“Circus Circus proudly presents….The Flying Palacios!” — Clarence Hoffman, Ringmaster
Clarence Hoffman was born in 1918, in Chicago, Illinois.
He was a highly talented stage performer, best known for a variety of appearances on Broadway and in the world of opera.
Little information is known about Clarence’s early life but it is known that he was involved with the world of performing arts at a young age, and was a protege of the well known Metropolitan Opera diva, Madame Anna Fitzhugh (also spelt Fitziu) at the Chicago Conservatory. Hoffman performed as an opera singer and made his debut with the Chicago Opera Company in 1942. After serving in the U.S. Army for several years, he moved to New York in 1951 to pursue his career in the arts.
On Broadway, he performed in a number of popular shows including ‘Silk Stockings‘ (Shubert Theatre, 1954 and later in 1963) and also in ‘The Tenth Man‘. One of his early breakthrough roles was in ‘Can-Can‘, performed between May of 1953 to June of 1955, for which he grew his famous moustache that he kept for the remainder of his career.
Another theatre show that was synonymous with Clarence was ‘Fiddler On The Roof‘, which he toured with from 1964 until 1968 around the United States and Canada. During the tour’s Las Vegas show, he was offered the opportunity to become the Ringmaster at the iconic new casino in Las Vegas named ‘Circus Circus’ . He duly accepted and relocated there with his family in preparation for the grand opening which took place on the 18th of October, 1968. The concept of ‘Circus Circus’ was thought up by Jay J. Sarno, who had already opened the successful ‘Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino’, and wanted to bring a unique idea to the world of gambling. Hoffman was an instant hit and quickly became one of the most respected senior members of the local performer’s community.
Aside from his numerous television theatre roles, a little known appearance of Hoffman was in the 1958 American drama film “Stage Struck”, which starred Henry Fonda, Susan Strasberg and Christopher Plummer.
Following his retirement, it is unclear if Clarence remained in Las Vegas or if he moved to California.
Clarence Hoffman reportedly passed away on the 26th of March, 1981.
Following his son, Neil Hoffman’s passing in 2002, no direct members of Clarence’s family have survived.
In “Diamonds Are Forever”, Clarence Hoffman portrayed the announcer at Circus Circus.
He is the first person to appear onscreen after James Bond says to Tiffany: ‘When was the last time you visited the circus…?’
Wearing his traditional Ringmaster coat, Clarence announces the upcoming performance of the trapeze artists ‘The Flying Palacios’.
A number of online sources have incorrectly stated that voice actor Don Messick was the announcer seen at Circus Circus, but this was not the case. The Bond Archives undertook a significant amount of research about the sequence filmed at Circus Circus in 1971. Clarence Hoffman was first found in official brochure of 1971, which showcased all of the acts who performed that year in the casino. Many of these acts can be seen in "Diamonds Are Forever" including The Flying Palacios, Tanya the Elephant, Tony Steele and Le Lisa. In this brochure, several photographs show Clarence as the ringleader and after several interviews conducted by The Bond Archives with some of the other acts seen in the film, it has been categorically confirmed that Clarence is the man seen and heard in "D.A.F."
The album page displayed below was signed by Clarence Hoffman for the ‘Florence Collection’. A noted theatre autograph collector who attained signatures between the 1930’s to the 1950’s.
It was signed during his appearance on Broadway for the show ‘Can-Can‘, and is annotated with his role ‘Waiter’, and dated the 14th of June, 1954.
The second autograph displayed was signed during Clarence's Broadway appearance in the play 'Silk Stockings' (1963).
An extremely rare autograph and some of the very few examples that have ever be seen.
Clarence was a big character in the Circus community in Las Vegas. Despite being Jewish, he dressed up as Father Christmas / Santa Claus every year to entertain the children.
The Bond Archives researched the entire cast of Circus Circus from 1971 and own an original programme from that year. This was when Clarence Hoffman was discovered and confirmed as the Ringmaster seen in the film. An interview with the daughter of Jenda Smaha (trainer of ‘Tanya the Elephant’) further confirmed Hoffman’s role on the production.
The Bond Archives is the first and only source to showcase Clarence’s role in “Diamonds Are Forever”.
Clarence’s wife, Frances Karp, was also a well known opera performer.
Two members of the ‘The Flying Palacios’ are featured in The Bond Archives!
The other Ringmaster at Circus Circus was Mike Hartzell, who’s brother married Lisa Canestrelli, a noted trapeze artist who appears in “Diamonds Are Forever”. Lisa was interviewed in 2024 by The Bond Archives and her page will be released very soon!
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