Marcel Marceau was a French actor and mime most famous for his stage persona as Bip the Clown. He referred to mime as the art of silence.He established his own pantomime school in Paris, and subsequently set up the Marceau Foundation to promote the art in the U.S. He was made Grand Officier de la Légion d'Honneur and was awarded the National Order of Merit in France. He won the Emmy Award for his work on television, was elected member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin, and was declared a National treasure in Japan.