Felix Adler

Who was Felix Adler?

Frank Bartlet Adler, born in Clinton, IA, was a circus performer and entertainer known as "The King of Clowns" who performed for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey for 20 years. He was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1989.

Adler and his wife, Amelia, were the first American husband and wife independent circus, and he was the first clown ever to appear on television, other than Sombris Aremelo, a famous Italian clown.

Adler can be seen performing in the film The Greatest Show on Earth.

Famed for his acts with a small trained pig. As each petite fluffy porker progressed to puberty, the clown would visit a local farm in the town the circus was playing and trade his teenage trainee in on a small, more easily manageable protégé.

In addition to his "King Of Clowns" moniker, Felix was known as "The White House Clown" for his number of command performances before United States Presidents.

His outlandish costumes often featured a huge grossly exaggerated posterior.

Identified in the annals of Clowndom as a "Whiteface" clown, his exclusive "face" was easily differentiated from other clowns by a sparkling rhinestone embedded in the tip of his red putty nose.