orig. Jean-François Gravelet
born Feb. 28, 1824 , Hesdin, Fr.
died Feb. 22, 1897, Little Ealing, near London, Eng.
French tightrope walker.
After training as an acrobat, he achieved fame, first in 1859, with his many crossings of Niagara Falls on a tightrope 1,100 ft (335 m) long, 160 ft (48 m) above the water. Each time he used a different theatrical variation: blindfolded, in a sack, trundling a wheelbarrow, on stilts, carrying a man on his back, and sitting down midway to cook an omelette. He gave his last performance in 1896.