Allan Trautman (born May 25, 1955) is an American

puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, called a puppet, to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden fr ...

, 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 New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Trautman has a B.A. in Physics and Drama from Washington University in St. Louis.

Career

He had his first job as a puppeteer during college working on The Letter People. 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 The Colorado Shakespeare Festival is a professional acting company in association with the University of Colorado at Boulder. It was established in 1958, making it one of the oldest such festivals in the United States, and has roots going back ...

. He stayed in Los Angeles after graduation and performed with Sid and Marty Krofft. Trautman began working with the Muppets in 1990 on '' Muppet*Vision 3D'', 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!'' (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 wareh ...

'' (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'' (1998) - Puppeteer * '' Muppets from Space'' (1999) - Additional Muppet Performer * '' The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'' (2000) - Juicer (voice, uncredited) * '' Monkeybone'' (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'' (2003) - Convention Lawyer * '' Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave'' (2005) - Tarman Zombie * '' The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'' (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, w ...

'' (2016) - Animal Voices (voice) * '' The Happytime Murders'' (2018) - Octopus, Puppet Doctor * '' Muppets Haunted Mansion'' (2021) - Supporting Muppet Performer

Television

* '' The Letter People'' (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 the ...

'' - 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'' - Kyle O'Connor (Season 3 Puppetry only) * '' Sid the Science Kid'' - Director * '' Unhappily Ever After'' - Mr. Floppy Puppeteer * '' Puppet Up!'' 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'' - 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'' - Bob

Web series

* ''Alt/Reality'' - Various * '' Simian Undercover Detective Squad'' - Skreet the Orangutan * '' Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony'' - Deliveryman (ep. 17)

Other

* '' Puppet Up!'' - 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 - 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 encompas ...

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 ...

, 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