Bill Britten

Who is Bill Britten?

Bill Britten is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Bozo the Clown. He performed as a mimic and pantomimist for local parties in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before enrolling in college. He studied clown makeup at Temple University, later attending the University of Washington in Seattle. He performed as a tramp clown for a gas station franchise and trained with two puppet theaters.

After graduating from Washington, he moved to New York City, where he worked nightclubs until he won "Funniest New Clown Of The Year" audition with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus; he performed with them in the spring of 1954, but stayed behind when they left the city.

He made his first television appearance on WJZ TV's "Jolly Gene And His Fun Machine", where he provided puppeteering work and voice acting for the show's puppets: "Jolly Gene", "Yoo Hoo The Cuckoo" and "Waldo The Dodo". He also drew cartoons on the magic screen of "The Fun Machine". He stayed with the show from 1955 to 1956. He was the third host of "Time For Fun!" from December 31, 1956 to August 1, 1958, portraying "Johnny Jellybean".