 Grimaldi was born in Clare Market , London , into a family of dancers and comic performers . His great @-@ grandfather , John Baptist Grimaldi , was a dentist by trade and an amateur performer , who in the 1730s moved from Italy to England . There he performed the role of Pantaloon opposite John Rich 's Harlequin . John Baptist 's son , Grimaldi 's paternal grandfather , Giovanni Battista Grimaldi , began performing at an early age and spent much of his career in Italy and France . According to biographer Andrew McConnell Stott , Giovanni was held in the Paris Bastille as the result of a scandalous performance . After his release , Giovanni moved to London in 1742 , where John Baptist introduced him to John Rich ; Giovanni then defrauded Rich and fled to the continent , where he later died . 
