Alfio Silvestri

 I recently acquired these pictures of Alfio Silvestri- there's not a lot of information about Alfio available, so I've posted what I know here hoping that somebody might know more. He was, by all accounts I've read, a very skilled juggler. 

In the graveyard of variety artists in England lies Alfio Silvestri, once hailed as ‘the greatest juggler on earth.’

He was born in 1909 and in his early years lived in Milan. When he appeared on the  British variety circuit  he was introduced as a famous continental juggler, and it’s probable that he honed his craft in the theatres of France and Italy.

In 1932 he debuted in the English variety theatres, he was 22, a slim young man with a polished act. He claimed to be the only person in the world who could juggle 10 balls while standing on one foot.

His speciality was ball juggling, he juggled footballs and billiard balls and his finale was catching balls thrown to him by the audience on a stick in his mouth. This audience interaction was much praised by critics.

Between 1932- 1955, he appeared in all the major music halls in England, Scotland and Ireland with this act.

Alfio Silvestri died in 1992 and was buried in Twickenham cemetery England by the Variety Artistes Benevolent fund.