Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987
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puppeteer. director. musician. Years active. 1990–present. Michelan Sisti (born May 27, 1949) is a Puerto Rican-born American actor, puppeteer, director and musician who played Michelangelo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. [1]
Michelan Sisti is a versatile performer who has appeared in films, TV shows, and Broadway musicals. He is best known for his roles as Michaelangelo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and as a Muppet performer in various projects.
- January 1, 1
- 2 min
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Overview
- Muppet/Creature Shop Credits
- Henson Company Non-Muppet Credits
- External links
- Sources
Michelan Sisti (b. May 27, 1949) is an actor and puppeteer who has performed many full-bodied characters in Jim Henson's Creature Shop productions. Born to army parents in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but raised in the States and abroad, Sisti's height of 5 feet and 2 inches lent itself to unusual roles, such as Michaelangelo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequel. This was followed by Dinosaurs on ABC, performing the body of Charlene Sinclair, the body and voice of Sid Turtlepuss, and appearing on-camera as various cavepeople. For over a decade, Sisti served as Animal's drumming hands with The Electric Mayhem.
Sisti has also served as performance coordinator and animatronic puppeteer on other projects and an assistant/additional puppeteer on various Muppet commercials and appearances. Sisti was originally offered the role of Barkley on Sesame Street in 1993, but chose to stay in Los Angeles, and instead recommended his friend Bruce Connelly, who he'd worked with in "ORKIDSTRA," a mime company.
Prior to working with Henson, Sisti was a musician and theatrical actor for twenty years. Sisti performed in many NY productions on-and-off-Broadway. Broadway credits include the 1981 revival of Fiddler on the Roof (as Motel) and the Joe Raposo-scored Raggedy Ann (as Panda, opposite Ivy Austin). In 1987, he appeared in the Broadway revival of Cabaret, as Bobby and understudy for star Joel Grey. It was during this production that Grey lost his voice, and for more than thirty performances, Sisti sang and spoke the Emcee role over the sound system, while Grey acted onstage. Later shifting to film and television, Sisti guest starred on Star Trek: The Next Generation, as the Ferengi Tol in the 1994 episode "Bloodlines" and later guest starred on Babylon 5.
Sisti also appeared in fellow Henson puppeteer Julianne Buescher's short film Resculpting Venus as Dr. Moreau, and served as movement supervisor for the motion-capture performers on Sid the Science Kid.
•Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Michaelangelo (body)
•Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze: Michaelangelo
•Dinosaurs: Sid Turtlepuss (voice and body), body performer for Charlene Sinclair, Officer Bettleheim, Crazy Lou, Folk Singer, General H. Norman Conquest, Hank, Parish, Ted Hardshell, UFO! Host, Wendy Richfield, Zabar
•1993 Royal Variety Performance: Clodhopper
••Things That Fly: Hang Glider
••Aliens in the Family: Spit (body)
•Late Night Buffet with Augie and Del: Del (assistant)
•The Skrumps: Raisins (motion capture performer)
•Frances: Gloria (motion capture performer)
•Sid the Science Kid: Movement supervisor
1.The Hollywood Reporter "Disney's Muppets Problem: Can the Franchise Reckon With Its Boys' Club Culture?" by Seth Abramovitch, November 02, 2020
2.Facebook post by Sisti
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Learn about the life and career of Michelan Sisti, a Puerto Rican-born actor who has appeared in film, television, and theatre roles. He is known for his roles in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Muppets, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- May 27, 1949
Mar 26, 2023 · On this episode of Nostalgia Talk, I am talking with actor and puppeteer Michelan Sisti! Michelan has done acting work in film, television, and stage. He was the body puppeteer for Michelangelo...
- 43 min
- 788
- James Nobes
Michelan Sisti is an actor and musician who played Michelangelo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequel. He also worked with Jim Henson Company, Walt Disney Studios, and other movie and TV productions as an actor, director and puppeteer.
