Sam Alexander

Sam Alexander (??? - 1997), AKA "The Man with Two Faces," was born without disfigurement. In his twenties he was pursuing a career in theatre. Accounts of how he injured himself vary but seem to generally revolve around the idea that he lit a match near gasoline and he received deep burns throughout the lower half of his his face. Although he had many surgeries afterwards he was not happy with the result as they were unable to restore his features and estimated it would take up to 15 years to so. He felt unable to go out in public due to his appearance. A young surgeon believed they could make him a realistic mask to assist him instead, which led Alexander to feeling he could go out again. At this point he became a sideshow performer. His act involved him wearing his mask as he told his story, then removing his mask at the end. He was involved with Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey, and the Clyde Beatty Circus, and later started his own sideshow company. After further operations on his fave he eventually retired wearing his mask. He passed away in 1997 of natural causes. He was well loved by his friends. The screenshots are taken from a video entitled "Russell Bros. Circus 1940's" which was sold on ebay.

Video

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