Bill Irwin

Born: 11 April 1950
Where: Santa Monica, California, USA

Quite a character - people tend to think of Bill Irwin as an actor, a dancer, a performance artist and a vaudeville clown.

Bill graduated from the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in 1974, and the next year he became an original cast member of San Francisco's Pickle Family Circus where he created Willy, his whiteface character.

But after plenty of clowning around - including an appearance on UK television in Paul Daniel's Magic Show - Bill has appeared on some big name shows in America, such as Saturday Night Live, The Cosby Show, Northern Exposure and on Sesame Street.

But not content just to stick to live performances and the small screen, Bill has also ventured into film credits such as Robert Altman's Popeye, A New Life, Eight Men Out, Silent Tongue and The Grinch. He was also the live action model for the title character in Stuart Little.

Bill has said: "I get these bugs to be a straight actor, but I also don't want to leave behind the magical larger-than-life clown realm."

He was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1999.