Marcel Marceau, mime, born Marcel Mangel in Strasbourg, France in 1923. At the age of 15 he adopted the name Marceau after a famous French general to hide his Jewish background when france entered WWII. He was a member of the French underground during the war and risked his life helping Jews escape occupied France. He was also a laison officer in Patton's army because of his good English. In 1947 he developed his signature character, Bip, modelled after Chaplin's Little Tramp, dressed in a striped shirt, white sailor pants, and a top hat with a single red flower sprouting from the lid.