Mooky the Clown
| Laci Endresz Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Pseudonym | Mooky the Clown |
| Birth name | Laci Endresz Jr. |
| Born | 28 July 1974 Eastbourne, East Sussex, England |
| Medium | Circus |
| Genres | Circus clown |
| Website | Mooky the Clown Appreciation Society on Facebook |
Laci Endresz Jr. (born 28 July 1974)[citation needed] is an English circus performer who performs as the circus clown Mooky the Clown.
Background
Endresz was born in Eastbourne, East Sussex, England. His father, Laci Endresz Sr., was born in Hungary and is the director of the Tower Circus at Blackpool Tower, a position he has held since 1992.[1] Seven generations of his family have performed in the circus on his father's side and nine generations on his mother's side. He made his first appearance as a clown in a circus at the age of four.[2]
Career
Early career
In 1985 he won a bronze medal as a juggler at the Cirque de Demain Festival in Paris, France.[3] In 1987, at the age of 12, he performed at the 12th International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo with his sister Kate, juggling with nunchucks, five and seven rings, four and five clubs, three then five balls and finishing his act with five fire torches.[4]
Mooky
As Mooky, Endresz has worked in most of the leading circuses in Europe, appeared on the Paul Daniels television show three times and performed at the Royal Command Performance.
Mooky stars each year in the circus show at the Tower Circus which runs throughout the summer season, and at Christmas he also appears in pantomime at the same venue. From 29 November 2009 to 17 January 2010, the pantomime was Mooky Doolittle Christmas Circus Pantomime.[5]
In 2007 Mooky's partner Attila Endresz left for John Lawsons circus and was replaced by Mooky's brother, Tom Endresz. Tom has worked as Mooky's partner ever since.
The 2010 summer circus, entitled Mooky's Eastern Promise, ran from 27 March to 7 November.
He appeared in the second series of the Channel 4 documentary The Convention Crasher, helping Justin Lee Collins learn clowning before he travelled to the United States to participate in a clowning convention in Houston, Texas.[6]
Other work
Endresz appeared in the 1995 film Funny Bones as a juggler.[7] He has also performed his juggling act on the Children's Variety Performance.[8]
Awards
As Mooky, Endresz has won a number of awards, including:[2]
| Award | Organization | Location | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circus Personality of the Year | Bayern Munich Carnival, Circus Krone | Germany | |
| Best Ground Act in Great Britain | Circus Friends Association | 1999 | |
| Leisure Parcs Entertainer of the Year | Leisure Parcs | 1999 | |
| Best Clown in Great Britain | Circus Friends Association | 2000 | |
| Best Clown in Great Britain | Circus Friends Association | 2001 | |
| Gold medal winner | Tokyo Circus Festival | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Best All Round Entertainer | Budapest, Hungary |
He was also twice a silver medallist in the Paris Circus Festival with his juggling act and won a Silver Cup from the Hansa Theatre in Hamburg, Germany.[2]
Personal life
Tom Endresz, the brother of Laci, is also a clown and performs as the sidekick Mr Boo to Mooky, a Captain Jack Sparrow-style character.[9] In the act he also performs as an illusionist.[10]
References
- ^ "The Life and Times of a Circus Showman". Blackpool Grand Theatre. 2007. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
- ^ a b c "About Mooky". Blackpool Tower. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
- ^ Laci Endresz Jnr. juggling.tv. Retrieved 19 November 2009.[dead link]
- ^ Bollman, Eliane (Spring 1987). "No Top Prizes for Jugglers This Year in Monte Carlo". Juggler's World. 39 (1). International Juggler's Association. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
- ^ "Pantomimes and Christmas Shows 2009 / 2010". thisistheatre.com. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
- ^ "Justin Lee Collins". ITV. Archived from the original on 2 November 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
- ^ "Laci Andresz Jr". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 9 March 2008.
- ^ Laci Endresz Jnr. juggling.tv. Archived from the original on 9 October 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
- ^ "Mooky rocks Blackpool circus". Blackpool Gazette. 15 April 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
- ^ Duke, Robin (3 July 2008). "Galleon of illusioncircus". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
Further reading
- Potier, Daniel (8 October 2001). Jamieson, David (ed.). Clowns of Blackpool Tower Circus. Aardvark Publishing. ISBN 1-872904-19-X.