Rafael Padilla
Biography
Chocolat was the stage name of Rafael Padilla (ca. 1865/68 – 4 November 1917), a clown who performed in a Paris circus around the turn of the 20th century. 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.
Known For & Full Filmography6 Titles
Movie - 1900, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
Comic scenes taken at the Nouveau-Cirque by the two famous clowns Foottit and Chocolat. To separate Foottit and Chocolat who are fighting, their servant brings a policeman to whom the two accomplices play all sorts of tricks.
Movie - 1896, 2h 15m • as Self
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Movie - 1900, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
The Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre was a special pavilion at the 1900 Paris World's Fair which featured filmed performances presented with sound via wax cylinder recordings. Many of these short films were also presented in hand-tinted color. The performances ranged from theatre (Coquelin the eldest, Gabrielle Réjane, Sarah Bernhardt, Félicia Mallet), opera & operetta (Mariette Sully, Emile Cossira, Jeanne Hatto, Mily-Meyer, Désiré Pougaud), to café concert & music hall variety (Footit et Chocolat, Mason and Forbes, Little Tich, Brunin, Polin, Jules Moy) and dance (Blanche and Louise Mante from the Paris Opera, Carlotta Zambelli, Michel Vasquez, Rosita Mauri, Jeanne Chasles, Achille Viscusi, Christine Kerf, Cléo de Mérode).
Movie - 1900, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.
Movie - 1900, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
George Footit & Rafael Patodos starts fighting.
Movie - 1900, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
Comic scenes taken at the Nouveau-Cirque by the two famous clowns Foottit and Chocolat. During a battle between Foottit and Chocolat, the latter, who received a slap, plays dead; a stretcher is brought in to carry it away, but the prankster passes under it and happily performs a few gambols while the carriers believe they are carrying away a corpse.”