Allan Trautman (born May 25, 1955) is an American puppeteer, best known for his work with

The Jim Henson Company The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for ...

Early life

He is originally from

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. Trautman has a B.A. in Physics and Drama from

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

Career

He had his first job as a puppeteer during college working on

The Letter People ''The Letter People'' is a children's literacy program. The term also refers to the family of various characters depicted in it. Original program Elayne Reiss-Weimann and Rita Friedman created the concept of Letter People as teachers in Nanuet, ...

. He also has an MFA in Acting from

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

. Trautman spent two summers performing at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. He stayed in Los Angeles after graduation and performed with

Sid and Marty Krofft Sid Krofft (born July 30, 1929) and Marty Krofft (born April 9, 1937) are a Canadian sibling team of television creators and puppeteers. Through their production company, Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, they have made numerous children's television a ...

. Trautman began working with the Muppets in 1990 on ''

Muppet*Vision 3D ''Muppet*Vision 3D'' is a 3D film attraction located at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The attraction also formerly operated at Disney California Adventure. Directed by Jim Henson, the attraction consists of a pre-show which then leads into Kermit ...

'', still showing in the Disney theme parks. He has been working with

Jim Henson's Creature Shop Jim Henson's Creature Shop is a special/visual effects company founded in 1979 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The company is based out of Burbank, California, United States. History Jim Henson's Creature Shop was originally ...

since 1991 on animatronic projects as well as The Henson Digital Performance Studio. He is a cast member of Henson Alternative's puppet improv show, ''

Puppet Up! ''Puppet Up! – Uncensored'' is a Adult live puppet musical show produced by The Jim Henson Company combining puppetry and improvisational comedy created by Brian Henson and Groundlings performer Patrick Bristow. The show is advertised for "ad ...

'' (a.k.a. ''Stuffed and Unstrung''), touring to such places as Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. He has also teaches Improvisation at

College of the Canyons College of the Canyons (COC) is a public community college in Santa Clarita, California. It comprises the Santa Clarita Community College District. The college is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and has campus loca ...

in Santa Clarita, California.

Filmography

Film

* ''

The Return of the Living Dead ''The Return of the Living Dead'' is a 1985 American comedy horror film written and directed by Dan O'Bannon in his directorial debut, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Matthews and Don Calfa. The film tells the story of how a ware ...

'' (1985) - Tarman Zombie * ''

Return of the Living Dead Part II ''Return of the Living Dead Part II'' is a 1988 American comedy horror film written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn, and starring Michael Kenworthy, Marsha Dietlein, Dana Ashbrook, Thom Mathews, James Karen, and Phil Bruns. It is the first of ...

'' (1988) - Tarman Zombie * '' Cold Dog Soup'' (1990) - Joseph * ''

Muppet Classic Theater ''Muppet Classic Theater'' (also known as ''Muppet Family Theater'' in the Republic of Ireland and ''Muppet Fairy Tales'' in the United Kingdom) is a direct-to-video musical comedy film featuring The Muppets. It is the first direct-to-video featur ...

'' (1994) - Banker, Father Pig * ''

Jack Frost Jack Frost is a personification of frost, ice, snow, sleet, winter, and freezing cold. He is a variant of Old Man Winter who is held responsible for frosty weather, nipping the fingers and toes in such weather, coloring the foliage in autumn, ...

'' (1998) - Puppeteer * ''

Muppets from Space ''Muppets from Space'' is a 1999 American science-fiction film, science-fiction comedy film directed by Tim Hill (director), Tim Hill (in his List of directorial debuts, feature film directorial debut) and written by Jerry Juhl, Joey Mazzarino, Jo ...

'' (1999) - Additional Muppet Performer * ''

The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas ''The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'' (also known as ''The Flintstones 2'' or ''The Flintstones 2: Viva Rock Vegas'' in a working title) is a 2000 American romantic comedy film directed by Brian Levant, written by Jim Cash, Harry Elfont, Debor ...

'' (2000) - Juicer (voice, uncredited) * ''

Monkeybone ''Monkeybone'' is a 2001 American black comedy fantasy film directed by Henry Selick, written by Sam Hamm, produced by Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe, and executive produced by Chris Columbus, Selick, and Hamm. The film combines live-acti ...

'' (2001) - BBQ Pig (voice) * ''

It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie ''It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie'' is a 2002 American musical fantasy comedy television film directed by Kirk R. Thatcher and written by Tom Martin and Jim Lewis. The film premiered November 29, 2002 on NBC and the first film to be ...

'' (2002, TV Movie) - Eugene, Performer of Joe Snow * ''

Intolerable Cruelty ''Intolerable Cruelty'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Joel and Ethan Coen, and produced by Brian Grazer and the Coens. The script was written by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone and Ethan and Joel Coen, with th ...

'' (2003) - Convention Lawyer * '' Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave'' (2005) - Tarman Zombie * ''

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz ''The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'' is a 2005 musical fantasy television film directed by Kirk R. Thatcher. It is the second film to be made for television in ''The Muppets'' franchise. The film stars Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, Davi ...

'' (2005, TV Movie) - Crow, Old Tom * ''

The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, ...

'' (2016) - Animal Voices (voice) * ''

The Happytime Murders ''The Happytime Murders'' is a 2018 American adult puppet crime comedy film directed by Brian Henson and written by Todd Berger from a story by Berger and Dee Austin Robertson. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Bill Barretta, Joel McHale, Maya R ...

'' (2018) - Octopus, Puppet Doctor * ''

Muppets Haunted Mansion ''Muppets Haunted Mansion'' is a 2021 American puppet supernatural comedy Halloween special based on the Disney properties The Muppets and The Haunted Mansion. It was released on October 8, 2021, via Disney+. It is the Muppets' first Halloween s ...

'' (2021) - Supporting Muppet Performer

Television

* ''

'' (1974-1976) - Mister C, Mister K, Mr. V (puppeteer) * ''

Dinosaurs Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

'' - Fran Sinclair (face performer), Grandpa Louie (performer), Winston (performer), Georgie the Hippo (suit performer and normal voice), Bradley P. Richfield (suit performer, occasionally), Mr. Pulman, Dr. Elliot Piaget, Edward R. Hero, Moolah the Cash Cow, Mr. Lizard, Mr. Otto Lynch * ''

The Puzzle Place ''The Puzzle Place'' is an American children's television series produced by KCET in Los Angeles and Lancit Media in New York City. Although production was dated and premiered on two Los Angeles PBS stations, KCET and KLCS, on September 15, 199 ...

'' - Kyle O'Connor (Season 3 Puppetry only) * ''

Sid the Science Kid ''Sid the Science Kid'' (also known as ''Jim Henson's Sid the Science Kid'') is an American computer-animated children’s television series on PBS Kids. It aired from September 1, 2008 to March 25, 2013, with a total of 66 half-hour episodes pro ...

'' - Director * ''

Unhappily Ever After ''Unhappily Ever After'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for 100 episodes on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 23, 1999, for a total of five seasons. The series was produced by Touchstone Television. Synopsis The series fo ...

'' - Mr. Floppy Puppeteer * ''

'' on TBS * ''

Greg the Bunny ''Greg the Bunny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on Fox in 2002. It starred Seth Green and a hand puppet named Greg the Bunny, originally invented by the team of Sean S. Baker, Spencer Chinoy and Dan Milano. Milano and ...

'' * ''

Muppets Tonight ''Muppets Tonight'' is an American live-action/ puppet family-oriented television series created by Jim Henson Productions and featuring The Muppets. Much like the "MuppeTelevision" segment of ''The Jim Henson Hour'' (1989), the show was a conti ...

'' - Fairyland Police Chief ("Fairyland PD" segments) * ''

The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth ''The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth'' is an American direct-to-video musical puppet series produced by Bomp Productions and MCA/Universal Home Video. The episodes were released from 1994 to 1996. Production The series was created by puppeteers ...

'' - Gil the Grouper, Johnny Paste, Sherry the Fairy, Sunny the Sun * ''

Splash and Bubbles ''Splash and Bubbles'' (also known as ''Jim Henson's Splash and Bubbles'') is an American computer-animated children's television series created by John Tartaglia. The series debuted on PBS Kids on November 23, 2016, after ''Wild Kratts: Creatur ...

'' - Bob

Web series

* ''Alt/Reality'' - Various * ''

Simian Undercover Detective Squad ''Simian Undercover Detective Squad'' (or ''S.U.D.S.'') is a web series created by The Jim Henson Company under its Henson Alternative banner. A sneak preview of the episode "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Goat" appeared on YouTube on August 25, 2009 ...

'' - Skreet the Orangutan * '' Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony'' - Deliveryman (ep. 17)

Other

* ''

'' - Performer * ''Stuffed and Unstrung'' - Performer Nichols, David C. "Theater Review: 'Stuffed and Unstrung' at the Irvine Barclay Theatre pdated" - Latimes.com. Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2010. Web. 05 Jan. 2014. * ''

Dr. Dolittle Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 ''The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. He is a physician who shuns human patients in favour of animals, with whom he can speak in the ...

- Puppet Coordinator * ''

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...

Take the Bowl'' - Additional Muppet Performer (live show at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

, Sept. 8–10, 2017) * ''The Muppets Take the O2'' - Additional Muppet Performer (live show at

the O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the s ...

, Jul. 13-14, 2018)

References

External links

*
Trautman is the ‘puppet master’
at the Santa Clarita Valley Signal {{DEFAULTSORT:Trautman, Allan 1955 births Living people Sesame Street Muppeteers American puppeteers Washington University physicists