Paul Zaloom

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Paul Finley Zaloom

Born	December 14, 1951 (1951-12-14) (age 56) Garden City, New York
Occupation	Puppeteer and Actor

Paul Finley Zaloom (born 14 December 1951 in Garden City, Long Island) is an American actor and puppeteer best known for his role as the title character on the television show Beakman's World.

Zaloom began his entertainment career with the Bread and Puppet Theater, a troupe specializing in self-invented, home-made theater. In his solo work he utilizes found-object animation, in which he takes objects as varied as coffee pots and humidifiers and turns them into elements of political satire. His personal politics are liberal, having referred to Elizabeth Dole and Margaret Thatcher as "right wing nut jobs." He has also been a fierce critic of U.S. foreign policy since the early 1980s, having helped to lead a disarmament march during the Cold War.

Zaloom has written, designed and performed eleven full length one-man shows, including Fruit of Zaloom, Sick But True, Mighty Nice, and The Mother of All Enemies, the latter a shadow-puppet show featuring traditional Middle-Eastern comic puppet character Karagoz. His latest effort tackles social issues such as privacy, the war on terrorism, and discrimination based on sexual orientation and ethnicity.

He has produced two films: A mockumentary entitled "In Smog and Thunder: The Great War of the Californias" recounting a fictional war between Los Angeles and San Francisco, released in 2003. The second film, Dante's Inferno, is a retelling of the poet Dante's journey through hell, set in Los Angeles and performed in a style of puppetry called toy theater that uses paper cutouts for puppets and sets. Zaloom co-wrote the script and was head puppeteer and performed multiple voices for the film. Both films feature the artwork of Sandow Birk.

Zaloom teaches classes related to activism and puppeteering at CalArts in Los Angeles. He continues to perform as Beakman in Beakman Live! stage shows, and is involved in any number of artistic projects as an advisor and mentor.