Kraus was born in New York City on July 26, 1946. He attended acting classes in various Manhattan drama schools including summer classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, for three years was a student of Jack Miller, well known magic teacher and Dean of the Society of American Magicians. He acted in 8 plays at the New London Barn Playhouse, and performed a Houdini escape routine at the Rivera Terrace Night Club on Broadway. Kraus graduated from The Roosevelt School in Stamford, Connecticut, attended Emerson College, Columbia College Chicago, and received a BA from California State University in Los Angeles. He attended graduate school at California State University Northridge and the University of West Los Angeles. He spent one year teaching media studies at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon.
Career
A national known children’s entertainer and author, Kraus has given thousands of shows from coast to coast. He stars in the "Charles The Clown" video produced by A&M Records.
Kraus wrote and performs in two children’s story audios, Not Just Clowning Around and Tail Tales & Tall Tails. With his wife, psychologist Linda Kirschner Kraus, he wrote Charles The Clown’s Guide To Children’s Parties, a successful book published by Jalmar Press. He has written and recorded 20 children’s stories. In the 1980s Kraus was the Articles Editor for LA Home & Entertaining Magazine. His articles have appeared in many newspapers and magazines including the Baltimore Sun, LA Times, Chicago Tribune and USA Today.
As Charles The Magician, Kraus began appearing on television in the 1950s. He was the junior magician on the Magic Clown television show in New York. Later, he performed on Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour. Kraus wrote, produced and starred in five specials for Teleprompter Cable Television, and has appeared on more than 75 television and radio shows. As the "Kraft Foods Children’s Party Expert", he appeared on television and radio shows throughout the Midwestern United States. He has been interviewed by Katie Couric, and by Oprah when she was a reporter for Hello Baltimore. He was a consultant and appears in Children at Risk, funded by the U.S. Department of Education and Washington.
After serving in the US Navy and Construction Battalion during the Vietnam War, he returned to the United States and began experimenting with clown routines. Since then, "Charles The Clown" has performed thousands of live shows for movie, television, sports stars and entertainment industry figures. He has appeared at the Roxy Theatre on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, in theaters and festivals, schools, libraries and other venues.
In 1972, Kraus worked in Music Clearance at CBS Television City in Hollywood. Then, for four years, he was the public service coordinator at KLCS-TV, where in addition to working in a management position, he wrote educational scripts and appeared in numerous television productions. During this period he was an associate producer at "Time Capsule" a syndicated radio program.
In the late 1970s, a toy clown doll was created in Kraus' honor. This clown doll soon became the prized possession of a businessman in Indiana until it disappeared sometime in October 2008. Anyone who may have seen this doll is strongly encouraged to follow the Charles the Clown blog.
