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Emmett
Kelly Jr.
b. 1923
Clown
Emmett Kelly Jr. was born into a circus
family. His father, Emmett Kelly, had attained fame as the
clown/mime "Weary Willie." Kelly Jr. served in the
Pacific Theatre in WWII and when he returned he worked as
a mechanic and in the railroads for fifteen years.
It wasn't until 1960 that he answered the call of circus life
again and after being trained by his father donned the "Weary
Willie" costume and portrayed the lovable mime. His success
came in 1964 as he represented the Eastman Kodak Company at
the New York Worlds Fair. He then became the company's Ambassador
of Goodwill and was soon the world's most-recognized clown.
In every show he did his trademark "Sweeping the Spotlight"
routine which has become a pantomime classic. He started his
own circus in 1972. This Irish American traces his roots to
Co. Cork, Ireland.
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