Barry Lubin
Encyclopedia
Barry Lubin, recently inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame
, is a physical comedian most familiar to circus audiences as "Grandma", the star of the Big Apple Circus
.
A member of the 1974 class of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College
, he performed for five years with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
. He performed at the prestigious International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo
in 1977. Since 1982, Barry has been featured in 15 productions of the Big Apple Circus
and has become that company's Director of Clowning. He conceived, co-wrote and starred in the Big Apple Circus' production Grandma Goes to Hollywood. He performed at the 6th International Circus Festival of Budapest in January 2006, where he was awarded the Special Prize from the Director of the Great Moscow Circus.
Outside the ring, he has appeared (sans makeup) 4 times on the Late Show with David Letterman
. His directorial credits include comedy segments for music videos on MTV
, Snappy Dance Company in Boston and CBS
's Circus of the Stars
. He was a creative consultant for NBC
's Cheers
, and served as executive producer, creator, and writer of two pilots for Nickelodeon
Networks along with partner Yvette Kaplan, in which he also starred. He has directed Cousin Grumpy's comedy pig act, Carlos Swenson's comedy horse act, and his cat, Romeo.
He has two daughters, Danielle and Emily.
International Clown Hall of Fame
The International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center , located in Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA, is dedicated to the preservation and advancement of clown art and achievement...
, is a physical comedian most familiar to circus audiences as "Grandma", the star of the Big Apple Circus
Big Apple Circus
The Big Apple Circus is a circus that is based in New York City. Opened in 1977, it has become a tourist attraction as well. It has been highly influential towards the creation of Cirque du Soleil, tent-based circuses and smaller non-profit shows, such as Circus Flora.-The 1970s:The idea of...
.
Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College
Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College trained around 1,400 clowns in the "Ringling style" from 1968 to 1997.-History:...
, he performed for five years with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is an American circus company. The company was started when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum was merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The Ringling brothers purchased the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907, but ran the circuses...
. He performed at the prestigious International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo
International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo
The International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, known as Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo in French, is an annual festival held since 1974 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The festival includes the awarding of the Clown d'Or award as well as awards for other circus skills...
in 1977. Since 1982, Barry has been featured in 15 productions of the Big Apple Circus
Big Apple Circus
The Big Apple Circus is a circus that is based in New York City. Opened in 1977, it has become a tourist attraction as well. It has been highly influential towards the creation of Cirque du Soleil, tent-based circuses and smaller non-profit shows, such as Circus Flora.-The 1970s:The idea of...
and has become that company's Director of Clowning. He conceived, co-wrote and starred in the Big Apple Circus' production Grandma Goes to Hollywood. He performed at the 6th International Circus Festival of Budapest in January 2006, where he was awarded the Special Prize from the Director of the Great Moscow Circus.
Outside the ring, he has appeared (sans makeup) 4 times on the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
. His directorial credits include comedy segments for music videos on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, Snappy Dance Company in Boston and CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's Circus of the Stars
Circus of the Stars
Circus of the Stars was an annual television special, broadcast by the CBS network in the United States, in which celebrities performed circus-type acts. There were 19 shows in total, the first being broadcast in 1977 and the last in 1994. Over the years the series featured many leading movie and...
. He was a creative consultant for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, and served as executive producer, creator, and writer of two pilots for Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
Networks along with partner Yvette Kaplan, in which he also starred. He has directed Cousin Grumpy's comedy pig act, Carlos Swenson's comedy horse act, and his cat, Romeo.
He has two daughters, Danielle and Emily.