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Allan Trautman

Born in Brooklyn on May 25, 1955, Allan Trautman has built a career where acting, puppetry and physical performance continually overlap. He studied Physics and Drama in Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, then earned an MFA in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts in 1978. His first puppeteering job came during college on The Letter People, an early step toward the work that would become central to his career. Trautman also spent two summers performing at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. After graduate school, he remained in Los Angeles and worked with Sid and Marty Krofft, developing a screen and stage career that has moved comfortably between human characters and creature performance. Horror audiences know him best as The Tarman, one of the lead zombies in 1985’s Return of the Living Dead. With its skeletal frame and tar-soaked appearance, the character became one of the film series’ most recognizable zombies. Trautman returned to the role in sequels released in 1986 and 2005, giving the performance an unusual reach across the franchise. His puppetry career expanded further in 1990 when he began working with the Muppets on Muppet*Vision 3D. Since 1991, he has worked with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop on animatronic projects and with The Henson Digital Performance Studio. He is also a cast member of Henson Alternative’s puppet improvisation show Puppet Up! – Uncensored, also known as Stuffed and Unstrung, which has toured to Melbourne and Sydney. Alongside his performance work, Trautman teaches improvisation at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California. Across horror, animatronics and live puppet comedy, his career reflects the range possible when an actor treats movement, voice and character as parts of the same craft.