Scott Land

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Scott Land is a professional puppeteer and actor. His skills are on display in many scenes in Paramount Pictures’ Team America: World Police. During the four months making the movie — the most expensive puppet-driven feature film ever produced — director/producers Trey Parker and Matt Stone relied on his 25 years of marionette experience to help them create their landmark film. Other screen credits include Disney’s The Princess Diaries 2, for which he created and performed a Julie Andrews look-alike marionette, seen on the Special Features section of the DVD. His other TV and film credits include Pee Wee’s Playhouse, The Ben Stiller Show, Still Breathing, Shakes the Clown and Rodney Dangerfield’s Birthday Bash.

Land was raised in Redlands, California — a small community that supported the arts. At age nine he joined the local community circus and learned juggling, tightrope walking, trapeze, unicycle and clowning. It was the lead clown of this community circus who introduced him to marionettes. But it was seeing puppetry pioneer Bob Baker perform his professional marionettes at the National Orange Show that inspired him to create his own cast of whimsical variety marionettes. At age 12 he earned $10 performing at a birthday party as combination clown, juggler, balloon sculptor and puppeteer for an hour, his first paying job. He then landed the part of circus performer/puppeteer in a Mountain Dew TV ad. His first year in college, Scott landed a job with his childhood hero, Bob Baker, as lead puppeteer in his road show, also working as a puppet builder in Baker’s shop. This led to a summer job as lead puppeteer for Tony Urbano — four shows a day. Scott also studied for a summer under Albrecht Roser at University of Connecticut. Roser, the German puppet master was in his eighties, and considered to be the greatest marionettist in the world. From this experience Scott gained a profound awareness of the marionette tradition as an art form that he had become a part of. He also studied with renowned American marionettist Phillip Huber (the manipulator behind Being John Malkovich), and hand puppet manipulation with former Muppeteer, Michael Earl (Mr. Snuffleupagus on Sesame Street), from whom he learned the importance of specifics, such as the puppet’s breath, in creating character through movement.

The Scott Land Marionettes opened for business in 1984. Since then, Land has performed some 10,000 shows worldwide at theatres, convention centers, theme parks, corporate events and on cruise lines. Scott has entertained at more celebrity private parties than any other puppeteer. He has worked alongside Sylvester Stallone, Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, Pee Wee Herman, Tom Hanks, Rod Stewart and Meg Ryan. Scott has himself also acted in national television commercials without puppets. And he is one of a few marionette artists to be invited to perform at the legendary Magic Castle in Hollywood. In 2006, he traveled to Tibet, giving a "mini-me" marionette performance of the Dalai Lama to the Dalai Lama himself.

In December of 2007,Scott Land made his musical debut performing in the world premiere of Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Fifteen shows, many sold out, in the 2600 seats theater of the Gardiner Springs Auditorium located in Ontario, California. Scott performed the prime role of Willy Wonka utilizing his lifetime study of clowning, mime, puppetry and movement to bring a well rounded approach to the character of Wonka. Broadway writer Tim McDonald flew from New York for the premiere and gave an enthusiastic Thank You to the cast and crew for their professionalism, dedication and love of the show. He said that the widow to Roald Dahl would have loved the show..." It was the Wonka she hoped for." Under the direction of David Masterson and David Billman, Willy Wonka did what most producers only dream of-- A show that entertains with a moral message for all.

Scott Land lives in Los Angeles.