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Grock (born Charles Adrien Wettach; 10 January 1880 – 14 July 1959) was a Swiss clown, composer, and musician. Called “the king of clowns”Pat Cashin
Grock
Clown Alley (blog). (August 24, 2006). Retrieved April 22, 2011 and “the greatest of Europe's clowns”,"Life on the Newsfronts of the World"
Google Books. ''Life'' magazine (November 15, 1954). Retrieved April 22, 2011. Grock was once the most highly paid entertainer in Europe.
''Vaudeville, Old & New''
Google Books. Routledge (2007) pp. 462–463. Retrieved April 22, 2011 When a caravan of Roma passed through, he joined them, learning more instruments and gaining confidence with them. In 1894, he debuted with Fiame Wetzel's traveling circus. He became a clown, working first with another performer named Brick in 1903, adopting the name "Grock," and then going on to partner with the famous clown Antonet (Umberto Guillaum). This second act was developed with the aim of making the transition from
By 1913, Grock's fame had spread, his act having developed into the mixture of pantomime and musical blunders for which he is now remembered. With the outbreak of
Grock's career is commemorated with the Grock d'Or, an annual competition for young circus artists which first took place in 2003. This competition has been discontinued since 2008.
Grock-News
Association Grockland
*
"Grock - Seltsamer als die Wahrheit"
FilmArts Productions, Zurich (2006)
Museo del Clown
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grock 1880 births 1959 deaths People from the Bernese Jura Swiss clowns
Grock
Clown Alley (blog). (August 24, 2006). Retrieved April 22, 2011 and “the greatest of Europe's clowns”,"Life on the Newsfronts of the World"
Google Books. ''Life'' magazine (November 15, 1954). Retrieved April 22, 2011. Grock was once the most highly paid entertainer in Europe.
Biography
Early life
Grock was born inLoveresse
Loveresse is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura (''Jura Bernois'').
History
Loveresse is first mentioned in 1148 as ''de Loveresce'' ...
, a village in the Bernese Jura
Bernese Jura (french: Jura bernois, ) is the name for the French-speaking area of the Swiss canton of Bern, and from 2010 one of ten administrative divisions of the canton.
Comprising the three French-speaking districts in the northern part of the ...
in the Canton of Bern. He started early as a performer, learning musicianship and acrobat
Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro d ...
ic skills from his father.Frank Cullen, Florence Hackman and Donald McNeill''Vaudeville, Old & New''
Google Books. Routledge (2007) pp. 462–463. Retrieved April 22, 2011 When a caravan of Roma passed through, he joined them, learning more instruments and gaining confidence with them. In 1894, he debuted with Fiame Wetzel's traveling circus. He became a clown, working first with another performer named Brick in 1903, adopting the name "Grock," and then going on to partner with the famous clown Antonet (Umberto Guillaum). This second act was developed with the aim of making the transition from
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
to music hall stages, which were more lucrative. While not initially successful, Antonet and Grock did manage to secure a London engagement in 1911. Refining their performances according to audience response, Grock came to dominate the act, and they eventually split up.
Career and later life
By 1913, Grock's fame had spread, his act having developed into the mixture of pantomime and musical blunders for which he is now remembered. With the outbreak of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he made Britain his base, remaining there until 1924, when he returned to continental Europe. He performed throughout Europe and in the United States, commanding ever higher fees, and his continuing success enabled him to establish his own circus in 1951, with which he toured until his final performance in Hamburg on 30 October 1954.
He retired to the Villa Bianca (now named "Villa Grock"), a 50-room house he had had built in the 1920s in Imperia, Italy, where he died in 1959.
Media
Some of Grock's performances have been preserved on film. He made the 1927 silent movie ''What For?'', and French and German language versions of ''Grock'' in 1931. A biopic, ''Au revoir, M. Grock'' (1950), featured Grock as himself, with Adrien Osperi and Ted Rémy playing Grock as a boy and young man, respectively. In retirement, he made some appearances on Italian television. He also wrote several books, including an autobiography.Legacy
Grock's career is commemorated with the Grock d'Or, an annual competition for young circus artists which first took place in 2003. This competition has been discontinued since 2008.
Filmography
* ''Clear the Ring
''Clear the Ring'', French title ''Au revoir M. Grock'' ( en, Farewell Mr Grock), is a French comedy drama film from 1950, directed by Pierre Billon, written by Christian-Falaize, and starring Grock and Louis de Funès. The German title of the f ...
'' (1950)
Books
* "Grock. Nit mö-ö-ö-glich. Die Memoiren des Königs der Clowns", autobiography (1956) ; English version: "Grock, King of Clowns" (1957)Notes
Additional references
* *External links
Grock-News
Association Grockland
*
"Grock - Seltsamer als die Wahrheit"
FilmArts Productions, Zurich (2006)
Museo del Clown
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grock 1880 births 1959 deaths People from the Bernese Jura Swiss clowns