Wolfgang Holzmair

Wolfgang Holzmair was one of Germany’s most celebrated 20th-century wild animal trainers. After establishing a reputation across Europe, in 1969 Holzmair took to America a Group of 22 lions (one male, the rest females) to star in “The Greatest Show on Earth”, the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was billed as “the Lord of the Lions” or the “Ruler of the King of Beasts”, and until 1976 appeared solo in the show’s main ring. A feature of his acts was to carry one of the lionesses or the huge 450lbs male lion draped round his shoulders, a feat which was promptly parodied by a dwarf clown with an outsized stuffed lion. He a usually wore a Roman centurion’s leather outfit and would ride on the beast’s back, allow one lioness to walk over his body and place his head in the mouth of another.

Holzmair was born in Gelsenkirchen in 1932. He was adopted and had early experience of farm life where he developed a love of animals. At 14, he found work with the Circus Franz Althoff, looking after the animals in its large menagerie. Althoff gave him a good apprenticeship and in 1949 he was working in the sawdust ring in a Roman riding display, later helping to present the huge equestrian display of 48 horses in three rings.

Later he worked in Italy with Circo Moira Orfei, and in France with the Cirque Amar, presenting and training horses and elephants (including in 1963 a Group of five elephants working together with five horses) during his ten years working for Mustapha Amar.

When Holzmair was in the the US, the Swiss clown on the highwire, Pio Nock, also appeared in the show as Holzmair, performing high in the air above the open cageful of lions, with a safety net. In 1973, Nock suffered a fall from his bicycle on the wire into the cage, but miraculously none of the animals launched an attack on the sudden intruder, and Holzmair completed the act with the clown still in the cage. Holzmair survived a number of attacks from his wild animals, but a chimp once put him in hospital for a month.

From 1980 to 1982, he directed one of the circus units of the actor, comedian and circus owner Jean Richard. He collaborated with Prince Rainier in developing the royal zoo in Monaco and at the age of 70 gave his last training sessions for Frédéric Edelstein for the Cirque Pinder Jean Richard for an act with 12 lions and six tigers. He retiredfrom the circus in 1983, built a restaurant at Cahors in southwest France, which is still run by his wife Helena and daughter Sylvana.