Charlie Rivel
Encyclopedia
Circus clown
Clowns have always been an integral part of the circus, offering a source of amusement for patrons and providing relief from the array of animal acts and performances by acrobats and novelty artistes....
. He was born in Cubelles
Cubelles
Cubelles is a town in Catalonia, in the province of Barcelona, Spain. It is situated in the comarca of Garraf.-Historia:Breu història CUBELLESEl 1274, Jaume el Conqueridor va atorgar grans privilegis a la zona de la vila, propera al castell...
(Barcelona, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
). His parents Pere Andreu Pausas (Spanish) and Marie-Louise Lasarre (French) were circus artists as well.
He debuted when he was three and formed the group Los Rivels with his brothers Polo Rivel and René Rivel.
He took his artistic first name from Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
whom he encountered first in 1910. Both respected each other. Legend has that Chaplin later asked him: "Is it you who imitates me or I who imitates you?".
At the start of the Second World War he discovered his definitive routine, featuring a chair, a guitar and a long jersey.
He had to stay two years in Nazi Germany; The theater play by Gerard Vàzquez Uuuuh! is based on that time.
In 1954 he returned to Barcelona where he became the star of Circo Price.
His routine of the ululating clown is still remembered.
In 1971, he appeared in Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
's film Clowns.
Nowadays in Cubelles a Museum is dedicated to him, the Charlie Rivel Hall
There is also a park dedicated to him in Vigo in the province of Pontevedra, Spain.