Anthony Gatto

Juggler

By Dominique Jando

Anthony Gatto was born in Manhattan, New York, in 1973, but spent his early childhood in Ellicott City, Maryland. It is there that he picked up his first ball and embarked in a remarkable journey that would change the juggling world, and make him known as “The World’s Greatest Juggler.” His coach was his father, Nick Gatto a former acrobat who had a brilliant career on the vaudeville and nightclub circuits with his act, The 3 Gatos.

Nick soon realized that his son had a profound feel and understanding of object manipulation: at age 8, Anthony entered his first international juggling competition and walked away with a gold medal. He then made an appearance on the television show That's Incredible, where an agent noticed him and sent him two years later (1983) to the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris. There Anthony performed in front of all the major circus and variety directors and agents, and won the coveted Gold Medal. He was immediately offered numerous contracts from America to Australia, and at age 10, he was playing the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas! During these years, Anthony made periodic appearances in Europe, and performed at a Royal Command Performance in England for the Queen Mother. In addition, he competed in circus festivals in Italy, Belgium, and Mexico, each time earning Gold.

In his late teen years, he broke every known juggling record, and continued breaking his own records consistently: to this day (2008), he still holds every meaningful juggling record in existence. Anthony met his wife, Danielle, a dancer, in Branson, Missouri; they married in 1999 and, after six months, she joined Anthony’s act, giving it a new flair as his assistant. In 2000, Anthony participated in the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, where he was the first juggler ever to win the prestigious Gold Clown award. He returned to Monte-Carlo for a history-making appearance with another juggling legend, Kris Kremo, for the Festival’s tribute to Prince Rainier III in 2006. Anthony has been featured in the world’s top venues, including the Lido in Paris, TigerPalast in Frankfurt, Wintergarten in Berlin, and the Monte-Carlo Sporting Club, among many others, and in Cirque du Soleil’s production of Kooza.