Annie Fratellini
Encyclopedia
Annie Fratellini was a French
circus
clown
and film actress.
She was born Annie Violette Fratellini in Algiers
, Algeria
to a Pied-noir
family of Italian descent. The fourth generation of one of Europe's most famous circus families, The Fratellini Family. Her father was Victor Fratellini. Her mother was Suzanne (nee Rousseau) Fratellini. Her grandfather was Paul Fratellini
, one of the Fratellini brothers a trio of famous European circus clowns.
For years she avoided following her father, grandfather and 22 other relatives into the ring. Instead, she sang in music halls and nigtclubs.
Fratellini launched her career with the Medrano
and Pinder circuses when she was 14. Much later in her career, Fratellini became the first female circus clown in France
, was a founder of the country's first circus school, and went on to a successful stage and motion picture career. In 1969, she starred in The Great Love
and married the director of the film, Pierre Étaix
, the person she credited with making her take her talent for clowning seriously. She was first married in 1954 to Pierre Granier-Deferre, she starred in his film, Metamorphose. They had one daughter, Valerie.
She died from cancer at aged 64, at Neuilly-sur-Seine. She is buried at Cimetière de Montmartre in Paris
, France
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
and film actress.
She was born Annie Violette Fratellini in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
to a Pied-noir
Pied-noir
Pied-Noir , plural Pieds-Noirs, pronounced , is a term referring to French citizens of various origins who lived in French Algeria before independence....
family of Italian descent. The fourth generation of one of Europe's most famous circus families, The Fratellini Family. Her father was Victor Fratellini. Her mother was Suzanne (nee Rousseau) Fratellini. Her grandfather was Paul Fratellini
Paul Fratellini
Paul Fratellini was a famous French-Italian circus clown. He was member of the Fratellini Family. Paul Fratellini was born in Catania and died in Perreux, France. His brothers were François Fratellini and Albert Fratellini....
, one of the Fratellini brothers a trio of famous European circus clowns.
For years she avoided following her father, grandfather and 22 other relatives into the ring. Instead, she sang in music halls and nigtclubs.
Fratellini launched her career with the Medrano
Cirque Medrano
The Cirque Medrano is a French circus, that was located at 63 Boulevard Rochechouart, at the corner of rue des Martyrs, on the edge of Montmartre in Paris. It was originally called Cirque Fernando...
and Pinder circuses when she was 14. Much later in her career, Fratellini became the first female circus clown in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, was a founder of the country's first circus school, and went on to a successful stage and motion picture career. In 1969, she starred in The Great Love
The Great Love (1969 film)
The Great Love is a 1969 French comedy film directed by Pierre Étaix. It was entered into the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Pierre Étaix - Pierre* Annie Fratellini - Florence* Nicole Calfan - Agnès* Alain Janey - Jacques...
and married the director of the film, Pierre Étaix
Pierre Étaix
Pierre Étaix is a French clown, comedian and filmmaker. Étaix made a series of acclaimed short- and feature-length films in the 1960s, many of them co-written by influential screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière. He has won an Academy Award. Due to a legal dispute with a distribution company, these...
, the person she credited with making her take her talent for clowning seriously. She was first married in 1954 to Pierre Granier-Deferre, she starred in his film, Metamorphose. They had one daughter, Valerie.
She died from cancer at aged 64, at Neuilly-sur-Seine. She is buried at Cimetière de Montmartre in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
External links
- http://www.musicme.com/#/Annie-Fratellini/biographie/
- http://www.academie-fratellini.com
- http://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/04/arts/annie-fratellini-64-clown-and-founder-of-school-dies.html
- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-annie-fratellini-1249053.html