Marcel Marceau

When I was a young boy, I remember this sad, white faced clown who did the most amazing thing . On stage, he was trying to escape a very tight glass box that he somehow got himself stuck in. With great dexterity and lots of pulling and pushing with his white-gloved hands, he manages to contort his body, and finally free himself from the glass box which I later found out to be non-existant. I was an instant fan, of such an avant garde art of self expression. I remember thinking; what drove this man to express himself in such a unique fashion? It is such a lonely art, I thought. Not being able to talk to your audience. But as I grew older and wiser, I realised the truth behind the saying; 'Words are the most primitive form of communication" And Marcel put it very nicely for me as he said; "In mime, gestures express the essence of the soul's most secret aspirations" And his famous quote; " Do not the most moving moments of our lives find us all without words?" 

  The French mime artist Marcel Marceau has died at the age of 84, his family has announced.

The performer was known around the world for his portrayal of a sad, white-faced clown in a striped pullover with battered hat. Born in Strasbourg in 1923, the French mime artist performed even in his eighties. 

He died of a heart attack on Saturday.

Au Revoir Mon Ami.