Jon Finch
Jon Finch is an American magician who specializes in highly visual and interactive performances that mystify audiences. Finch’s skills include misdirection, sleight of hand, close up magic, and illusions. His unique “hands-off” magic style has entertained audiences across the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, and Switzerland. Magician Jon Finch combines magic and comedy in his magic act for theaters, corporate events, television, and live web conferences for Fortune 500 companies.
Jon Finch
Jon Finch is an American mentalist, magician, and mind reader. He specializes in highly visual and interactive performances that astonish audiences. Finch’s skills include telepathy, predicting future events, and identifying thoughts and memories. His unique “hands-off” mentalism style has entertained audiences across the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, and Switzerland. Mentalist Jon Finch combines magic, […]
Jeff McBride
Jeff McBride, born on September 24, 1959, is an American magician known for his skill in mask work, manipulation, and cabaret-style magic. He is a recipient of the prestigious Magician of the Year award from the Academy of Magical Arts. McBride is also a popular teacher and author on magical performance.
The Zancigs
Julius and Agnes Zancig were a husband-and-wife mindreading act popular during the early 1900s. They claimed to demonstrate real telepathy between them, although it was later revealed to be expert mentalism and signal techniques. The Zancigs inspired many future mentalist performers.
Cyril Takayama
Cyril Takayama, born on September 27, 1973, is an American illusionist of Japanese descent. He is known for his deceptively simple yet mystifying magic effects using ordinary objects like cards, coins, and rubber bands. Takayama has performed on Broadway and had appearances on TV shows like The Tonight Show.
Adelaide Herrmann
Adelaide Herrmann was a British magician who performed with her husband Alexander Herrmann as part of a world-famous magic act in the late 19th century. After his death, she continued the act on her own to great acclaim, specializing in escapes and spiritualist performances.
Princess Tenko
Princess Tenko, born Mariko Itakura on December 10, 1959, is a Japanese magician and illusionist. As one of the few prominent female magicians, Tenko earned the nickname “The Magic Queen of Japan”. She starred in Broadway’s Magic Castle in the late 1980s and her own Princess Tenko TV specials.
Dell O’Dell
Dell O’Dell was an American magician who became one of the most successful female magicians of the 1900s. She specialized in close-up magic and published books revealing magic secrets other women performers. She was a role model for women in magic.
Franz Harary
Franz Harary is an American magician known for his grand illusions and stage shows around the world. Some of his famous tricks include making a space shuttle disappear and teleporting an entire live elephant on stage. Harary has received awards from the Academy of Magical Arts.
Karl Germain
Karl Germain was a German magician active in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His specialties included manipulation and sleight of hand tricks with cups and balls. Germain influenced future generations as a teacher of magic and author of important books like The Modern Magician.
Apollo Robbins
Apollo Robbins, nicknamed “The Gentleman Thief”, is an American performer and self-described theatrical pickpocket. While his technical skills are peerless, Robbins is best known for using psychology and distraction in his interactive performances. He considers himself an illusionist rather than magician.
Horace Goldin
Horace Goldin was a stage magician who became famous in the early 1900s for his signature “sawing a woman in half” illusion, which he invented and patented. Though not the first sawing illusion, his improvement of the trick made it a sensation.
The Pendragons
Jonathan and Charlotte Pendragon are American illusionists who gained fame for large-scale stage illusions like appearing to teleport across theaters and escaping from exploding cages. They are prolific inventors, having created over 100 original illusions during their career.
The Great Lafayette
Sigmund Neuberger, better known as The Great Lafayette, was a German illusionist in the late 1800s and early 1900s who specialized in elaborate mechanical tricks powered by steam. His stage persona was flamboyant. He perished in a theater fire along with his beloved dog.
Jason Latimer
Jason Latimer is an American magician who specializes in the manipulation of fluids, gases, and dynamic objects. His signature performance involves the creation of intricate shadow images using lasers and smoke. Latimer gained fame through appearances on television shows like Penn & Teller: Fool Us.
Professor Hoffmann
Professor Hoffmann was the stage name of Anglo-German magician Angelo Lewis who wrote many popular books on magic in the late 19th century. His writings revealed secrets of the trade and influenced Harry Houdini and others.
Val Valentino
Val Valentino, best known as the “Masked Magician”, was an American magician who exposed magic secrets on TV specials in the late 1990s. This controversial revelation of tricks angered many fellow magicians but also ignited greater public interest in magic.
Max Malini
Max Malini was an American magician born in the late 1800s who performed sleight of hand and large-scale illusions. He was renowned for his impromptu street magic performed for wealthy patrons and celebrities.
Lu Chen
Lu Chen is a Chinese magician who combines illusion and Chinese traditional arts like shadow play and acrobatics. He gained fame through his magic competition shows on Chinese TV. Chen has broken several world records and is nicknamed “the China David Copperfield”.
J.N. Maskelyne
John Nevil Maskelyne was a British stage magician from the late 1800s renowned for the Egyptian Hall theater he founded. He made many innovations in stage illusions and automata. The Levitation of Princess Karnac was among his most spectacular tricks.
PC Sorcar
Protul Chandra Sorcar, known as P. C. Sorcar, was an Indian magician called the “father of Indian magic” for helping popularize the art in the 20th century. His elaborate shows incorporated exotic animals and elaborate props. One of his most famous tricks was sawing his wife in half on stage.
Buatier De Kolta
Joseph Buatier de Kolta was a French magician in the late 1800s who invented the expanding flower bouquet illusion, vanishing birdcage, and the rising cards trick. His style focused on elegant manipulation.
Cardini
Richard Valentine Pitchford, known by the stage name Cardini, was a British magician famous for his card manipulation act performed with white gloves. At a time when most magicians revealing their secrets was taboo, Cardini was very open about his techniques. He helped inspire a new generation of card magicians.
Imro Fox and Imro Magic
Imro Fox, born Isidor Fuchs, was an American vaudeville magician who founded Imro Magic. The company manufactured magical equipment for decades and published expose books revealing secrets.
Richiardi Jr.
Aldo Izquierdo, better known as Richiardi Jr, was a hugely influential stage magician from the 1960s through the 1990s. He specialized in gruesome tricks like the buzzsaw illusion, despite losing a finger to a real buzzsaw accident earlier in his career.
Chung Ling Soo
Ching Ling Foo was a Chinese magician popular in America in the early 1900s. He was known for traditional illusions like the linking rings as well as new tricks with huge production boxes he invented. Ching Ling Foo was one of many magicians who died on stage performing the Bullet Catch.
Bernard Bilis
French magician Bernard Bilis gained fame in the 1980s with his grand spectacles and innovations in stage magic technology. With his own company Magic Bilis, he transported massive illusions and invented groundbreaking mechanisms still used by magicians today.
Alexander
Claude Alexander Conlin was a popular American vaudeville magician in the early 1900s. He was known for elaborate theatrical tricks as well as close-up skills like manipulating coins.
Sos and Victoria Petrosyan
This Russian husband-and-wife duo gained prominence in the 1970s and 80s with their revue-style magic show performed with a troupe of dancers. Their graceful combination of magic and dance made them hugely popular in Europe and Asia.
Mac King
Mac King, born on December 2, 1959, is an American magician who has performed on television specials, often in one-off comedy magic roles. King has his own family-friendly show, “The Mac King Comedy Magic Show”, at the Harrah’s Las Vegas in the Clint Holmes Theater.
Channing Pollock
Channing Pollock was an American magician popular in the 1900s and 1910s for his elaborate illusions on Broadway and around the world. His most famous tricks involved producing doves and other animals. Pollock was also known for advocating the professionalism of magic as theatrical art.
Johnny Thompson
Johnny Thompson, also known as “The Great Tomsoni”, born on July 27, 1934, was a Polish-American magician who performed with his wife, Pamela Hayes. They had a comedic slapstick act with Thompson as the bumbling magician and Hayes as his assistant. Thompson was also a respected consultant and helped design illusions for magicians like Penn […]
Howard Thurston
An American magician from the early 20th century, Howard Thurston gained fame as a rival and successor to Harry Houdini. He performed renowned illusions like the floating lightbulb and rising card tricks. Thurston also had a popular magic show that toured internationally for decades.
Shin Lim
Shin Lim, born on September 25, 1991, is a Canadian-American magician recognized for his use of card manipulation and sleight of hand. Lim first came to international attention after winning the 2015 World FISM Championship for Close-Up Card Magic and later won the 13th season of America’s Got Talent in 2018. His silent performances set […]
Lance Burton
Lance Burton, born William Lance Burton on March 10, 1960, is an American stage magician. He performed in Las Vegas for more than 30 years and had a contract with the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino for a record-breaking 13 years. Burton’s show typically combined large-scale illusions with intimate, close-up magic. He retired from performing […]
James Randi
James Randi, born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge on August 7, 1928, was a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic. Known as “The Amazing Randi”, he dedicated much of his career to debunking paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. Randi was a founder of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), and the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF), organizations […]
Doug Henning
Doug Henning was a Canadian magician, illusionist, and escape artist born on May 3, 1947. He is credited with reviving the public’s interest in magic in the 1970s with his Broadway show “The Magic Show”. Henning was known for his exuberant personality, distinctive style, and for blending magic with theatrical performance. He also starred in […]
Uri Geller
Uri Geller, born on December 20, 1946, is an Israeli-British performer and self-proclaimed psychic, known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout his career, he has used conjuring tricks to simulate the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy. Geller’s career is notable as he courted controversy by insisting his […]
Siegfried & Roy
Siegfried & Roy were a German-American duo of magicians and entertainers, known for their appearances with white lions and white tigers. The duo was made up of Siegfried Fischbacher (June 13, 1939 – January 13, 2021) and Roy Horn (October 3, 1944 – May 8, 2020). Their show in Las Vegas was one of the […]
Harry Blackstone Jr.
Harry Blackstone Jr., born on June 30, 1934, was an American stage magician, the son of notable magician Harry Blackstone Sr. Throughout his career, he performed many of the same illusions his father had performed, such as the “Buzz Saw” illusion, where a woman appears to be cut in half. Blackstone Jr. was known for […]
Ricky Jay
Ricky Jay, born Richard Jay Potash on June 26, 1946, was an American stage magician, actor, and writer. Known for his card tricks, close-up magic, and historical knowledge of the art of magic, Jay gained recognition not only from the magic community but also from the entertainment industry. Jay also appeared in numerous films and […]
Mat Franco
Mat Franco, born on May 10, 1988, is an American magician and the winner of the ninth season of America’s Got Talent. Franco’s style of magic involves storytelling and humor, often using simple props and common items. He has a long-term contract with The LINQ Hotel and Experience in Las Vegas for his magic show, […]
Max Maven
Max Maven, born Philip Goldstein in 1950, is an American magician and mentalist. Known for his sophisticated and often mysterious performances, Maven has performed in over three dozen countries and had numerous television appearances. Besides performing, he has also served as a consultant to other magicians due to his deep knowledge of magical history and […]
Juan Tamariz
Juan Tamariz, born on October 18, 1942, in Spain, is a magician specializing in close-up magic. He is well-known in the magic community for his development of “The Tamariz Stack”, a memorized deck order used to perform incredible feats of card magic. Tamariz has written several books in Spanish and English on magic theory.
Harry Lorayne
Harry Lorayne, born on May 4, 1926, is an American magician and a memory-training specialist, known for his mnemonic demonstrations. He has appeared on national television numerous times showing his memory techniques and has authored more than 40 books on magic, memory, and other subjects.
Michael Ammar
Michael Ammar, born on June 25, 1956, is an American magician known for his work with close-up magic, particularly with his cups and balls routine. He has won magician of the year from the Academy of Magical Arts and has written several books and instructional guides for magicians.
Penn & Teller
Penn & Teller are an American magician duo consisting of Penn Jillette and Raymond Teller. They have performed together since the late 1970s and are known for their unique blend of comedy and magic. Their act often includes a philosophical or political component alongside the magic, and Teller, uniquely, performs silent while Penn provides the […]
Mark Wilson
Mark Wilson, born on April 11, 1929, is an American magician who had the first network television magic series, The Magic Land of Allakazam. He is largely credited with pioneering the format of magic on television and has written numerous books on magic. Wilson passed away on January 19, 2021.
Derren Brown
Derren Brown, born on February 27, 1971, is an English mentalist, illusionist, and author. Brown is known for his performances in which he mixes magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection, and showmanship. His television shows and stage performances, such as “Derren Brown: Mind Control” and “Derren Brown: Trick of the Mind”, have garnered widespread acclaim. Brown also […]
Dynamo (Steven Frayne)
Steven Frayne, better known by his stage name Dynamo, is an English magician born on December 17, 1982. Dynamo is best known for his television show “Dynamo: Magician Impossible”, which ran from July 2011 to September 2014. His unique brand of magic usually involves large-scale illusions, street magic, and close-up magic. Dynamo has influenced a […]
Will Goldston
Will Goldston was an innovative English magician from the late 1800s and early 1900s who founded magic shops and published books exposing secrets as well as theories on performance.