Charlie Cairoli
Charlie Cairoli (born February 15, 1910 in Milan , † February 17, 1980 in Blackpool ) was an Italian-born English clown , impersonator and musician . In addition to numerous appearances in television series, Cairoli has become known through his almost 40 years of engagement at Blackpool Tower Circus .
Life
Born in the Maillander district of Affori, Cairoli belonged to a traveling circus family that came from France. He made his first appearances at the age of seven. Together with his future wife Violetta Fratellini, he performed in 1934 at the Cirque Medrano in Montmartre, Paris . In early 1939 he appeared in a special performance for Adolf Hitler in the Munich Circus Krone , who gave him a watch after his performance. After the outbreak of World War II - Cairoli first played at Tower Circus in Blackpool - he threw this clock into the Irish Sea and decided to stay in Blackpool for the rest of his life.
In 1943 he starred in the comedy film Happidrome , which was based on the radio show of the same name. 1952 followed a role in the crime film The Secret People . On November 11th and 25th, 1962, he appeared on the famous American entertainment television program The Ed Sullivan Show .
Cairoli stood out in his performances by his red clown nose and, based on Charlie Chaplin , wore a bowler hat and a Chaplin costume. The attached mustache was clearly more pronounced than that of Chaplin. In the 1970s in particular, he became well known through numerous television appearances on British television. On February 25, 1970, he was featured in the documentary series This is Your Life as "King of the Clowns".
He worked in Tower Circus for almost 40 years and also appeared in the Grand Theater in Leeds and the Alhambra in Bradford . In June 1979 he had to give up his work in the circus due to illness. In February 1980 he died two days after his 70th birthday.
Charlie Cairoli was married to Violetta Cairoli, with whom he had three children.
Web links
- Charlie Cairoli in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- circopedia.org: Charlie Cairoli - biography (English)
- Blackpool Tower Circus - Charlie Cairoli - Pictures of Charlie Cairoli
- The Life and Times of Charlie Cairoli… an extremely potted biography (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ The Daily Telegraph : Violetta Cairoli , December 21, 2002, accessed January 14, 2012
- ^ TV documentary Charlie Cairoli
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cairoli, Charlie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cairoli & Paul |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian-British clown |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 15, 1910 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Milan |
| DATE OF DEATH | 17th February 1980 |
| Place of death | Blackpool |