René Bazinet is a renowned German-Canadian stage and film actor, celebrated for his exceptional talent as a veteran clown who has worked with Cirque du Soleil. In 2007, he became the clown act creator and acting consultant for "Saltimbanco," Cirque du Soleil's oldest major touring show, which ran for over 20 years until its discontinuation in 2013. He continued to work in this capacity with "Zarkana," a production created by Cirque du Soleil in 2011.
Born in war-torn Germany a decade after World War II, René's biological father was a cabaret performer, Willy Degé. He moved to Canada at the age of 16, shortly after his mother, Ellen Fiener, and stepfather, Robert Bazinet, relocated there. René struggled to adapt to his new environment, as he did not speak English fluently. He found solace in nature, devoting time to studying and imitating bird calls, which became a part of his sound-effect repertoire.
Around the age of 20, René began his theatre arts studies at John Abbott College in Canada, where he started performing with the encouragement of one of his teachers. His undeniable talent led him to continue his studies in mime and clowning with some of the most influential teachers and coaches of the 20th century.
René was fortunate to learn from the likes of Jacques Lecoq, Étienne Decroux, Jean-Louis Barrault, and Marcel Marceau. He also studied the Feldenkrais Method, a somatic educational system designed by Moshé Feldenkrais. René went on to teach Feldenkrais, aiming to reduce pain or limitations in movement, improve physical function, and promote general well-being.
During his learning process, René paid his dues as a street performer in Paris for nine years and worked in various cabaret and variety club stints, entertainments, and theatre companies throughout Europe and Japan. He developed a duo act with clown partner David Shiner, which they took on tour before being hired as lead artists by Cirque du Soleil.
For their original production of "Saltimbanco," René developed and played five separate roles for four years, touring Northern America and Japan from 1992 to 1996. He subsequently portrayed the romantic lead opposite Julie Cox in their only full-length feature film to date, "Alegria: An Enchanting Fable," or "Alegria Le Film," based on the tent show "Alegria."
René has reprised his roles in "Saltimbanco" periodically at London's Royal Albert Hall and in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro. He has worked extensively for other well-known circus companies, such as Roncalli and Salto Natale. René is multilingual, speaking German, English, French, and Italian fluently.
Throughout his career, spanning over 30 years, René has been recognized as one of the world's top clowns, a gifted film actor, clown coach, and director. He is also a world-renowned mime with a particularly graceful and fluid style, who has served as mentor and inspiration to many other mimes, clowns, and stage actors.
René's long-time artistic partner, David Shiner, continues to tour Europe intermittently with René in their two-man show, which they first created back in the 1980s.
