Grock (born Charles Adrien Wettach; January 10, 1880 â€" July 14,
1959) was a Swiss clown, composer and musician. Called "the king of
clowns" and "the greatest of Europe's clowns", Grock was once the most
highly paid entertainer in the world.Grock was born in Loveresse, a
village in the Bernese Jura in the Canton of Bern. He started early as
a performer, learning musicianship and acrobatic skills from his
father. 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 Brick in 1903, adopting the name "Grock", and then
the famous clown Antonet (Umberto Guillaum). This second act was
developed with the aim of making the transition from circus 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.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, 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 October 30, 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.
1959) was a Swiss clown, composer and musician. Called "the king of
clowns" and "the greatest of Europe's clowns", Grock was once the most
highly paid entertainer in the world.Grock was born in Loveresse, a
village in the Bernese Jura in the Canton of Bern. He started early as
a performer, learning musicianship and acrobatic skills from his
father. 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 Brick in 1903, adopting the name "Grock", and then
the famous clown Antonet (Umberto Guillaum). This second act was
developed with the aim of making the transition from circus 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.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, 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 October 30, 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.
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