Not So Quiet Life of Marcel Marceau

Before he was the world's most famous mime, Marcel Marceau used the power of silence and his artistic talent to resist tyranny and save hundreds of Jewish children from the Nazis.

Marcel was born in 1923 in the French city of Strasbourg. He was drawn to the flickering images of Charlie Chaplin in the movies, and he had a gift for imitating the birds around him, the people, and even the wind!

But his safe, creative childhood was shattered by the advent of World War II and the anti-Jewish laws that demonized his Jewish family. Before long, his family was forced to flee in the wake of the advancing German army. His artistic talents were applied to forging papers and passports for those trying to escape. He disguised himself as a Scout leader in order to lead younger children over the border to safety, keeping them calm with dancing, singing, and stories told in mime. Even border guards were swayed and distracted by his entertaining antics.

Surviving the war, this talented young boy became renowned around the world as Marcel Marceau, the most famous mime of the twentieth century.

His story is illustrated by Caldecott honoree Pamela Zagarenski with glorious, heartfelt paintings reminiscent of another French-Jewish refugee from the Nazis, Marc Chagall.