{{Short description|American mime artist, author, educator}} {{Infobox person/Wikidata |image=Bari_Rolfe_US_mime_artist.jpg |caption = Bari Rolfe |fetchwikidata=ALL |dateformat=mdy }}
'''Bari Rolfe''' (July 20, 1916{{spnd}}October 19, 2002) was an American dancer, choreographer, mime artist, and educator. Rolfe studied mime in Paris, and beginning in the 1960s taught it at University of California, Los Angeles, California State University, Northridge, and University of Washington in Seattle. She wrote several books on mime.
==Early life and education==
Bari Rolfe was born on July 20, 1916, in Chicago, Illinois. The child of a chiropractor and dress designer, as a child Rolfe studied ballet and performed in nightclubs and vaudeville acts, as well as the Chicago World's Fair.<ref name=expertagain>{{Cite web |date=2002-11-03 |title=Bari Rolfe, 86; Expert on the Art of Mime |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-03-me-rolfe3-story.html |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Her family moved to Los Angeles during World War II, and Rolfe continued dancing although her career was temporarily halted when she fell and was injured while performing at the Club Lido.<ref name=encyreuse>{{Cite web |title=Rolfe, Bari 1916-2002 {{!}} Encyclopedia.com |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/rolfe-bari-1916-2002 |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=19 Aug 1935, 3 - The Herald-Palladium at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/365624321/ |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=10 May 1938, 10 - The South Bend Tribune at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/514978832/ |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=expertagain/>
==Career as a mime and educator==
In the 1950s Rolfe was living in San Francisco, where she saw a mime performance by Marcel Marceau. This inspired her to travel to Paris and study at Etienne Decroux's school and L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BARI ROLFE, 86, AUTHOR AND EXPERT ON THE ART OF MIME |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2002-11-05-0211040478-story.html |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Sun Sentinel |date=5 November 2002 }}</ref> Rolfe returned to the United States, and was teaching classes on mime in 1967 at the San Fernando Valley State College and University of California, Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=16 Feb 1967, Page 4 - Valley News at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/30321806/ |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>
In the early 1970s Rolfe's articles on mime were appearing in the Los Angeles Times<ref>{{Cite web |title=3 Jan 1971, 446 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/383066632/ |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> and Chicago Tribune.<ref>{{Cite web |title=18 Mar 1973, 125 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/377302614/ |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> In 1973 Rolfe served as program coordinator for the first international mime institute to be held in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=20 Dec 1973, 1 - The La Crosse Tribune at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/513704155/ |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> She authored books on mime and other topics related to theater, and was called the "Grandmother of the American mime world" at the time of her death in 2002.<ref name=dup665>{{Cite web |title=31 Oct 2002, 16 - Oakland Tribune at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/856241665/ |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>
==Political Life and Activism==
Rolfe was one of the founders of OWL, the Older Women's League<ref name=dup665/> and joined other progressive groups.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buchanan |first=Wyatt |date=2002-10-29 |title=Bari Rolfe -- grand lady of mime |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bari-Rolfe-grand-lady-of-mime-2758631.php |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=SFGATE |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Personal life and death== Rolfe lived in the Prudence Crandall House in Oakland, California, from 1977 until her death in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buchanan |first=Wyatt |date=2002-10-29 |title=Bari Rolfe -- grand lady of mime |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bari-Rolfe-grand-lady-of-mime-2758631.php |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=SFGATE |language=en-US}}</ref> She died of kidney complications.<ref name=encyreuse/>
== Bibliography ==
* ''Behind the Mask'', 1977 * ''Movement for Period Plays'', 1985 * ''History and Mystery of Mime'', 1990 * ''Actions Speak Louder'', 1992 * ''Mimes on Miming: An Anthology of Writings on the Art of Mime'', 1980 (editor)
== References == <!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. --> {{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, Bari}} Category:1916 births Category:2002 deaths Category:American mimes Category:People from Chicago