Van Snowden
Van Charles Snowden (February 19, 1939 – September 22, 2010) was an American puppeteer active in the film and television industries for decades. Snowden performed as the H.R. Pufnstuf character on nearly every episode of the television show of the same name from 1969 to 1971. His other credits included the 1988 horror film, Child's Play, Tales From the Crypt and D.C. Follies.
Life and career
Snowden was born in San Francisco, California, in 1939. He was raised in Branson, Missouri, on a farm.
Snowden launched his professional career by performing as the title character of H.R. Pufnstuf, which was created by Sid and Marty Krofft, from 1969 until 1971. He also performed as H.R. Pufnstuf in Pufnstuf, which was a spinoff of the television series. He continued to collaborate with Sid and Marty Krofft on a number of their other productions, including Land of the Lost, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Lidsville and The Bugaloos. Additionally, Snowden toured with The Pufnstuf Road Show for two years, and made an appearance in the lesser know series Mother Goose's Treasury.