Lou Jacobs
Lou Jacobs (born January 1, 1903 in Bremerhaven ; † September 13, 1992 in Sarasota , USA , actually Johann Ludwig Jakob ) was an American clown and entertainer of German-Jewish origin.
Life
Jacobs was born in Bremerhaven in 1903 and gained stage experience as a child. In 1923 he emigrated to the United States, where he appeared in the New York vaudeville shows under the name Lou Jacobs . In 1925 he was hired by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus , of which he was a member until 1985. In 1948 he played for children who had survived the Nazi concentration camps . In 1952, Jacobs had a cameo on Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth with James Stewart . In 1953 he married Jean Rockwell and had two daughters. In 1966 Jacobs was honored with a postage stamp in the USA.
In the 1970s Jacobs was one of the founders of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College , where he taught the master class until 1991.
In 1987 he received the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Lifetime Achievement Award . A year later, his star was revealed in the Sarasota's Circus Ring of Fame . In 1989 Jacobs was inducted into the Circus Hall of Fame in Peru , Indiana, and the Clown Hall of Fame in Delavan , Wisconsin. He was also honored at the International Circus Festival in Monte Carlo .
Jacobs died of heart failure in Sarasota, Florida in 1992 at the age of 89.
Web links
- Jacobs on the circus homepage
- Lou Jacobs in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Jacobs, Lou |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Jakob, Ludwig |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German-American clown and entertainer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 1, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bremerhaven |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 13, 1992 |
| Place of death | Sarasota |