Jango Edwards
Stanley Ted Edwards (April 15, 1950 – August 3, 2023), known professionally as Jango Edwards, was an American clown and entertainer who spent most of his career in Europe, primarily in France, Spain, the Netherlands, and England. Edwards' performances were mainly one-man shows in the European cabaret tradition, in which he combined traditional clowning with countercultural and political references. Edwards built up a cult following over more than three decades of touring Europe with his shows.
Also recorded as Stanley Ted Edwards
Jango Edwards

Rob Bogaerts / Anefo · Nationaal Archief · CC0
- Name
- Jango Edwards
- Birth Name
- Stanley Ted Edwards
- Born
- 15 April 1950
- Birthplace
- Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
- Died
- 3 August 2023
- Place of death
- Barcelona, Spain
- Occupation
- Clown
- Full name
- Stanley Ted Edwards.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Honours
- Decoration of Merit in Gold of the State of Vienna and Zirkòlica Circus award.
- Languages
- English, French and Spanish.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Stanley Ted Edwards (April 15, 1950 – August 3, 2023), known professionally as Jango Edwards, was an American clown and entertainer who spent most of his career in Europe, primarily in France, Spain, the Netherlands, and England. Edwards' performances were mainly one-man shows in the European cabaret tradition, in which he combined traditional clowning with countercultural and political references. Edwards built up a cult following over more than three decades of touring Europe with his shows.
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gnd · 10283194-4 · wikidata · Q1682710 · wikipedia · Jango Edwards
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jango Edwards • Birth Name — Stanley Ted Edwards • Born — 15 April 1950 • Birthplace — Detroit, Michigan, U.S. • Died — 3 August 2023 • Place of death — Barcelona, Spain • Occupation — Clown
Biography
Biography
Stanley Ted Edwards was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 15, 1950. His family owned a successful landscaping business. During the late 1960s, he became immersed in radical politics, philosophy, religion, and the esoteric sciences. After three trips to Europe, he decided to give up his possessions in the U.S. and to travel to Europe to study the art of comedy and the clown. He became a busker in London and formed traveling comedy groups there. Beginning in 1975, he became known as one of the primary organizers and performers at the "International Festival of Fools", an occasional citywide festival of alternative comedy and clown acts in Amsterdam. Edwards gained a fan base in the Netherlands and for many years attracted enthusiastic audiences to his performances there. He also developed a fan base in Germany. From the 1980s, Edwards spent much of his time in France, where his style of performance was well received. For a time he gave regular performances at a small theater in the Pigalle district of Paris. Later he was based in Barcelona. • Illustration — Edwards at Festival of Fools in Amsterdam, 1984 Between 1990 and 1998 he had several appearances on an Austrian comedy TV series called Tohuwabohu. In 2004, he released a DVD compilation of live performances: Jango Edwards: The Best of Jango. Edwards also recorded four audio albums: Live at the Melkweg (Milky Way Records LP 1978), Clown Power (Ariola LP 1980), Live in Europe (Polydor LP 1980), Holey Moley (Silenz CD 1991) and two books: Jango Edwards (written in English but with a cover in German) and I Laugh You (Rostrum Haarlem, 1984). The Clown Power album was a limited edition of 3000 copies, each with a different album cover. In 2009 Edwards opened in Granollers, Barcelona, the "Nouveau Clown Institute" (NCI), a training center specializing in the world of clowning. Although the NCI has received no government or private funding, it has survived independently. Jango Edwards died in Barcelona on August 4, 2023, at the age of 73.
Identity and overview
Identity and overview
The canonical record carries the following identifying particulars.
Origins and background
Origins and background
The following is established of origins and background. Edwards died in 2023 at Barcelona. Institutional cataloguing adds that jango Edwards was born in 1950 at Detroit. Recorded at birth as Stanley Ted Edwards.
![Collectie / Archief: Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie: [onbekend] Beschrijving: Laatste weekend Festival of Fools in Amsterdam; Jango Edwards tijdens optreden op Noordermarkt Datum: 16 juni 1984 Locatie: Amsterdam, Noord-Holland Trefwoorden: Optredens Persoonsnaam: Jango Edwards Fotograaf: Bogaerts, Rob / Anefo Auteursrechthebbende: Nationaal Archief Materiaalsoort: Negatief (zwar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Laatste_weekend_Festival_of_Fools_in_Amsterdam_Jango_Edwards_tijdens_optreden_o%2C_Bestanddeelnr_933-0031.jpg/800px-Laatste_weekend_Festival_of_Fools_in_Amsterdam_Jango_Edwards_tijdens_optreden_o%2C_Bestanddeelnr_933-0031.jpg)
Collectie / Archief: Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie: [onbekend] Beschrijving: Laatste weekend Festival of Fools in Amsterdam; Jango Edwards tijdens optreden op Noordermarkt Datum: 16 juni 1984 Locatie: Amsterdam, Noord-Holland Trefwoorden: Optredens Persoonsnaam: Jango Edwards Fotograaf: Bogaerts, Rob / Anefo Auteursrechthebbende: Nationaal Archief Materiaalsoort: Negatief (zwar
Rob Bogaerts / Anefo
![Collectie / Archief: Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie: [onbekend] Beschrijving: Laatste weekend Festival of Fools in Amsterdam; Jango Edwards tijdens optreden op Noordermarkt Datum: 16 juni 1984 Locatie: Amsterdam, Noord-Holland Trefwoorden: Optredens Persoonsnaam: Jango Edwards Fotograaf: Bogaerts, Rob / Anefo Auteursrechthebbende: Nationaal Archief Materiaalsoort: Negatief (zwar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Laatste_weekend_Festival_of_Fools_in_Amsterdam_Jango_Edwards_tijdens_optreden_o%2C_Bestanddeelnr_933-0033.jpg/800px-Laatste_weekend_Festival_of_Fools_in_Amsterdam_Jango_Edwards_tijdens_optreden_o%2C_Bestanddeelnr_933-0033.jpg)
Collectie / Archief: Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie: [onbekend] Beschrijving: Laatste weekend Festival of Fools in Amsterdam; Jango Edwards tijdens optreden op Noordermarkt Datum: 16 juni 1984 Locatie: Amsterdam, Noord-Holland Trefwoorden: Optredens Persoonsnaam: Jango Edwards Fotograaf: Bogaerts, Rob / Anefo Auteursrechthebbende: Nationaal Archief Materiaalsoort: Negatief (zwar
Rob Bogaerts / Anefo
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Detroit.
Birth place
Barcelona.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
- Jango Edwards, Clowns, 2015
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2015
- Jango Edwards, Clowns, 2022
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2022
reference work
- “Jango Edwards”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1682710: Jango Edwards
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 10283194-4, Jango Edwards and Friends Roadshow.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Agencia EFE. Fallece a los 73 años el payaso y cómico norteamericano Jango Edwards.
- 2.Muere Jango Edwards, el maestro de payasos.
- 3.Jango Edwards, uno de los grandes payasos del mundo, dará un curso en Granada. 1134-6582.
- 4.Jango Edwards vuelve a los escenarios acompañado de los mejores cómicos.
- 5.El "clown" Jango Edwards presenta su espectáculo "Classics" en San Sebastián. 1134-6582.
- 6.El payaso Jango Edwards regresa a la capital después de 14 años. 1134-6582.
- 7.Friends Roadshow International.
- 8.Jango Edwards presenta sus 'fantasías contemporáneas' en el Festival Internacional de Teatro de Madrid. 1134-6582.
- 9.The Michigan Daily - Búsqueda en el archivo de Google Noticias.
- 10.Archive.
- 11.JANGO EDWARDS PAYASO "En España hay una audiencia hambrienta de carcajadas". 1134-6582.
- 12.The First Festival of Fools 1975.
- 13.Jango Edwards,. 1134-6582.
- 14."Music-Hall: Jean-Pierre Thiollet a vu... Jango Edwards. Clown américain", Le Quotidien de Paris, 16-04-1982
- 15.THEATER: JANGO EDWARD'S 'GARBAGE'. 0362-4331.
- 16.Jango Edwards presenta sus 'fantasías contemporáneas' en el Festival Internacional de Teatro de Madrid. 1134-6582.
- 17.ABC MADRID 28-04-1982 página 103 - Archivo ABC.
- 18.- YouTube.
- 19.Holey Moley. Jango Edwards & The Little Big Nose Band. 2022-02-12.
- 20.Edición del jueves, 23 julio 1992, página 9 - Hemeroteca - Lavanguardia.es.
- 21.Jango, un payaso 'fuera de la ley'. 1134-6582.
- 22.CUANDO EL TEATRO ES UNA FERIA.
- 23.Copia archivada.
- 24.Muere Jango Edwards, el maestro de payasos.
- 25.Payasear en estado puro.
- 26.El payaso Jango Edwards recalará en la jaima en julio. 1134-6582.
- 27.Provocación con risas. 1134-6582.
- 28.Jango Edwards quitte « la Ferme Célébrités ».
- 29.Edición del sábado, 09 febrero 2008, página 43 - Hemeroteca - Lavanguardia.es.
- 30.El Cultural - Revista de cultura y artes referente en España - Elcultural.com en El Español.
- 31.BUENAFUENTE 379 - Jango Edwards - Vídeo Dailymotion.
- 32.Wayback Machine.
- 33.¡Por ti, cabrón!.
- 34.El payaso Jango Edwards anuncia que sufre un cáncer terminal y deja como legado el Festival Fools de Barcelona: "Quiero hacerle este regalo a la ciudad".
- 35.CARLOS ANN - CALLE MATANZAS - EL TIGRE DEL CONGRÉS. es-ES. 2022-02-12.
- 36.Malabares, acrobacias, un funeral y una boda.
- 37.Cultura & Ocio - El clown Jango Edwards anima la jornada más multitudinaria de FiraTàrrega - ADN.es.
- 38.Jango Edwards auf Abschiedstour - WESER-KURIER.
- 39.Jango Edwards, obligado a dejar Barcelona.
- 40.Jango Edwards - Official Website JANG’BIO.
- 41.Jango Edwards : il n'y a pas de quoi en devenir fou.
- 42.VIDEO. Jango Edwards : « Les Français ont besoin de rire à nouveau ».
- 43.http://www.fglmusic.com/blog/index.php/2016/09/12/506-jango-edwards-en-devanture-a-l-apollo-theatre-a-partir-du-7-novembre-tous-les-lundis-mardis-mercredis-a-20h00
- 44.El teatro que reabre en Barcelona.
- 45.El regalo de Jango Edwards a Barcelona Barcelona Cultura.
- 46.Arranca el mayor festival de “clowns” de Barcelona.
- 47.El Festival of Fools convierte Barcelona en la capital mundial del clown.
- 48.Festival of Fools Barcelona.
- 49.Leo Bassi, Jango Edwards, Tortell Poltrona y Pepa Plana, protagonistas del Festival of Fools Barcelona.
- 50.Telenotícies - Jango Edwards anuncia que té càncer terminal. ca. TV3. 2023-08-05. 2022-09-04.
- 51.Fallece el payaso y cómico estadounidense Jango Edwards a los 73 años.
- 52.Jango Edwards. 978-3-922651-00-0.
- 53.Ik [hou van] jou. 978-90-328-0310-0.
- 54.New Shoes: Today's Clowns in Europe (2009) - IMDb. 2022-02-11.
- 55.Zapatos Nuevos, Payasos de hoy en Europa.
- 56.TEA (Tenerife) programa para este fin de semana la proyección de 'Zapatos nuevos. Payasos de hoy en Europa'.
- 57.Zapatos Nuevos.
- 58.Zapatos Nuevos: Payasos de Hoy en Europa Malabart - Revista Digital de Circo-Teatro.
- 59.El documental "Zapatos nuevos. Payasos de hoy en Europa" se estrena en TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes.
- 60.Zapatos nuevos: Payasos de hoy en Europa » Premios Goya 2023.
- 61.El clown Jango Edwards gana el premio Zirkólika de Circo a la Mejor Trayectoria.
- 62.Los Premis Zirkòlika reconocen a Alba Sarraute, la Producció Nacional de Circ y My!Laika.
- 63.Jango Edward gana el Premio Zirkòlika de circo a la mejor trayectoria.
- 64.Pantomime und Clownerie: Geschichte der Clownerie von der Commedia dell'Arte bis zu den Festivals of Fools : mit Anleitungen und Vorschlägen zur Übung und zum Spiel. 978-3-7664-9217-3.
- 65.The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. 978-0-521-43437-9.
- 66.Laughing in the Dark: A Decade of Subversive Comedy. 978-0-88001-474-8.
- 67.Spanish Theatre 1920-1995: Strategies in Protest and Imagination. 978-90-5702-116-9.
- 68.Clown – Theorie von Jango Edwards. 978-3-640-45125-8.
- 69.Clowns: In conversation with modern masters. 978-1-317-51693-4.
- 70.Angels Can Fly: A Modern Clown User Guide. 978-0-9578844-1-0.
- 71.Frei und gefährlich: Die Macht der Narren. 978-3-7109-5015-5.
- 72.Über den Clown: Künstlerische und theoretische Perspektiven. 978-3-8394-3169-6.
- 73.Improvisation so piano. 978-2-35055-228-6.
- 74.Anecdotes from Backstage: A musicbiz memoir. 978-3-9815995-3-4.
- 75.Révélations sur 50 ans d'humour. 978-2-411-00066-4.
- 76.O riso na luta: comicidade, política e transgressão. 978-65-87500-08-9.
- 77.Pratiquer l'ACT par le clown - La thérapie d'acceptation et d'engagement: La thérapie d'acceptation et d'engagement. 978-2-10-084246-9.
- 78.Mime into Physical Theatre: A UK Cultural History 1970–2000. 978-1-000-86271-3.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Jango Edwards, Clowns, 2015Crossref registry
Institutional witnessscholarly publication
Jango Edwards, Clowns, 2022Crossref registry
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 10283194-4, Jango Edwards and Friends Roadshow.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
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Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
This entry is compiled from 5 catalogued sources across 4 independent registers. The registers consulted are Crossref registry, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Every statement above is held against the register that stated it; where the registers are silent, the entry is silent.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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