Who Was Marcel Marceau? Google Doodle Celebrates The World-Famous Mime Artist On His 100th Birthday

Google Doodle celebrated Marcel Marceau or popularly known as Blip the Clown today on his 100th birthday.  a French actor and mime artist who referred to mime as the "art of silence,". He performed professionally worldwide for over 60 years. 

Who Was Marcel Marceau?

•  French mime artist Marcel Marceau was an actor and master of silence.
• He was born on this day in 1923 in Strasbourg, France.
• His birth name is Marcel Mangel and during the German occupation of France, he changed his surname to Marceau to avoid being identified as Jewish.

Marcel Marceau: Biography

Early life and childhood

•  Marceau was introduced to movies in his childhood and dreamed of starring in silent films since then.
• The young artist used to entertain his friends with impersonations of famous actors and mimes. 
• Not only that but he would later use his silent acting skills to help smuggle Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied France.
•  He used pantomimes to keep children calm during risky junctures on the journey to the Switzerland border.
•  Marceau made three trips like these and helped liberate at least 70 children during World War II.

Education and Career

• Marceau studied dramatic acting and mime at the School of Dramatic Art of the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre in Paris after the war was over.
• He began playing his famous character Bip the Clown in 1947. 
• The image of him was of a tragicomic figure with a striped shirt, white face paint, and a battered beflowered hat. 
• According to Google, Bip explored the range of human emotions and his actions spoke louder than words could. 
• Later he founded the Compagnie de Mime Marcel Marceau which was the only pantomime company in the world at the time, to develop the art of silence. 
• Moreover, the mime artist performed on transcontinental tours and introduced people around the world to the art of miming. 
• Millions would recognize him through television and movie appearances.
• In 1973, he played the role of Scrooge in A Christmas Carol for which he earned an Emmy for Best Specialty Act for his 1956 appearance on the Max Liebman Show of Shows. 
• Some of his stand-out performances in the motion picture realm include the 17 roles he played in the film First Class and his silent role in Shanks. 
• Not only the artist won hearts through acting Marceau also directed a mime drama and published two children's books.

The Google Doodle

Google Doodle Celebrates Legendary Mime Marcel Marceau - CNET https://t.co/8yLFsnyR4D

— David Papp (@DavidPapp) March 22, 2023

The Google Doodle portrayed an animated version of Marcel Marceau in his signature look, striped shirt, and white face expressing without any sound. With a grey background, the eye-pleasing pantomime video displayed an uncanny impression of the artist.

“Happy birthday, Marcel Marceau, you specialized in silence but continue to leave audiences roaring with laughter.” Google wrote

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