Jennifer Barnhart

Jennifer Barnhart
Jennifer Barnhart at UCONN in 1992
Born	1972 (age 44–45) Hamden, Connecticut, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Puppeteer, actress, voice-over talent
Notable work	Law & Order: SVU, Johnny and the Sprites, Exposing the Order of the Serpentine

Jennifer Barnhart (born 1972) is an American puppeteer, actress and voice-over talent, with a portfolio of television and theatre performances. She is one of the very rarely seen left-handed puppeteers.

Barnhart was born and grew up in Hamden, Connecticut. She graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting with a concentration in puppetry.

Barnhart made her Broadway debut in 2003 and is a featured performer in the Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q, in which she also appeared Off-Broadway. She also stars as Cleo on PBS's literacy education series, Between the Lions, and performed the puppetry for Kanga and Owl on Disney Channel's The Book of Pooh. Barnhart is a Sesame Street Muppet performer who took over the roles of Mama Bear in 2001 and Gladys the Cow in 2002.

Barnhart also worked as a puppeteer in Johnny and the Sprites, a Disney Channel children's show created by her Avenue Q co-star John Tartaglia.

Starting on Season 46 of Sesame Street, she will be performing Zoe, following the retirement of Fran Brill in 2014.