Coco the Clown

Coco the Clown was born Nicolai Poliakoff in Latvia in 1900. He became a Russian-born circus performer who achieved massive fame in the United Kingdom, becoming a household name there rather than in his native land.

Nicolai Poliakoff became famous as a clown with the Bertram Mills Circus, where he performed for decades to massive British audiences. His iconic image, complete with a bowler hat and a massive overcoat, made him one of the most recognizable circus entertainers in British history.

Yes, Coco the Clown is widely remembered in the UK for a long-running series of television commercials for Kellogg's Coco Pops cereal. In these ads, he would enthusiastically promote the chocolate-flavored breakfast cereal to children, cementing his pop culture legacy.

Nicolai Poliakoff, the original Coco the Clown, passed away in 1974. He is buried in the churchyard of St. Andrew's Church in Frenze, a small village in Norfolk, England, where his grave is marked by a carved wooden clown.