Rafael Padilla (ca. 1865/68 – 4 November 1917), known professionally as Chocolat, was a clown who performed in a Paris circus around the 1900s. Rafael was of Afro-Cuban descent and was one of the earliest successful black entertainers in modern France. He was the first black clown to play a lead role in a circus pantomime act, and with his longtime partner George Foottit; they revolutionized the art of clowning by pairing the sophisticated white clown with the foolish ''auguste'' clown.
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Rafael Padilla (ca. 1865/68 – 4 November 1917), known professionally as Chocolat, was a clown who performed in a Paris circus around the 1900s. Rafael was of Afro-Cuban descent and was one of the earliest successful black entertainers in modern France. He was the first black clown to play a lead role in a circus pantomime act, and with his longtime partner George Foottit; they revolutionized the art of clowning by pairing the sophisticated white clown with the foolish ''auguste'' clown.
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