09/01/2022
"It had nothing to do with show business. He was miming for his life.”
Marcel Marceau developed his craft while desperately trying to keep children quiet as he helped them escape the Nazis…
He was born Marcel Mangel on March 22, 1923 in Strasbourg, France, to a Jewish family. His parents were Ann Werzberg Mangel and Charles Mangel, a kosher butcher. The child discovered Charlie Chaplin at age five when his mother took him to the movies and he became an avid fan. He entertained his friends with Chaplin imitations, and dreamed of starring in silent movies.
The first time Marcel used mime was after France was invaded in World War II, in order to keep Jewish children quiet while he helped them escape to neutral Switzerland.
Masquerading as a boy scout, Marcel evacuated a Jewish orphanage in eastern France. He told the children he was taking them on a vacation in the Alps, and led them to safety in Switzerland. Marcel made the perilous journey three times, saving hundreds of Jewish orphans. He was able to avoid detection by entertaining the children with silent pantomime...
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