The son of an English equestrian, he made his name in France in the role of the whiteface clown: sequinned costume, painted eyebrow, dry authority. With Rafael Padilla, known as Chocolat, born a slave in Cuba, he formed the star partnership of the Nouveau Cirque and fixed for good the roles of the domineering clown and the long-suffering auguste.
The story
George Foottit, a circus clown, was born in Manchester in 1864 into a family of ring performers and grew up in the sawdust. He came to France as a young man and made his name as the whiteface clown: the sequinned costume, the painted eyebrow, the dry authority.
His meeting with Rafael Padilla, known as Chocolat, decided his career. Padilla, born a slave in Cuba and brought to Europe as a servant, became the auguste: the one who takes the slaps, gets it wrong, picks himself up. The pair triumphed at the Nouveau Cirque, founded by Joseph Oller, and moved from circus to music hall.
The two men were among the first artists filmed by the Lumière brothers, in short sketches that survive today. Franc-Nohain, who also lies at Père-Lachaise, wrote their memoirs. The pair split up in 1910; Chocolat died penniless in Bordeaux in 1917 and was buried in bare earth in the paupers' plot of the Protestant cemetery.
Foottit died in Paris in 1921 and lies in Division 93. Roschdy Zem's film Chocolat, in 2016, brought the story back to a wide audience.
On site, do not miss
A high, quiet Division, away from the usual routes: few arrive here by chance.
Visitors' questions
Where is George Foottit's grave?
In Division 93 of Père-Lachaise, high up on the eastern side. The painter Félix Ziem and the occultist Papus rest in the same Division, on a slope few visitors climb.
Félix Ziem, Division 93Who was Chocolat, Foottit's partner?
Rafael Padilla, born into slavery in Cuba and brought to Europe as a servant. As the auguste of the pair, he became one of the first celebrated black performers in France. He died penniless in Bordeaux in 1917 and was buried in the paupers' plot of the Protestant cemetery.
Joseph Oller, the Nouveau CirqueWhat is the difference between the whiteface clown and the auguste?
The whiteface wears the spangled costume and the authority: he gives the orders, corrects, hands out the slaps. The auguste is the clumsy one who takes them and turns the tables. Foottit and Chocolat fixed that division of labour, and it has been the grammar of the comic double act ever since.
Achille ZavattaWere Foottit and Chocolat filmed?
Yes, by the Lumière brothers, in short sketches shot at the end of the 1890s and preserved to this day. The writer Franc-Nohain, who rests in Division 89, also ghosted their memoirs.
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