Maria Valente (b. Rome, Italy 1897 – 1977, Munich, Germany) was born to a musical family from Rome who had been involved with circus directing in Russia before the October Revolution. Valente grew up in impoverished conditions in pre-revolutionary Imperial Russia. During the October Revolution, she fled to Finland, where she made a living as a singer and actor. She met her future husband, a juggler, Giuseppe Valente in Finland. In the 1930s, the family moved to Italy, where she was able to gain the attention of variety stages. Her success led to engagements worldwide. In 1943, the family was in Berlin, where they performed at the famous Wintergarten Variete, which was bombed. The male members of the Valente family were forcibly conscripted in 1944, tearing the family apart. Maria Valente spent her later years in France. Valente was considered by professionals as « the world’s best female clown » at the time.
