Eugene Rosai

Eugen Rosai (* 1885 near Moscow , Russian Empire ; † 1956 ) was a clown , circus performer , tamer and circus entrepreneur.

Life

Eugen Rosai was born as the son of the artists Torquato Alfredo Fortunato Rosai from Florence and his mother Matriona Timofezero Fomina from St. Petersburg, literally on the streets of Moscow and came from a traveling circus family in which artists, tamers and clowns, for more than two hundred years, but also artists like Ottone (1895–1957) and Bruno Rosai (1912–1986) grew up.

The clown and independent director of Circus Rosai had contracts with circus companies such as Barnum , Busch , the Ringling Brothers, with Sarrasani and many others. Eugen Rosai also performed in the Circus Ciniselli with a dressage and riding troupe that was very famous at the time. In the big cities of Europe he showed his riding skills as a jockey. He celebrated his greatest success with an appearance at the Russian Tsar Nicholas II.

During the Second World War he lost almost everything, almost all animals, wagons and tents fell victim to the war.

In the post-war period he managed for a short time to perform in public with the parts of his former circus that had been spared from the war. The elephants and dressage horses were replaced by a circus pony, which obeyed him at the slightest hint, a poodle and a trained pig named "Jackie". His new main attraction had become a tightrope-dancing billy goat.

In his favorite portrayal, he was a clown in the arena until old age. When the tent echoed with happy children's laughter over his jokes, it was always a small compensation for him.

In 1948 Eugen Rosai worked with his circus company on the shooting of the director Géza von Cziffra for the film " Queen of the Country Road ".

Eugen and his wife Contessa Maria Angelini de Brivio, an Italian noblewoman, became the parents of six children, some of whom also became artists and trainers. Julia (* 1907), Nilda (* 1910), Eugenia (* 1914), Claudia (* 1917), Elfriede (* 1920) and ultimately Alfred Karl Max (1924–1971), who ran Circus Rosai in the 1950s took over and temporarily continued.

Web links

• History of the Rosai Circus