George Footit (1864-1921) was a British equestrian, acrobat and clown who was brought into his profession at the young age of twelve. He was known for his solo performances as an acrobat and equestrian with Sanger’s Circus in England. Raphael “Chocolat” Padilla (-1917) was born in Cuba and discovered by Tony Grice. Grice hired Chocolat to be an assistant in the circus ring. Eventually, Chocolat became famous for trying to ride a wild mule which threw him out of the ring.
In 1889, Footit and Chocolat teamed up to appear at the Hippodrome du Champ de Mars and at the Nouveau Cirque in Paris. As a duo, Footit was known for being a physically abusive clown who assumed a leadership role in the duo. Chocolat was labeled as a lazy and didn’t react to the abuse that Footit put before him. Footit and Chocolat performed together until 1910. After the duo split up each performed solo, but weren’t successful.
Footit and Chocolat were inducted into the 1997 Clown Hall of Fame