A Biographies

The fascinating "Little Georgia Magnet" inspired scores of similar show business acts of seemingly superhuman strength.

Eccentric magic inventor who had an elaborate magic theater in his home, filled with ingenious built-in trickery and the secret techniques used by fake mediums.

Co-founder of Abbott's Magic Co.

Family of Czechoslovakian illusionists: Karel, Blanka, Petr, Lucie and Monika.

20th century Australian caravan magician.

German stage magician and father of Trikson.

Author and inventor of more than 3,000 effects.

Early 20th century American magician who performed closeup effects as his stage act.

Co-founder of the Magic Circle with Neil Weaver and Herbert J. Collings.

Popular British card magician and expert on Erdnase.

Founder of S.S. Adams Co., famous manufacturer of practical jokes and pocket tricks.

The "Cowboy Magician."

Wildly successful French magician, ventriloquist and plate spinner.

17th century author connected to the Salem Witch trials.

French magician and founder of the ASAP, owner of a major book collection.

German magician and inventor who had his own floating theater.

Bangladesh magician billed as "The World's Most Artistic Illusionist" and player of the Bansari.

British magician and author, also known as "F.M. Archer."

Popular 20th century Russian stage illusionist.

Polish stage illusionist and watchmaker.

American illusionist, hypnotist and television actor.

Magician and escape artist who invented the Burning Rope escape.

Host of the 1960s TV program Don Alan's Magic Ranch.

Spanish magician, mentalist and stage hypnotist — the son of the original Professor Alba.

Spanish magician, mentalist and stage hypnotist — the original Professor Alba.

Swiss magician also known as "Albany."

Swiss magician and mentalist in pre-WWII Berlin and Paris.

American club magician and author who specialized in magic with reels.

French 19th century magician and author.

19th century French magician who may have invented Ambitious Card.

20th century Belgian magician and mentalist also known as "Pickman."

18th century Italian scientist and author.

Australian comedy magician, a true "sad clown."

Polish-born stage illusionist who inspired Horace Goldin.

The original "Albini."

American magician and magic historian who amassed one of the most important collections of magical apparatus and wrote an important set of reference books.

American magician, musician and renowned magic collector.

American magician, author and clay pottery artist.

American magician who invented the Aldini Bowl Production.

European whiteface clown who used electricity in his late 19th century act.

American magician and quick-change artist. Father of actor Gale Gordon.

American magician and psychic performer, famous as "The Man Who Knows."

German magician Alexander Heimburger, first magician to perform at the White House.

American magician, author and magic historian.

Egyptian magician famous for his spectacular vaudeville regurgitation act.

British illusionist who performed as an Arab character.

British comedy magician and author.

Society magician and expert on card cheats and gambling methods.

American performer, magic dealer and inventor of Chinatown Quarter.

American magic dealer and inventor of Blok-Cord.

American magician and publisher of MAGIC magazine.

American nightclub magician who used the Vanishing Bird Cage as a closeup trick.

American magician and editor of The Conjuring Record.

Russian illusionist who performed in character as an Oriental Indian.

Australian illusionist who performed over 2,000 shows for the USO during WWII. Father of Will Alma.

Australian illusionist, son of The Mysterious Alma and renowned magic collector.

German illusionist.

India-born classical illusionist who often toured Europe and the Far East.

French illusionist, real name Alfred Auzet, and owner of the Grand Palais des Illusions, the Paris magic theater which he opened in 1928.

British magician who invented the Find the Lady illusion.

French female magician — or fictional illustration on an advertising poster.

British magician, real name William F. Tunnah, who specialized in kids' shows. Wrote Santa's Workshop.

French magician who is credited with combining magic with the art of shadowgraphy, paving the way for other magician-shadowgraphers like Max Holden.

Houdini's advance man, planting secret listening devices in the audience. Also one of the first cruise ship magicians.

American closeup magic expert, especially with Cups & Balls and Topit. Performer, author and lecturer with many television appearances. Married to Hannah, daughter of Frances Willard and Glenn Falkenstein.

British magician and member of Parliament who invented the Bluff Pass. Was also a member of the Ghost Club.

French magician, real name Emile Duval, whose career began in 1889 and continued until his death 44 years later. Performed typical stage illusions, mainly with his own travelling Cirque Féerique Anderson from 1905 until 1933. Served as director of the Cabinet Fantastique in Paris for several years.

Daughter of John Henry Anderson and one of his stage assistants in the 1860s. Used the stage name "Flora." By 1870, she was touring with her own show, billed as "Jennie Anderson." Drowned in a boating accident in New Zealand while on tour in 1875.

Second wife of John Henry Anderson Jr. Real name Angeline Trumeller. Started out as one of John Henry Anderson's stage assistants, billed as "Leona Anderson."

One of four actors to portray the Bonomo Magic Clown on TV.

American magician best known for his version of the Torn and Restored Newspaper trick.

Wife of John Henry Anderson; mother of Alice Hannah, Columbia, Helena Elizabeth, John Jr. and Oscar.

American magician and actor with a specialty in "con artist"-type magic. Best known for his roles as Harry the Hat on Cheers and as Judge Stone on Night Court.

Daughter of John Henry Anderson and one of his stage assistants in the 1860s. Used the stage names "Eliza," "Lizzie," "Lena" and "Helen." In 1877, she married Alfred Miles Holmes and joined his show until they retired in 1902.

Niece of John Henry Anderson and one of his stage assistants in the 1860s. Used the stage names "Ada Anderson" and "Bella Anderson."

One of the best magic showmen in history, he billed himself as "The Wizard of the North."

Daughter of John Henry Anderson, she partnered with him in one of the earliest two-person mentalism acts in the mid-1800s. Blindfolded, she would describe articles handed to her father by members of the audience.

First wife of Philip Anderson; she also acted as his stage assistant.

English-born magician who was the illegitimate son of John Henry Anderson. From 1858 until 1867, he toured with his father's illusion show. In 1867, he went out on his own, billed as "Signor Rubini" and touring Europe and the United States.

Having little success, he abandoned his own show, working for about a year on Heller's show as one of his assistants. Just before his father's death, he took over the character of "Prof. Anderson, The Wizard of the North," mostly touring outside the United States.

By 1900, he retired from show business and moved to Australia, where he became a dentist, then later moved to England where he died. His wives were also involved in his shows. His first wife was Louise Maude Anderson. His second wife, Blanche Louise Daniels, was billed as "Blanche De La Cour" or "Mlle. Blanche."

German magician who invented Andra's Extra Sensory Perception trick.

American magician best known for his invention of Anti Gravico.

American female magician billed as "The Mystery Girl."

British magician and prolific author of magic biographies as well as Sherlock Holmes novels.

American magic inventor and author, most known for his Linking Pins and optical illusions.

American-born multi-dimensional magic performer. Born Antonio C. Andruzzi, he changed his name to Tom Palmer and developed a successful comedy magic act, which he performed from the early 1950s.

In the 1970s, he changed his professional name back to Tony Andruzzi and developed a specialty in bizarre magic, writing and performing under the name Masklyn ye Mage or Daemon Ecks. Married from 1947 to 1964 to Gloria "Vampira" Jacobsen.

He devised the Vampira character for his wife as well as illusions for Doug Henning. He holds the record for the most TAOM awards won: seven.

American-born magic superstar who rose to international fame in the early 2000s. Real name Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos.

Best known for his contributions to the art of mentalism, Ted Annemann was an extraordinary card magician as well. Born Theodore John Squires, Annemann was an extremely talented performer but a very troubled person. His almost unbearable bouts of stage fright gave him an ironic advantage when performing mentalism.

Sometimes he would be so upset that he would shake and break out into a sweat; his audiences thought this was "proof" that he was putting forth incredible mental effort. Annemann was preparing an exhibition of the Bullet Catch when he died by suicide. Annemann is still very influential in magic, and copies of his long-running publication, The Jinx, are very collectible.

American magician on the Lyceum and Chautauqua circuits.

British magician who billed himself as "The Swankiest Swank of All the Swanks." For a short time, his assistant was a young Carl Rosini. Anthony would "hypnotize" Rosini, supposedly turning Rosini into an incredibly talented magician; Rosini would then proceed to do his magic act. The partnership ended when Anthony stole Rosini's possessions and fled.

Holland-born magician and inventor known for clever effects operated electronically, especially liquid effects. Originally a baker.

Vaudeville magician billed as one of the "Hungarian Necromancers."

German magician, real name August Verner, who was one of the many Houdini imitators performing in Europe during the first decade of the 20th century.

American magician, part Native American, who performed on the Lyceum circuit, mainly in the 1920s. Married to Emily Reno, daughter of Ed Reno.

French magician who worked with his wife mainly in Paris. His career was brief.

Pen name of Arthur Ainslie.

American comedy magician, character impersonator, ventriloquist and musician on the Redpath Chautauqua circuit in the 1920s. His show was called "The Laughter Barrage."

First Black female magician who toured with her own show.

British performer, author and magic book publisher. Former editor of Magic Wand and The Wizard publications. Owner of Magic Wand Publishing Co.

Black magician from Spartanburg, South Carolina who toured for over 50 years with his own show, playing almost exclusively to Black audiences. Referred to by other Black entertainers as "The King of the Colored Conjurers," Armstrong wanted to educate his audiences as well as entertain them. He would use his magical effects to tell inspiring stories of the brave feats of historic Black heroes such as Frederick Douglass' escape from slavery.

A strong believer in Black pride, Armstrong proudly advertised his racial heritage on his posters, promoting his show as "The Celebrated Armstrongs — Famous Colored Magicians — The Crowned Heads of Mystery." An excellent account of his life story is found in Conjure Times: Black Magicians in America by Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson.

Black female magician and second wife of Prof. John Armstrong. She performed an impressive two-person mindreading act with her husband, playing the part of the blindfolded psychic. She also played the organ as accompaniment to the magic routines during the show.

Black female magician, first wife of Prof. John Armstrong and mother of Ellen Armstrong. She assisted with the magic routines and also performed a two-person mindreading act with her husband.

American nightclub magician who performed "Fantasy In Smoke."

American magician performing stage magic with her father, Les Arnold. Great-granddaughter of The Great Leon.

American magician performing stage magic since the mid-1960s. Also an illusion builder for Mark Wilson and David Copperfield. Grandson of The Great Leon. Father of "Dazzle" Arnold.

British magician, author and clergyman, founder of The Pentacle Club.

Spanish-born magician, full name D. Arturo de Ascanio Navas, known for inventing the Ascanio Spread in card magic and for his Color Changing Knife routines.

Stage mindreading act owned and promoted by Robert Nelson and Nelson Enterprises. Mentioned in the introduction to the later company catalogs.

British magician who is also considered to be the father of the modern circus, as he built a large performance theater in London expressly for the presentation of grand illusion shows and circus arts productions. He featured the Bullet Catch act. Astley also had a special coin minted to promote himself.

British magician noted for his recreations of spectacular illusions of the great names in magic. One of only two Englishmen to be elected president of the I.B.M.

American female magician and ventriloquist, with her puppet "Oogie." Real name Ruth Buckley. A star of television's first broadcast station, WRGB in Schenectady, New York, with her "Story Lady" children's program in 1948, she had a successful career in corporate and amusement park magic.

Most memorably, she was the Lady Marshall at Storytown, later the Great Escape, in Lake George, New York for more than 30 summer seasons. She also co-founded All Magic Day, a long-running Albany-area magic convention.

American-born illusionist James Crabe, who made numerous television appearances and was also known for his skill with billiard ball manipulation. He was also a cinematographer.

German magician who performed as "Ben Ali Bey" and developed the Black Art act.

Female magician and daughter of Max Auzinger.

Portuguese magician of the late 1800s who worked mainly in Europe, and frequently in Paris, with a grand illusion show. Though his poster illustrates billiard ball manipulation, he was not known to perform any sleight of hand during his program.

British-born magician and inventor of closeup effects. Credited with creating the Siva Count, named after his stage character "Siva."

Stage mindreader and Nelson Enterprises' first recorded customer for their mentalism products.