 From the age of two , Grimaldi was taught to act the characters in the harlequinade by his father . Although he and his younger brother John Baptiste both displayed acting talent , Joseph was groomed for the London stage . He made his stage debut at the Sadler 's Wells Theatre in late 1780 , when Giuseppe took him on stage for his " first bow and first tumble " . On 16 April 1781 , Richard Brinsley Sheridan , the manager of Drury Lane , cast both Giuseppe and Grimaldi in the pantomime The Wizard of the Silver Rocks ; or , Harlequin 's Release . Sheridan employed dozens of children , including Grimaldi , as extras at Drury Lane . 
