mahoney

mahoney

Newest clowns

The emmett's Fan

This is weary willy

The Ring Master


The Truck Driver




After the parade



Watch the birdie


Cotton Candy

Coin Toss

Popcorn

Ride the Wild mouse



Biography for Emmett Kelly



Birth NameEmmett Leo Kelly
Mini Biography
Clown of renown (usually in sad-faced hobo's makeup although on some occasions he sported classic whiteface) with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, who acted in a handful of films.

Inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians, 1996.
Emmett Kelly wrote and published his memiors: "Clown" in l954. He was also a part of a nightclub comedy team with entertainer and radio/TV broadcaster, Linn Sheldon, during the l930s.

Emmett Kelly originally wanted to be a newspaper cartoonist. Unable to find any work with a newspaper syndicate or an animation studio, he joined a circus as a chalk talk artist (drawing pictures to help illustrate the stories that he told his audiences). Later on, Mr. Kelly became a trapeeze artist at the circus. Working with his first wife, he created and performed as several different clown characters, including a whiteface buffoon. He finally found success with his sad face hobo character: "Weary Willie".

Inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1989.

His son, Emmett Kelly Jr. (d. 2006) followed in his footsteps to become a circus clown.
He was originally a member of the Knickerbocker Circus and helped rescue several children when the circus tent caught fire, killing a number of people. The event was known forever after as "the day when the clowns cried.".

Henry Fonda portrayed Emmett on "General Electric Theater: Season 3, Episode 25, The Clown" (1955), which was a short biographical piece