Lou Jacobs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Johann Ludwig Jacob (better known by his stage name Lou Jacobs) (January 1, 1903 – September 13, 1992) was an Auguste clown who performed for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey for more than 60 years. He was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1989.
Originally from Bremerhaven in Germany he was performing as a clown as young as age 11 and learned most of his skills in his early days. He emigrated to the United States in 1923 and found work in vaudeville in New York before being discovered by John Ringling in 1924. Before he became a clown professionally, he worked as a tumbler and contortionist. He is credited with popularizing the clown car, which has become a staple with circus clowns ever since. He is also often cited as the originator of the red rubber ball nose, which is used by many clowns today. And he was the first living person to have his portrait appear on an American postage stamp. He married Jean Rockwell a former model and aerialist for the circus in 1953 and they had two daughters, Dolly who became a well known acrobat and trapzee artist, and Lou Ann, an elephant trainer.
