Anatoly Leonidovich Durov was born on November 26 (December 8) 1864 in Moscow and died on January 7, 1916 in Mariupol. He was a famous Russian circus performer, clown, and animal trainer, the younger brother of Vladimir Leonidovich Durov.

Coming from a noble family, Anatoly was born to a police officer in the Tverskoy district of Moscow. His mother died when he was only five years old, after which his father began to drink and soon passed away. Anatoly and his brother Vladimir were raised by their godfather, lawyer Nikolai Zakharovich Zakharov.

At the age of 10, Anatoly entered the first cadet corps but was expelled two years later due to poor academic performance and a passion for acrobatics. He then studied at a private boarding school.

At 16, Anatoly asked his godfather for permission to work in the circus but was denied. In 1880, he left home and joined the traveling show of Vainshteyk.

From 1880, he performed as a tightrope walker and trapeze acrobat, later becoming a clown. Durov founded a circus dynasty and became one of the most popular and highest-paid performers in Russia.

In Paris, a commemorative token was issued in his honor, and in Düsseldorf, the "Universal Encyclopedia of Circus Arts" dedicated an article to him, which was unique for a Russian artist.

Durov always performed with animals, using them to stage fables, scenes, and plays. He was the first clown to perform without makeup, in a luxurious costume, and used his real name on posters. He boldly criticized the authorities, officials, and police, speaking out against corruption and bureaucracy, for which he faced repression and exile multiple times.

In 1901, he bought a house and estate on the outskirts of Voronezh, where he founded a museum-panopticum and conducted tours. Durov was also interested in painting on glass, creating pictures in a special way.

In 1912, he tried his hand as a director, filming "The War of the 20th Century" at his estate, featuring animals. He also acted in two films: "Gold, Tears, and Laughter" and "Napoleon Inside Out," in the first of which he played the role of a clown.

In 1913, at the Polytechnic Museum in Moscow, he gave a lecture titled "On Laughter and the Priests of Laughter," where he reflected on the essence of clowning and the nature of the comic.

Anatoly Durov died on tour in Mariupol from pneumonia and was buried in the necropolis of the Sorrowful Monastery. In the 1930s, after the necropolis was destroyed, his ashes were handed over to relatives and kept in the house-museum in Voronezh, and in 1997, he was buried in the yard of this house.