Bill Irwin (born April 11, 1950, Santa Monica, California as William Irwin) is an American actor and clown noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. He is known for his vaudeville-style stage acts, and has made a number of appearances on film and television. April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Location of Santa Monica in California and Los Angeles County Coordinates: Country United States State California County Los Angeles Incorporated November 30, 1886 Mayor Robert Holbrook City Council Bobby Shriver Ken Genser Kevin McKeown Herb Katz Pam OConnor Richard Bloom Area    - City 41. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that Circus clown be merged into this article or section. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Vaudeville is a style of multi-act theatre which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. ... Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ...

Irwin graduated from Oberlin College in 1973 with a degree in theater arts, and from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College the following year. Oberlin College is a small, selective liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, in the United States. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Ringling Bros. ...

In 1975, he helped found the Pickle Family Circus in San Francisco, California. He left the company in 1979, and decided to pursue stage work. The Pickle Family Circus was a small circus founded in 1975 in San Francisco, California, USA. The circus formed an important part of the renewal of the American circus. ... Nickname: The City by the Bay; Fog City Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: City-County San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Area    - City 122 km²  (47 sq mi)  - Land 121. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ...

Stage

Irwin created a run of highly regarded stage shows that incorporated elements of clowning. These works included The Regard of Flight (1982), Largely New York (1989), Fool Moon (1993), The Harlequin Studies (2003), and Mr. Fox: A Rumination (2004). Mr. Fox is a production that Irwin has worked on for years, a biography of 19th century clown George Washington Lafayette Fox that also has autobiographical elements. Krumping (also clown dancing or clowning) is a style of dance that originated in Los Angeles, California. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... // Today, films and television programs surrounding the lives of famous people are a major part of the entertainment industry. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... George L. Fox (1825-77) was an American comedian, born in Boston. ...

In 1996, Irwin performed with The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps at the 1996 Summer Olympics, in a "band on the run" sequence where he played Dr. Hubert Peterson of the fictitious Federation of United Marching Associations of America. [1] The Cadets The Cadets (formerly the Holy Name Cadets, Garfield Cadets, and Cadets of Bergen County) are a Drum Corps International Division I drum and bugle corps based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. ... Participants The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ...

Although Irwin is best known for his theatrical clown work, he has also been featured in a number of dramatic plays. Irwin appeared in 1988 on stage with Steve Martin and Robin Williams for a production of Waiting for Godot in the role of Lucky. Lucky's dialogue includes a famous 500-word-long monologue, an ironic element for Irwin since much of his clown-based stage work was silent. He appeared in 2002 with Sally Fields in the replacement cast of The Goat or Who is Sylvia?. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Steve Martin (right) with Scooter, on The Muppet Show Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, musician, and composer. ... For other persons named Robin Williams, see Robin Williams (disambiguation). ... Vladimir (left) and Estragon (right) hold Pozzo aloft (from a production by Naqshineh Theatre). ... This article needs cleanup. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Sally Field Sally Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American movie and television actress. ... Book cover (Methuen) The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? written by Edward Albee, premiered on Broadway in 2002. ...

Film and television

Irwin's first featured film role was in 1980, in Robert Altman's Popeye starring Robin Williams. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Popeye was a 1980 live-action film directed by Robert Altman, based on the comic strip and cartoon character Popeye the Sailor. ... For other persons named Robin Williams, see Robin Williams (disambiguation). ...

He has appeared in over 20 films, in brief supporting roles. Irwin's biggest film roles were in My Blue Heaven, a 1990 movie featuring Steve Martin and Rick Moranis, and Eight Men Out, which tells the real story of the Black Sox gambling scandal of 1919. He has also appeared in the film adaptations of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Laramie Project, and the 1999 film adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. DVD cover My Blue Heaven is a 1990 film starring Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, and Joan Cusack. ... This article is about the year. ... Steve Martin (right) with Scooter, on The Muppet Show Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, musician, and composer. ... Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet in Spaceballs. ... Eight Men Out is a drama film, released in 1988, based on the book, published in 1963, of the same name by Eliot Asinof. ... How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is one of the best-known childrens books by Dr. Seuss. ... The Laramie Project is a play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project about the reaction to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, widely considered to be a hate crime motivated by homophobia (see the Shepard article for more on the incident). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ... Title page of the first quarto (1600) A Midsummer Nights Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the mid-1590s. ...

His most notable television roles was as Enrico Ballati, "the Flying Man", on the television series Northern Exposure, and as Mr. Noodle in the Elmo's World segment of the PBS children's show Sesame Street. He has also appeared on The Cosby Show, Saturday Night Live, and 3rd Rock From The Sun. Northern Exposure was a quirky, surreal, character-driven American dramatic-comedy television series. ... A goofy-acting human Sesame Street character, Mr. ... Elmos World DVD cover Elmo in Elmos World. ... Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ... The Cosby Show was an American television sitcom that ran from 1984 to 1992. ... Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late night 90-minute American comedy-variety show based in New York City which has been broadcast by NBC nearly every Saturday night since its debut on October 11, 1975. ... 3rd Rock from the Sun was an American television sitcom that ran from 1996 until 2001. ...

He was also featured in music video for 1988's Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin (along with McFerrin and Robin Williams). A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Simple Pleasures, 1988 Dont Worry, Be Happy is the title and famous principal lyric of a novelty song by jazz composer Bobby McFerrin, the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, holding that position for two weeks in September of 1988. ... Bobby McFerrin Bobby McFerrin (born New York City, March 11, 1950) is a jazz-influenced a cappella vocal performer and conductor. ... For other persons named Robin Williams, see Robin Williams (disambiguation). ...

In 2006 Irwin played the solitary character Mr.Leeds in M. Night Shyamalan's, Lady in the Water. Manoj Nelliattu Shyamalan (born August 6, 1970), known professionally as M. Night Shyamalan, is an Academy Award-nominated Indian American film writer, director, and producer. ... Lady in the Water is a 2006 thriller/fantasy film written, produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan and also produced by Sam Mercer and Jose L. Rodriguez. ...

Awards and honors

Irwin was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Choreographer's Fellowship in 1981 and 1983. In 1984 he was named a Guggenheim Fellow and awarded a 5-year MacArthur Fellowship. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 2005 he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his appearance as George in the revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ... Edward Albee, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1961 Edward Franklin Albee III (born March 12, 1928) is an American playwright known for works including Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Zoo Story, and The Sandbox. ... Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a play by Edward Albee that opened on Broadway at the Billy Rose Theater on October 13, 1962. ...

External links

• Bill Irwin at the Internet Movie Database

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, video games and production crew personnel. ...

References

• (2004). Bill Irwin, Clown Prince. Great Performances (PBS).