Biography: Ryan Dillon (born May 25, 1988) is an American puppeteer who has played Elmo since 2013, replacing Kevin Clash. Dillon had previously worked as an ensemble muppeteer for the Jim Henson Company since 2005. He also played Cooper and Paul Ball, for the interactive series Sesame Street TV for Xbox Kinect, and appeared on all four seasons of the new CBeebies and co-production of Sesame Street, The Furchester Hotel, as Elmo.