Oleg Popov
| Oleg Popov | |
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Oleg Popov performing with the Russian State Circus, Worms, Germany, 28 March 2009
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| Born |
Oleg Konstantinovich Popov 31 July 1930 Vyrubovo, Moscow Oblast, RSFSR, USSR |
| Died | 2 November 2016 (aged 86) Rostov-on-Don, Russia |
| Cause of death | Cardiac arrest |
| Occupation | Clown, mime, circus artist |
| Years active | 1951–2016 |
| Known for | "The Sunshine Clown" |
| Home town | Moscow, Russia |
| Spouse(s) | Alexandra Popova (1952-90; her death); 1 child Gabriela Popova (m. 1991–2016); his death |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | People's Artist of the USSR (1969) |
Oleg Konstantinovich Popov (Russian: Олег Константинович Попoв, 31 July 1930 – 2 November 2016) was a Soviet Russian clown and circus artist.
Popov was born on 31 July 1930, the son of a clock-repairman. At age 12, he began working as an apprentice typographer for the newspaper Pravda, and he later joined Pravda's Athletic Club. There, in 1945, someone suggested that he apply for Moscow's State College of Circus and Variety Arts (better known as the "Moscow Circus School"). He was accepted and studied acrobatics, juggling, and other circus skills there, graduating in 1949. He made his debut at the Tbilisi Circus in the Georgian SSR. Afterwards, he continued his career at the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard (today Circus Nikulin).
In 1955, Popov performed abroad for the first time, in Warsaw, and the following year, he toured with the Moscow Circus in France, Belgium, and England, and was immediately noticed by the press, which made him a circus star. The Soviet regime quickly built on his success abroad and transformed him into a goodwill ambassador for the Soviet Union. He appeared in 1958 at the Brussels World Fair, and in 1957, he was broadcast from Moscow on American television. He toured the United States in 1963 and 1972 with the Moscow Circus. In 1969, Popov was honored with the title of People's Artist of the USSR. He toured extensively around the world in subsequent years with the Moscow Circus. In Australia, he was named King of Moomba (1971).
Popov performed as a clown, combining his talents as a mime, a tightrope walker, and a juggler. At the 8th International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo in 1981, he received the coveted Gold Clown award as a tribute to his stellar career. His clown character followed the tradition of the Russian folk character "Ivanushka," who fools other people and who is teased himself.
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