Coco the Clown
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Coco the Clown is a name given to various circus clowns who traditionally wear "auguste" make-up. Technically, Coco is not a whiteface clown but an auguste, a foolish character who is always on the receiving end of buckets of water and custard pies. The auguste often works with the cleverer whiteface who always gets the better of him.
The most famous bearer of the title "Coco" was Nicolai Poliakoff (or Poliakovs) (1900–74). He was buried in Woodnewton, in Northamptonshire in England and his "Coco" moniker was passed down to his sons (notably Michael, a longtime circus "Producing Clown" and creator of a much imitated "soap gag" entree) and grandsons.
While the circus was principally a children's entertainment it held an enduring appeal for artists, photographers and film-makers who identified with the romantic image of skilled performers at the margins of society. Nickolai Polakovs was a Jewish Latvian who was apprenticed to the celebrated Russian clown Lazernko and went on to manage his own circus. Escaping the hardships of the Russian Revolution to join Circus Busch in Berlin he was spotted by Bertram Mills and persuaded to move to England. During the Second World War he entertained troops as a member of ENSA. In 1960 he was involved in a serious road accident prompting him to devote himself to the promotion of road safety awareness in children.
