25 HISTORICAL CIRCUS CHARACTERS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

There are historical circus characters who are very charismatic and world-renowned, such as contortionists, escapists, clowns or jugglers. In addition, among each of these professions there have been people who have stood out for their skills and expertise.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the circus reached its greatest splendor among all those who wanted to be surprised by its shows. Here you can find the history of 25 circus artists who made their mark with their performances.

Top 25 historical figures of the circus

1- Isaac Van Amburgh, the great lion tamer

From his humble beginnings as an assistant at the New York Zoological Institute, the flamboyant Isaac Van Amburgh became the most famous lion tamer of the 19th century.

His act was famous for his extreme audacity, he entered the lion cage dressed as a Roman gladiator and got the lions and leopards to ride on his back.

At the close of his acts, the great tamer would soak his arm or head in blood and thrust his head into the gaping jaws of a lion.

Most of Van Amburgh's tricks were accomplished through animal brutality, but they gained him wide acceptance in the United States and Europe. His most famous admirer was the British Queen Victoria, who attended his London shows up to seven times in 1839.

2- Dan Rice, the king of American clowns

In the mid-1800s, Dan Rice was a world famous artist who counted the likes of Mark Twain and President Zachary Taylor as acquaintances and fans.

The New York native first came into the limelight in the 1840s, with a clown act that mixed physical comedy and horse-riding trick with cool musical witticisms and numbers.

This charismatic clown managed to earn $ 1,000 a week as a star and owner of his own traveling circus. Rice had the knack of mixing humor and political satire with traditional circus stunts.

He was one of the most outspoken critics of Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. His popularity gradually waned over the years until he finally retired in the 1890s. He has been hailed as one of the fathers of the modern circus.

3- Annie Oakley, the incomparable holster lady

Phoebe Anne Moses developed her rifle skills during her childhood in Ohio. After marrying Frank Butler in the 1870s, she took the name Annie Oakley and toured the world in circuses as a professional sniper.

Her arsenal of tricks included blowing out a candle with a bullet, blowing up targets while riding a bicycle, and even shooting a lit cigarette out of her husband's mouth.

Crowds were fascinated by Oakley's superhuman marksmanship, who spent nearly three decades traveling the world with his Wild West show and other displays.

Before retiring in 1913, he performed for Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm II or Thomas Edison, who once filmed one of his shooting exhibitions with a newly invented kinescope.

4- Jules Leotard, the daring young man with the flying trapeze

French acrobat Jules Leotard is remembered as the first man in history to attempt an act on the flying trapeze. The son of a gym owner, he first practiced the high-flying trick over his family's pool before unveiling it in 1859 at the Cirque Napoleon in Paris.

He later took his performance to London, where he wowed audiences by jumping between five different trapezoids with just a bunch of old mattresses protecting him from an eventual fall.

Leotard's deadly actions made him something of a sensation during the 1860s, but his career was tragically cut short shortly after by an illness that led to his death at the age of 28.

By then, the intrepid trapeze artist had already been immortalized in the popular song "The daring young man with the flying trapeze."

5- Zazel, the human projectile

In 1877, the world's first human bullet took flight when teenage acrobat Rosa Richter (better known by her stage name "Zazel") was filmed at the Royal Aquarium in London.

The "cannon" that sent it airborne was invented by William Leonard Hunt and consisted of coil springs attached to a platform. When the springs ejected Zazel from the barrel, a circus worker would fire a charge of gunpowder to recreate the look and sound of a cannon shot.

The fame of Zazel, the death-defying woman, quickly spread, and it wasn't long before crowds of up to 15,000 people gathered to see the human bullet.

His luck finally changed in 1891, when he had an accident during a performance in New Mexico that left him with fractures that forced him to retire from the circus forever.

6- Charles Blondin, the great Blondin

Charles Blondin made his first appearance in the circus when he was still very young. He was a skilled acrobat and athlete but he was truly famous for his tightrope feats.

In June 1859, 35-year-old Blondin made history by crossing Niagara Falls and strolling through the chasm, pausing for glasses of wine.

This act was repeated numerous times, the most famous of all being the act in which he crossed with a kitchen stove and stopped halfway to prepare an omelette, while balancing on a 2-inch-wide rope suspended about 160 feet above the water.

"The Great Blondin" would later make a fortune displaying his tightrope heroism by traveling through the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

He became so famous around the world that various imposters and imitators used his name to gain publicity with their own high-wire stunts.

7- May Wirth, the world's most intrepid bareback rider

Few horsemen became as famous as the Australian May Wirth. Born into a circus family in 1894, she began working as a child dancer and contortionist before jumping on the horse at age 10.

He later joined the Barnum and Bailey Circus in America, where he dazzled audiences with an act that combined acrobatics with incredible horseback riding. May Wirth could perform a lap on her knees - the first woman to do so - and perfected a trick in which she leaped from one moving horse to another.

Wirth also showed his physical strength by leaping from the ground onto the back of a galloping stallion, sometimes blindfolded and with heavy baskets on his feet. Wirth's good looks and daring tricks earned him thousands of fans.

When she finally retired in 1937, she had spent 25 years as one of the circus's leading female performers.

8- Lillian Leitzel, the queen of aerial gymnasts

During the golden age of the circus in the early 20th century, no star shone brighter than Germany's Lillian Leitzel. She wowed audiences with an act that consisted of acrobatic tricks while hanging from Roman rings suspended 50 feet above the ground, always without a safety net below.

She was voted "the most beautiful and attractive woman in the whole world" by American soldiers during World War I, and became the first star to receive a private carriage during circus tours.

Leitzel continued his act until he was 30, but his career ended tragically in 1931, when one of the metal rings fell off at a performance in Copenhagen and caused it to crash to the ground. She died of her injuries two days later.

Delight yourself with his stunts by clicking here.

9- Maria Spelterini, the great tightrope artist

Sometimes referred to as Maria Spelterina, she became the first tightrope woman to walk through Niagara Falls on July 8, 1876, when she was just 23.

This trick was just the first in a series intended to celebrate America's centennial. Four days after performing his tightrope feat, he returned, making the trek again, but this time with baskets of peaches tied to his feet.

A week later he returned and did so with a paper bag over his head as a bandage. Three days later, Spelterini crossed Niagara with shackles on his wrists and ankles.

10- Arthur James, the Giant of Middlebush

He was commonly known as Colonel Routh Goshen, but PT Barnum gave him his name as a Giant of Middlebush. Arthur James was listed as the tallest man in the world.

At 2 meters 41 centimeters and weighing 281 kilos, the giant was part of the circus tradition in the mid and late 1800s. As a colonel he served in different military campaigns.

He died at his home on Amwell Road in Middlebush, New Jersey at the age of 62. He was originally buried without a headstone for fear that his body would be dug up and put on display.

11- Katie Sandwina, the woman of steel

Katharina Brumbach was born into an Austrian circus family and performed acts of force throughout her childhood. Standing over 6 feet tall since her teens, Katie was soon battling men who were gambling on their rings and seeking a victory over her. Katie won every fight she faced.

Katie's biggest challenge was posed by an incredibly strong man named Eugene Sandow. In New York, Katie challenged men to lift more weight than she did. Sandow accepted the challenge but lost as Katie lifted 150 pounds over her head with one hand.

12- Maud Wagner, the tattooed woman

Maud Stevens, was a contortionist girl from Kansas who traveled across the United States with the circus. At the Louisiana Shopping Expo in 1907 she met Gus Wagner, a charismatic tattoo artist known for being "the most artistically tattooed man in America."

Maud was intrigued by her craft, and offered to exchange an appointment with her future husband for a lesson in tattooing. This is how she got her many tattoos.

The Wagners went on tour as artists and 'tattooed attractions', later training their daughter Lovetta in the art of tattooing. Today, Maud is credited as the first female tattoo artist in the United States.

13- Mario Zacchini, the human bullet

Mario was an Italian born circus performer who was the last in his family to perform in circuses and carnivals as a human cannonball, being fired from a cannon into a net on the other side of the circus tent, a stunt that he performed thousands times in his multi-decade career.

Zacchini, who regularly launched himself at a speed of 90 miles per hour (1,500 km per hour approximately), took the flight thousands of times, usually three times a day.

Mario Zacchini said that flying was not the difficult part, the difficult part was landing on the net. Mario Zacchini died at the age of 87 in Tampa, United States.

14- Mabel Stark, lion tamer

Mabel was small in stature, barely half a meter 52, but she was acclaimed in the crowd for being the bravest lion tamer in history. In the early 1920s, her act was the most popular of Ringling's six world animal acts.

In 1928, she slipped and two tigers attacked her, scratching her shoulders, arms, and chest, and tearing the muscles in her back, thighs, and hips.

Her injuries required 378 stitches, but within weeks, Mabel was back in the steel cages, wrapped in bandages and walking with a cane.

In 1950, Mabel was so viciously attacked by one of her tigers that it took 175 stitches to save her right arm.

He died of a self-administered overdose after putting on his last show, at a theme park called "Jungle Land."

15- Gargantua the gorilla

The gorilla known as Gargantua the Great saved the Ringling brothers from bankruptcy when he joined the show, in 1938.

The circus claimed that the gorilla had been captured in Africa, and they said that it hated human beings. In its early years, Gargantua was known as "Buddy" but was renamed Gargantua, a giant in French literature, as it sounded much scarier than "Buddy."

16- Harry Houdini, the best escapist in the world

Harry Houdini's real name was Ehrich Weiss. One of the world's greatest magicians and escapists began his artistic life with the Wales brothers' circus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1895.

For 26 weeks, Harry Houdini and his wife, Beatrice, sang, danced, and performed a trick called "metamorphosis." Houdini invented a kind of large water tank where Houdini would get handcuffed and its interior was sealed, to then untie himself from the handcuffs and be able to leave the tank in a few minutes.

It has long been believed that he died from blows that a bystander (a student) gave him to test his strength to the abdomen, but the truth is that he died of acute peritonitis as a result of a ruptured appendix.

17- The Wallendas

In 1922, Karl Wallenda formed a quartet called "The Great Wallenda." They toured Europe, performing reckless acts like forming a four-man pyramid and riding a tightrope bike over the crowds.

John Ringling was so impressed with a performance he saw in Cuba that he hired them to perform at the Ringling Bros. circus. They debuted at Madison Square Garden in 1928, and performed without a net.

The act was very eye-catching to people, but it wasn't always drop-proof. At a performance in Akron, Ohio, the group fell from the heights to the ground, but were thankfully unscathed. A reporter witnessed the crash and said: "The Wallendas fell so gracefully it looked like they were flying."

Approximately forty years later, on March 22, 1978 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Karl Wallenda fell from the heights to the ground, dying at the age of 73.

18- Zip, cone head

William Henry Johnson was a rarity. Its body developed normally, but its head was still small and tapered at the tip. The Van Emburgh Circus in Somerville, NJ, paid Johnson's parents to show their son and called him "the wild black boy" trapped in Africa and put on display in a cage.

Johnson's popularity came to the knowledge of PT Barnum, who gave him a new look and renamed him "Conehead Zip."

It is said that during his 67 years in show business, more than 100 million people visited Zip at the circus. His last words were, "Well, we've been fooling you for a long time, haven't we?"

19- General Tom Thumb

In 1842, Barnum hired a four-year-old dwarf, Charles Stratton, who soon became the world-famous General Tom Thumb.

Just 25 inches tall (0.635 centimeters), Stratton began touring the United States with Barnum's circus, portraying Cupid and Napoleon Bonaparte. He also sang, danced and participated in different shows.

In 1844, Barnum took him on a European tour, where Queen Victoria appeared twice before and became an international celebrity.

But it was his wedding to Lavinia Warren (who ranks about the same as him) that attracted the most public attention. Barnum charged $ 75 per ticket and 2,000 people (including congressional representatives, millionaires and generals) attended his wedding. During their honeymoon, the little couple dined with President Lincoln at the White House.

20- Emmet Kelly, the most versatile clown

From 1942 to 1956 he appeared as a classic clown named "Weary Willie", portraying the version of a homeless man during the depression era in America.

He made a huge impact on the American audience and is said to have been the greatest clown of all time. Emmet was a multi-talented performer both in and out of the circus.

He was also a mascot for a baseball team and an actor in Hollywood movies, starred in several television shows, appeared in several television commercials, and acted in at least two Broadway productions.

21- Jumbo, the elephant

PT Barnum introduced Jumbo "the elephant" to New York City on Easter Sunday 1882, just in time for the annual opening of the "Great Show of the Earth" at Madison Square Garden.

In the first six weeks, Jumbo helped raise $ 336,000. It was considered the largest circus attraction in American history. Jumbo traveled like royalty in a private carriage called "Jumbo's Palace," a crimson and gold carriage with huge double doors.

Unfortunately, Jumbo died on September 15, 1885, in St. Thomas, Ontario, while being carried to his palace.

22- Antoinette Conzello, trapeze artist

At 16, Quebec-born Antoinette Comeau was living in a convent when her biological sister, Gertrude, urged her to join her at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus.

She married the trapeze artist Arthur Concello, who trained her and they formed the duo "Concellos los voladores". Her act was one of the most popular attractions at the Ringling Circus.

She is also credited with being the first woman to achieve a triple somersault in midair. Cecil B. DeMille hired her to train Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde and Dorothy Lamour to perform a circus-centric drama called "The Greatest Show on Earth."

She and her husband appeared in the movie. After decades, Antoinette retired from the Ringling Circus in 1983.

23- Barbara Woodcock, lion tamer

Barbara's career in the circus began in the 1930s, when she was just a child. She trained as a leopard trainer before meeting her future husband, William "Buckles" Woodcock, who came from a long line of elephant trainers.

Together, they created an act of their own, combining their skills. Their act was a success, earning them a spot with the Big Apple Circus from 1982 to 2000, and they even appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1965. Their children were part of the Woodcock couple's acts.

24- Gladys Roy, acrobat on airplanes

All three of Gladys Roy's siblings were Northwest Airlines pilots, and this reckless Minnesota woman made her mark in aviation by walking on the wings of planes.

Roy walked and danced Charleston on the wings of planes at 16,000 feet. She is also remembered for playing tennis with Ivan Unger on the wing of a biplane. Well, pretending to play (there was no actual ball involved).

At the height of his popularity, Roy was making between $ 200 and $ 500 per performance (roughly $ 6,700 in today's dollars). He died in a plane crash at the age of 25.

25- Annie Jones, the bearded woman

Although it was her long beard that drew crowds, it was her musical talents that made Annie the most famous bearded woman of her time.

Born with a slight beard, Jones was still in her diapers when she gained the attention of PT Barnum who paid her parents a hefty sum ($ 150 in 1860) for the right to put little Annie on their show as "The Bearded Girl." ».

He died in 1922, at the age of 47.