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John Tartaglia is an Emmy and Tony-nominated puppeteer, actor, writer, and producer known for his extensive work with The Jim Henson Company and on Broadway.
John Tartaglia has a long-standing relationship with The Jim Henson Company, starting as a puppeteer and progressing to creative supervisor for future Fraggle Rock projects, contributing to new television and live show developments. He has also been featured in numerous projects for the company including 'Word Party,' 'Julie's Greenroom,' and 'Slumberkins.'
In 2007, John Tartaglia provided the voice for the character Mr. Bluelight in Kmart commercials.
John Tartaglia created, executive produced, and starred in the Playhouse Disney short series 'Johnny and the Sprites,' which later expanded into a full 30-minute series.
John Tartaglia created the PBS Kids series 'Splash and Bubbles' in 2016, also voicing the character Splash.
Tartaglia performed as Hank in the Netflix series 'Julie's Greenroom' in 2017.
John Tartaglia hosted a radio show titled 'Sunday Funday with John Tartaglia' on Sirius XM's On Broadway channel.
In 2011, John Tartaglia was named a 'Givenik Ambassador' by the Broadway/charity site Givenik.
John Nicholas Tartaglia was born on February 16, 1978, in Maple Shade, New Jersey. He began his career in puppetry at a young age, joining the Sesame Street puppetry team part-time at 16, and then full-time at 18. During his eleven years with Sesame Street, he performed for various characters, including an understudy role for Kevin Clash’s Elmo, Ernie for “Play with Me Sesame” Season 2, and Oscar the Grouch for “Sesame Street 4D.” He also worked as a digital puppeteer for “Elmo’s World” segments and performed Tingo on “Sesame English.” His early experience laid the foundation for a career that combined puppetry with live stage performances and television production.
In 2003, Tartaglia gained significant recognition for originating the roles of Princeton and Rod in the Broadway musical “Avenue Q.” His performance earned him a Theatre World Award in 2004, the 59th Annual Clarence Derwent Award, and a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He later reprised these roles for the Las Vegas production of “Avenue Q” in 2005. Following this, he joined the cast of “Beauty and the Beast” as Lumière from 2006 to 2007. Tartaglia also created, executive produced, and starred in the Playhouse Disney series “Johnny and the Sprites,” which expanded into a 30-minute series in 2007 and received two Daytime Emmy Award nominations, including one for his performance. His stage career continued with roles in “Shrek The Musical” (2008-2010), where he played Pinocchio, Magic Mirror, and puppeteered the dragon.
Building on his success, Tartaglia created and wrote “John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean,” an Off-Broadway show featuring glow-in-the-dark puppets, which ran from 2010 to 2011 and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. He performed in “The Temperamentals” in Los Angeles in 2011 and played Genie in “Aladdin” at The Muny in 2012. Tartaglia has also contributed to numerous television projects, including creating the PBS Kids series “Splash and Bubbles” (2016) where he voiced Splash, and performing as Hank in the Netflix series “Julie’s Greenroom” (2017). In 2024, he joined The Jim Henson Company’s development team as creative supervisor for future Fraggle Rock projects, highlighting his ongoing influence in puppetry and children’s entertainment.
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