Main Page

In The Spotlight

COCO

The clown Coco (1900–1974) was arguably, in the middle of the twentieth century (roughly from 1930 to 1970), the most recognizable augusteIn a classic European clown team, the comic, red-nosed character, as opposed to the elegant, whiteface Clown. in the British circus world, and for most of the same period, an iconic figure of Britain’s premier circus at the time, Bertram Mills Circus. In addition to his professional work, he was also noted for his charitable activities and his commitment to children’s wellbeing, for which he was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).

His legal English name was Nicholai Polakovs (sometimes rendered as Poliakoff or Poliakov), but his original Russian name was in all probability Nikolai Polyakov—or Nikolai Petrovich Polyakov, to be complete, adding his father’s name in a patronymic form according to Russian practice. He was born on 5th October 1900 in a poor Jewish family in Dvinsk (today Daugavpils), in southwestern Latvia, which was then part of the Russian Empire. He had seven brothers and sisters.

Nicholai’s father, Piotr, was a cobbler who supplemented his scanty income by working as a property master in a local theatre. The family lived in a state of constant poverty, which surely didn’t improve when Piotr was drafted in the Imperial army during the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905. To help perk up his family’s miserable condition, five-year-old Nicholai took to singing in cafés, begging for a few scraps of food. It was a debut of sorts in show business—and indeed, Nicholai liked the attention it gave him.... (more...)

New Biographies

• Paul Freedman, Clown
• Coco, Clown
• The Andreu-Rivels, Clowns
• Margarita Koroleva, Aerialist
• The Polish "Cyrk" Posters, History

New Videos

• Regina Dobrovitskaya, Cloud Swing Act (2010)
• Grandma, Clown (2010)
• The Quiros, High Wire Act (2005)
• Duo Garcia, Aerialists (2010)
• Francis Brunn with Jack Benny, Juggling Comedy (1961)

Featured Oral Histories

• Alberto Zoppé, Equestrian - Interview (McCutcheon & Distasio, 2003)
• Olivier Taquin, Mime - Interview (Jando, 2008)
• Barry Lubin, Clown (Grandma) - Interview (Jando, 2008)
• Fumagalli, Clown - Interview (Jando, 2008)
• Kris Kremo, Juggler - Interview (Jando, 2007)

A Message from the Editor

CIRCOPEDIA is a constantly evolving and expanding encyclopedia of the international circus. New videos, biographies, essays, and documents are added to the site on a weekly—and sometimes daily—basis. So keep visiting us: even if today you don't find what you're looking for, it may well be here tomorrow! And if you are a serious circus scholar and spot a factual or historical inaccuracy, do not hesitate to contact us: we will definitely consider your remarks and suggestions.

WARNING: Several videos on CIRCOPEDIA are not currently watchable. Our video archive is being transferred to a new server, and these videos will be available again shortly. Thank you for your patience.

Dominique Jando

Editor/Curator