David Belasco (1853–1931) lay deathly ill in the house of a clown. He was no more than 10 years old, and he, too, was a clown. His life had taken an adventurously humorous and now deadly turn. He had run away from school in Victoria, British Columbia, to join a traveling circus. There, he learned to ride horses bareback and was taught the tenets of being a modern jester; the objective above all things was to ensure people were entertained. But as fever wracked his young body, it appeared his days of entertaining crowds would be over almost before they had begun.
A Director Is Born
David Belasco was born on July 25, 1853, in San Francisco, to Humphrey and Reina Belasco, who had both immigrated from London to America during the Gold Rush. Humphrey earned a modest living as a shopkeeper. When the family moved to British Columbia around 1858, young Belasco was sent to the town of Colonial for his education. The school was run by a brutish Irishman, and Belasco’s parents soon transferred him to the Anglican Collegiate School.According to Belasco’s biographer William Winter, 7-year-old Belasco’s brimming intelligence came to the attention of an 86-year-old priest who convinced the Belascos to send their son to study at the local monastery. Despite being a devout Jewish family, they consented.
