A Moment of Silence for Marcel Marceau

Over the years, I feel like I've seen Marcel Marceau around a lot. On PBS, in movies (he had the only speaking role in Mel Brooks' Silent Movie, and also starred in Barbarella), and generally whenever the word mime is accompanied with a photo. Yet, it was only in reading about the 84 year old entertainer's death last night that I realized what a strange and wonderful life he led. Here are a few snippets pulled from other stories, on things I didn't know about Marcel Marceau:

. He was famously chatty.

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cnn

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"Never get a mime talking. He won't stop," he once said."

6. He was incredibly eloquent.

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cnn

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"In 1944, Marceau's father was sent to Auschwitz, where he died. Later, he reflected on his father's death: "Yes, I cried for him." But he also thought of all the others killed: "Among those kids was maybe an Einstein, a Mozart, somebody who (would have) found a cancer drug," he told reporters in 2000. "That is why we have a great responsibility. Let us love one another.""

7. He's won a lot of things. (bbc and wikipedia)
He's been declared a National Treasure by Japan, received honorary doctorates from Princeton, University of Michigan and Ohio State, won countless grants and awards from the French government, and was chosen as a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations (for their Assembly on Aging).

Rest in peace, Marcel.