[127] In early 1815, Grimaldi and his son played father and son Clowns in Harlequin and Fortunio; or, Shing-Moo and Thun-Ton. After retiring in 1823 because he was sick, he later died in 1837 after a night of heavy drinking. Every first Sunday in Febrary, Holy Trinity Church in London holds a memorial service for Grimaldi. Joseph Grimaldi, (born Dec. 18, 1778, London—died May 31, 1837, London), English clown and pantomimist. [30] From 1789 Grimaldi would appear alongside his siblings in an act entitled "The Three Young Grimaldis". He first appeared on stage in England in 1802 as the clown “Joey”, who became known for his slapstick humor and physical tricks. [11], Grimaldi's father was a serial philanderer who had at least ten children with three different women. "Hot Codlins" was composed by John Whitaker. [153], Although officially retired, Grimaldi still received half of his former small salary from Drury Lane until 1824. 1778 - 1837. [118] The following year, Grimaldi sang "Tippitywitchet" for the first time at Sadler's Wells in Charles Dibdin's pantomime Bang up, or, Harlequin Prime; it became one of his most popular songs. [124] That year he played the title role in Robinson Crusoe at Sadler's Wells, with his young son, JS, making his stage debut as Man Friday. Joseph's reported annual income is about $10 - 19,999; with a net worth that tops $50,000 - $99,999. Egerton wanted to keep Grimaldi on the payroll but proposed loaning him to other theatres. [75], Sadler's Wells closed for refurbishment at the end of its 1801 season and re-opened on 19 April 1802; Grimaldi returned to take a major role in the Easter pantomime, for which he designed the look of his recurring Clown character "Joey". [34][38] His stage performances over the next two years did not garner him the kind of success he had experienced under the management of his father,[39] and the role of pre-eminent Clown in London productions soon fell to Jean-Baptiste Dubois, a versatile French acrobat, horseman, singer and strongman, with a formidable repertoire of comic tricks. Both productions were successful, but Grimaldi was taken ill half way through the latter's run. Previous to Joseph's current city of Palmetto, FL, Joseph Grimaldi lived in Saint Petersburg FL. That year, he travelled to Cheltenham and appeared again as Scaramouche in a revival of Don Juan. The production was a major success for the theatre, enhanced by Michael Kelly's musical score;[87] however Grimaldi and the critics grew concerned that the theatre was underusing his talents and that he was miscast in the role. Joseph Grimaldi's mother was Rebecca Brooker, 14 year old mistress of Giuseppe Grimaldi. Other pantomimes followed at Sadler's Wells that year, including The Talking Bird, in which he played Clown, and he also played Clown in productions at the Surrey Theatre and Covent Garden – a challenging schedule. Grimaldi was booed off the stage after an impromptu joke (eating a prop mouse) upset the audience and caused two female audience members to fight in the auditorium. [14] JS took over his father's role and completed the remainder of the show's run. [52] The following year, with the help of his father-in-law, he joined the company at Sadler's Wells, where he played roles in several Charles Dibdin plays. He was so extravagantly natural, that [no one was] ashamed to laugh till tears coursed down their cheeks at Joe and his comicalities. He was born in December 1778 and died in May 1837. 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