(written from a Production point of view)
John Fifer (born 15 June 1949; age 75) is a puppeteer and special effects artist who worked as puppeteer.
In 1995, Elliot, Apone, and Fifer worked as puppeteers for the Reptohumanoid hatchling on the Star Trek: Voyager second season episode "Parturition", as listed on the call sheets.
Fifer and special effects makeup artist Allan A. Apone who worked closely from the founding of their company Makeup & Effects Laboratories along with Paul Elliot designed the costume for Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager and further created her costume worn in the episode "Scorpion".
In 2001, he was a puppeteer for the Andorian antennae of actors Jeffrey Combs, Jeff Ricketts, and Steven Dennis along with Paul Elliot and Heide Pendergast on the Star Trek: Enterprise first season episode "The Andorian Incident". He received no credit for this work but is listed on the call sheets of "The Andorian Incident". Fifer also operated the antennae of "Talas" actress Molly Brink in the episodes "Proving Ground", "Babel One", and "United". [1](X)
Outside of Star Trek, Fifer also operated a creature puppet in Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991, with James Avery, Michael Berryman, Carl Ciarfalio, Larry Dobkin, Charles Hyman, Rex Pierson, Wayne Péré, Dick Warlock, Frank Welker, and Dan Woren) and portrayed a Goomba Toad in Super Mario Bros. (1993, with Paul Barnes and Allan A. Apone). [2] He can be seen in the television documentary The Making of 'Super Mario Brothers' (1997), where he discussed his creations, the "Goomba" soldiers.
Other projects on which he worked as special effects artist include Armed Response (1986, with Dick Miller, Michael Berryman, and Cary-Hiroyuki), Return to Horror High (1987), C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D. (1989, with Gerrit Graham, Larry Cedar, Robert Symonds, Clive Revill, and Jonathan Farwell), Grim Prairie Tales (1990, with Brad Dourif and working with Jill Rockow), Hot Shots! (1991, with Lloyd Bridges, Heidi Swedberg, Kelly Connell, Annie O'Donnell, and Chris Doyle), Skeeter (1993, with Charles Napier, Jay Robinson, Michael J. Pollard, John Putch, Saxon Trainor, Barbara Baldavin, Warren A. Stevens, and Richard Herd), Cyber Tracker (1994, with Stacie Foster, Joseph Ruskin, and Dana Sparks), the adventure Storybook (1996, with Gary Morgan, Robert Costanzo, James Doohan, Vinny Argiro, Heather Lauren Olson, Zachary Benjamin, and Ed Begley, Jr.), and Being John Malkovich (1999, with Willie Garson, Richard Fancy, Patti Tippo, Audrey Gelfand, Andy Dick, and Winona Ryder).