Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 17, 2026

John Gilkey

John Gilkey is an American actor, director, comedian, juggler and clown.

Last revised
Jul 17, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Wikipedia ↗
John Gilkey
Born
California, United States
OccupationsActor, comedian, clown, juggler
Websitejohngilkey.com

John Gilkey is an American actor, director, comedian, juggler and clown.1

Gilkey is a native Californian2 and best known for his work with Cirque du Soleil productions such as Iris,34 Quidam,2 Dralion and Solstrom. He was also cast in Varekai in 2003 as one of the main clowns.5

Gilkey also worked as a consultant on the animated films Ratatouille and La Luna.67

In 2012, John Gilkey established The Idiot Workshop in Hollywood, California.8 From these classes Gilkey selected a handful of students and formed a new comedy troupe called Wet the Hippo.9 The group went on to tour California and Las Vegas and received a nomination for Best Comedy in the 2013 Hollywood Fringe Festival.10

References

References

  1. Hilton, Emily (December 21, 2020). ""It's Absolutely Part of My Acting All the Time": A Look Inside L.A.'s Top Clown Schools". The Hollywood Reporter.
  2. Jan Herman (January 29, 1997). "A Real, Scary Guy". Los Angeles Times.
  3. Pat Donnelly (September 25, 2011). "Iris is even more than meets the eye". The Province. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015.
  4. Paul Hodgins (September 26, 2011). "Cirque's 'Iris' is a feast for the senses". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  5. "Cirque du Soleil "Varekai" Soundtrack To Be Released By RCA Victor Group". Cirque du Soleil. January 6, 2003.
  6. Bill Desowitz (June 9, 2011). "First Look at Pixar's La Luna". Animation World Network.
  7. "Les courts métrages Pixar". Allocine. 2011.
  8. "The Idiot Workshop". 2012. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016.
  9. "Wet the Hippo". 2016. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016.
  10. "Wet The Hippo". Hollywood Fringe Festival. Archived from the original on May 21, 2025.
External links