Marcel Marceau | |
---|---|
![]() Marceau in 1971 | |
Born | Marcel Mangel 22 March 1923 Strasbourg, France |
Died | 22 September 2007 Cahors, France | (aged 84)
Resting place | Père Lachaise Cemetery |
Other names | "Le mime Marceau"[1][2] |
Alma mater | Charles Dullin's School of Dramatic Art |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1950s–2007 |
Known for | Bip the Clown |
Spouses | Huguette Mallette (div. 1958)Ella Jaroszewicz (m. 1966; div. before 1975) Anne Sicco (m. 1975) |
Children | 4 |
Relatives | Yardena Arazi (cousin) Georges Loinger (cousin) |
Marcel Marceau (French pronunciation: [maʁsɛl maʁso]; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French mime artist and actor most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", performing professionally worldwide for more than 60 years.
As a Jewish youth, he lived in hiding and worked with the French Resistance during most of World War II, giving his first major performance to 3,000 troops after the liberation of Paris in August 1944 .[3] Following the war, he studied dramatic art and mime in Paris.