.’ He played various characters in the films, with ‘Pepe the Prawn’ being a constant.

Apart from ‘The Muppets,’ he was also seen puppeteering in films such as ‘The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland’ and ‘Kermit’s Swamp Years.’

In 2010, he appeared in a live-action role in the TV film titled ‘When Families Grieve.’ Lately, he appeared as a puppeteer again, lending his voice to the 2018 film titled ‘The Happytime Murders.’

As for his TV career, since 2018, he has been lending his voice to the character of ‘Dr. Teeth’ on the show titled ‘Muppet Babies.’

He has also appeared in three video games from ‘The Muppets’ franchise, reprising roles such as ‘Pepe the Prawn’ and ‘Rowlf the Dog.’

Family & Personal Life

Bill Barretta is married to Cristina Campbell. They have a son named Jackson Barretta.

He credits his success as a puppeteer to his interest in human nature and to his ability to observe how people react in certain situations. He also notices the gestures of people and uses them to play his characters with more authenticity.

Bill Barretta Biography