Van Snowden | |
|---|---|
| Born | Van Charles Snowden (1939-02-19)February 19, 1939 San Francisco, California, US |
| Died | 22 September 2010(2010-09-22) (aged 71) |
| Occupation | Puppeteer |
| Years active | 1969–2007 |
Van Charles Snowden (February 19, 1939 – September 22, 2010) was an Americanpuppeteer active in thefilm andtelevision industries for decades. Snowden performed as theH.R. Pufnstuf character in most projects after the original series and film.[1] His other credits included the horror filmsChild's Play 2 andChild's Play 3,Tales from the Crypt andD.C. Follies.[1]
Snowden was born inSan Francisco, California, in 1939.[2] He was raised inBranson, Missouri, on a farm.[2]
Snowden peroformed as a puppeteer on theSid and Marty Krofft filmPufnstuf, a spin-off of the seriesH.R. Pufnstuf, and would take over from Roberto Gamonet as Pufnstuf in subsequent appearances. He continued to collaborate with Sid and Marty Krofft on a number of their other productions, includingLand of the Lost,Sigmund and the Sea Monsters,Lidsville andThe Bugaloos.[1] Additionally, Snowden toured withThe Pufnstuf Road Show for two years,[1] and made an appearance in the non-Krofft seriesMother Goose's Treasury.
In 1989, Snowden and other puppeteers were nominated for anEmmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program at the41st Primetime Emmy Awards for their work onD.C. Follies.[1] The nomination marked the first time that the Primetime Emmy Awards had honored puppeteers in their history.[1] However, Snowden and the cast ofD.C. Follies lost to singerLinda Ronstadt, who won for her performance onGreat Performances onPBS that year.[1][3]
Snowden also assisted with thepuppetry for the characterChucky in thehorror filmsChild's Play 2 (1990) andChild's Play 3 (1991).[1] His other film credits included work onBeetlejuice (1988),Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991),Dracula (1992),Alien Resurrection (1997),Starship Troopers (1997) andThe X-Files (1988).[1] During the 1980s, Snowden became the lead puppeteer on the television seriesPee-wee's Playhouse.[1][2] He was part of the puppetry team forThe Crypt Keeper onTales from the Crypt, an anthology series which aired from 1989 until 1996.[1]
His last television credit was as H.R. Pufnstuf on an episode ofMy Name is Earl in 2007.[1]
Snowden also worked for the puppeteer division ofHasbro and itsTiger Electronics division.[1] He was part of the puppetry and programming team which developed the body, mouth and eye movements for such interactive toys asFurby, E.T., Gizmo and Yoda.[1][3] Snowden headed Hasbro's puppeteer division for the last three years of his life and career.[2]
Van Snowden died from cancer on September 22, 2010, at St. Joseph's Hospital inBurbank, California, at the age of 71.[1][2] He was survived by his brother, Nick, and sister, Deanna.[1]
Van was the son of Wyatt Estes Snowden and Ortha Dufree.