Clown
A clown are comic performers who employ slapstick or similar types of physical comedy, often in a mime style. Deriving from amcient Greek and Roman theatre, and the zanni of the commedia dell'arte[1], they are usually associated with the circus, children's parties, parades and or , or sometimes appear as street performers nowadays.
Also known as a jester is some cases.
Afrikaans for a clown is nar, hanswors or paljas.
For more on clowns and clowning, see for example Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clown
Clowns as characters in plays and films
A clown may also appear as a character in a play or film, for example Clown and Goose (Anon), Godspell (Webber and Rice), August, August, August (Kohout),
In some cases the may even appear as a threatening figure, e.g. the so called killer clowns.
Well known South African examples of plays and films featuring a clown or clowns are:
Famous South African clowns
There have been numerous, but the better known include:
Others who have performed as clowns on occasion include Bheki Mkhwane, Marc Colli, Ellis Pearson, Tobie Cronje, Jennie Reznek,
Sources
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10236111/Spuggy-the-Clown.html
