Albert Hodgini Explained

Albert Joseph Henry Hodgini, Sr. (1884–1962) was a circus performer.

Biography

He was born in 1884 to an English family circus troupe, the Hodges, that Italianized their name to make it more exotic for their act. He attended a military and riding school in Germany and appeared with the Albert Schumann Circus in Berlin.^[1]

He had as his children: Albert Joseph Henry Hodgini, Jr. and Harriet Hodgini Mazel-Szanto.^{[2] [3]}

He died in 1962.

Legacy

In 1981 the Albert Hodgini Troupe was inducted into the International Circus Hall of Fame.^[4]

Albert Hodgini is featured in the book "The Circus Age" by Janet Davis (p. 114-117), including photos of him in drag and with his wife. He played "the Original Miss Daisy" in drag with Ringling Brothers from 1908 to 1914 and was so good at it, that he got a few marriage proposals from men who thought he was a real woman.

Notes and References

1. Web site: A New Generation of Hodgini Circus Acts . 2008-08-04 . Marina Hodgini . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20041207062638/http://www.marinahodgini.com/3.shtml . December 7, 2004 .
2. News: none . Hodgini, Albert, 90, of St. Petersburg, died Wednesday (Feb. 7, 2007) at home of cancer. He was born in Indiana. He rode horses bareback and performed in a ... . . February 28, 2007.
3. News: Harriet Mazel-Szanto, 73, hospital executive . https://archive.today/20130131164731/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/24531600.html?dids=24531600:24531600&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+25,+1989&author=Kenan+Heise.&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Harriet+Mazel-Szanto,+73,+hospital+executive&pqatl=google . dead . January 31, 2013 . Mrs. Mazel-Szanto was a member of the Hodgini family, originally from England, which has been in show business for 350 years. Her father, Albert Hodgini, was a bareback rider and horse trainer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. She was born in Barbaboo, Wis., in the days when the circus wintered there. . . March 25, 1989 . 2011-12-22 .
4. Web site: International Circus Hall of Fame Inductees . 2007-09-22 . 2007-04-14 . .