Michael Polakovs , known in America as Coco the Clown , ( born Riga , Latvia 23 February 1923 ; died USA , 6 December 2009 was a famous clown . Michael Polakovs ( 23 February 1923 â `` 6 December 2009 ) , born in Riga , Latvia , was a circus clown who performed in the US under the name of Coco the Clown , a monicker that his father , Nicolai Poliakoff , had made famous in Europe .