Aram Chowdhury (June 19, 1976 - December 4, 1994) played Prince Sahu in Don't Eat the Pictures, a Sesame Street special released in 1983.
His older sisters had been interested in theater and had a talent manager who "took one look at Aram's dark eyes, long lashes and toothpaste-commercial-worthy smile" and wanted to send Aram on auditions. Out of hundreds of children who auditioned, Aram was selected to play the role of Prince Sahu in Don't Eat the Pictures.
Chowdhury grauduated from High School West in 1994 and then attended the University of Vermont.[1] During his freshman year, Chowdhury was riding in a sports car with some schoolfriends in anticipation of traveling to New York to return home for Thanksgiving break. The driver had lost control of his car and caused an accident, killing everyone including Chowdhury.
In a 2004 Newsday article his mother, Ellen Chowdhury, shared that when she looked back at the scene when Prince Sahu climbs the stairs to eternity, she wondered if it were an omen that he would be taken at a young age, She said she couldn't bear to watch the special, but black and white pictures of Aram with Big Bird and Snuffy were still hanging in her hallway.[2]
The "Aram R. Chowdhury Memorial Scholarship Award," which is "presented to a deserving senior who exemplifies and promotes safety and positive health behaviors," was set up in his honor. It is awarded at the "High School West" in Half Hallow Hills Central School District in New York State.
