Paul Haenen steps down as Bert after more than fifty years
The death of colleague Wim T. Schippers prompts Haenen to leave Sesame Street.
Paul Haenen is stepping down as the Dutch voice of Bert from Sesame Street. The actor and programme-maker announced his decision on Sunday and is also stopping voicing Grover.
Haenen voiced Bert for more than fifty years for the Dutch version of Sesame Street. He announced his decision on his television programme Margreet Dolman Begrijpt ’t. According to ANP, the death of Wim T. Schippers in June was the direct reason for his departure.
Schippers voiced Ernie, Bert’s friend, for many years. He died in June at the age of 83. Haenen said that a new Ernie would not be the same Ernie for him. He also wanted to make way for a new generation to voice Grover, another character he voiced.
The duo formed one of the most recognisable voice pairings in Dutch children’s television. Their collaboration involved more than voice work: Haenen and Schippers also wrote and adapted material for Dutch episodes and songs.
At the beginning of this year, the two were still together in the studio recording new scenes for Sesame Street episodes on Netflix. This happened shortly before Schippers died. The collaboration thus unexpectedly received one final joint episode.
Alongside being a voice actor, Schippers was an artist, writer and programme-maker. He became known for, among other things, absurdist television for VPRO and the Pindakaasvloer, an artwork that was performed several times. His work often moved between television, theatre, visual art and literature.
Haenen says that a new generation should be able to take over the roles. This does not necessarily mean the end of Dutch Sesame Street production, but it does end the long-standing association between one voice duo and the characters. Who will voice Bert, Ernie and Grover from now on has not yet been announced in the sources used.
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This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The facts were checked against ANP, NOS and RTL. The text makes clear which information about future voice actors is still unavailable.
- confirmed Paul Haenen is stepping down as Bert’s voice after more than fifty years. — Reported by ANP on 20 September 2026. source
- confirmed Wim T. Schippers voiced Ernie and died in June at the age of 83. — Confirmed by NOS and ANP. source
- confirmed Haenen is also stopping voicing Grover. — Mentioned in the ANP report. source
- confirmed Haenen and Schippers recorded scenes together again for Netflix at the beginning of 2026. — RTL reported this in January. source
Editor's note
Haenen’s decision, the length of his role and his relationship with Schippers are certain. The successors to the voices have not yet been announced.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „paul haenen”
- De Telegraaf — „paul haenen”
- AD — „paul haenen”