Chocolat danse dans le “Irish and American Bar”, 1896

@credits

Orphan, Rafal Padilla, born in Cuba in 1868, was sold to serve a rich Portuguese and brought to Europe. After escaping to Spain,  he was discovered by the clown Tony Grice in Bilbao, who made him his partner. Padilla gained the nickname of ‘Chocolat’.

He then teamed up with the clown Footit in 1886, in Paris, where they became famous with their show, with Footit as an authoritarian clown who would correct Chocolat for his mistakes. It seems that the French expression “Je suis chocolat” (I’m chocolate”) meaning “I’m fooled” comes from his character.

His success was at its highest in 1905, when they produced at the Folies Bergères. But in 1910 the team split up, and Padilla didn’t manage to find a job as an actor, despite his qualities. He died in poverty in 1917.