In college, Holst started doing stand-up comedy, and was spotted by a talent scout for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, who offered him a spot in clown college in 1971. He debuted with the circus as a clown in 1972, but didn’t stop there: he kept rising at the company, and eventually made it to vice president for talent and production — the chief talent scout for the circus.
“He was the ambassador to the world for the Greatest Show on Earth,” said Kenneth Feld, Ringling’s owner. The multilingual (Spanish, Swedish, Russian, Mandarin, French, and Portuguese) Holst “was the one who introduced [the performers] to American society. He became involved in these families’ lives at every step of the way.” He traveled to 164 countries for the circus, looking for fresh acts. “He was an integral part of breaking down Iron Curtain barriers for cultural exchanges,” said circus consultant William B. Hall III. Holst was on a scouting trip in Sao Paulo, Brazil, when he fell ill — and died, on April 16. He was 61.