We owe thanks (or blame) to this English performer, who is considered the “father of modern clowning.” In the early 1800s Joseph Grimaldi created the character “Joey,” wh… See more

Known as the “king of clowns”—which we assume was meant as a compliment—the Swiss acrobat Charles Adrien Wettach began performing as a clown in 1903. That year he too… See more

He might be considered the Tom Brady of clowns. Like the famed NFL quarterback whose big break came when he replaced a hurt teammate, Oleg Popov took the lead when the M… See more

Who needs happy and cheerful when you can have sad and tragic? Going against the trend, Emmett Kelly created Weary Willie, a down-and-out hobo who wore tattered clothes. Ar… See more

This fictional character appeared on various TV shows in the United States, most notably Bozo’s Circus (later The Bozo Show), which premiered in Chicago in 1959 and later w… See more