Philippe Gaulier, Revered Clown and 'Tormentor,' Dies at 82

Philippe Gaulier, a French clown and influential teacher of comedy, died on Monday at 82. His wife, Michiko Gaulier, said in an emailed statement that he had died “due to complications from a lung infection.” He had been ill since a stroke in 2023, and the statement did not give a full list of survivors.

Gaulier founded the École Philippe Gaulier in Paris in 1980, ran it from London during the 1990s and returned to France in 2002. The school taught clowning alongside the Greek classics, Shakespeare and Chekhov, reflecting his early ambition to be a tragic actor.

His pugnacious classroom style—often insulting and mocking pupils—made him a divisive figure in the comedy world. In a 2022 interview he defended that approach: “You have to change or leave,” he said.

France, Paris

philippe gaulier, clown, école gaulier, paris, comedy teacher, michiko gaulier, lung infection, stroke 2023, clowning, shakespeare