The World’s Oldest Mime Shares the Poignant Story of His Life in Three Different Acts

87-year old Richmond Shepard, the world’s oldest mime, opened up to the cameras of the New Yorker to share the story of his life, his loves and the meaning of non-verbal communication over the course of three poignant acts.

Every woman who has been significant in my life I met in a public place. Two of my wives on subway platforms and on a path towards a theater, one in a coffee shop, one in elevator. The mime mating dance – it’s totally mime. It’s totally communication emotionally and without speaking. One minute romances with a stranger, a passing moment, in a subway. We catch each other’s eye and there is a gesture, something physical that goes on between the two of us. It’s like a quick love affair very woman whose business significant in my life I met in a public place. You get a smile and that look -it’s a similar feeling to getting applause ..a lot of communication can happen in silence but you have to listen.