Francesco Caroli - European white face circus clown

Francesco Caroli (1922 - present)

Francesco and his brothers are the legendary Caroli clowns. Shows which played host to their talents included Circus Knie in Switzerland, Cirque d'Hivere in Paris, and Circus Krone in Germany. In America, they performed more than fourteen different clown routines on the Ed Sullivan Show. When the death of one of his brothers put a sudden end to the world famous trio, Francesco took a teaching position at the State Circus School in France. In 1990, the director of Circus Roncalli made Francesco an offer he could not refuse. Francesco made a come-back to clowning at the grand old age of 70. He has been making audiences laugh with the Circus Roncalli in Germany ever since. This year Francesco celebrates his 60th year as a white face clown!