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| Joseph Grimaldi: King of Clowns. |
His name may be familiar to some, while others will have no idea who he was. Those with coulrophobia will probably be terrified, for Joseph Grimaldi changed the role of the clown, in pantomimes and plays, earning him the title 'King of the Clowns'.
Born in 1778, Joseph Grimaldi came from a family with a long history as entertainers and performers.
His first appearance on stage was at the age of 3, when his father took him onto the stage at Sadler's Wells Theatre.
As soon as Joseph was old enough he became an actor, working at Drury Lane Theatre and Sadler's Wells Theatre, quickly becoming one of the most popular actors of his day.
In 1806, Joseph Grimaldi was hired for a role in the pantomime 'Harlequin and Mother Goose', at Covent Garden Theatre. It was here that Grimaldi created a new style of clown, a style that we still know today. He used white face paint, with red paint around his lips and on his cheeks and he painted his eyebrows thick and black. To finish the transformation he wore bright, oversized clothes and got up to all sorts of mischief on stage. So good was his performance that he upstaged the Harlequin. The name 'Joey' passed into the modern language to mean a clown.
Joseph Grimaldi worked at Sadler's Wells Theatre for over 40 years, as a performer and part-proprietor.
In 1823, Joseph was forced to retire due to poor health. His joints were giving him problems and, along with a respiratory condition, he could no longer perform as he wished.
Following the death of his wife he fell into debt and became an alcoholic, which didn't help his depression. He died in 1837, penniless and alone.
He was buried in the churchyard of St James's Anglican Chapel.
