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21[[quoteright:290:[[Creator/HarryHoudini https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MP3546~Harry-Houdini-Posters.jpg]]]]
22
23->''"Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it... because you're not really looking... You don't really want to know... You want to be fooled."''
24-->-- '''Cutter''', ''Film/ThePrestige''
25
26You know them: they wear [[SharpDressedMan tuxedoes]], top hats, swishing satin capes, and fine white gloves. They flourish black batons with white tips and [[PickACard brandish decks of cards]], metal rings, rubber balls, paper cups, and silk handkerchiefs. Their favorite words are "Abracadabra", "Hocus Pocus", "Presto (change-o)", "Voila", "Now you see it--now you don't" and "Alakazam!"
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28Using their nimble fingers, hidden devices, and deliberate misdirection, they can PullARabbitOutOfMyHat, pull a dove from their sleeve, SawAWomanInHalf, and hypnotize hapless audience members or even [[DisappearingBox make them disappear]]! Sometimes they're also {{Escape Artist}}s, able to get out of handcuffs and straitjackets and still find out what your card was. Some of them [[MagicianDetective solve crimes in their spare time]]. And maybe, just ''maybe'', some of them can do ''[[MagiciansAreWizards real magic]]''. Or, conversely, they simply [[FakeWizardry use their stage tricks to fake it]]. [[SecretKeeper A magician never tells]], but then [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane that's all part of the mystique]].
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30Almost AlwaysMale -- at least, the person whose name is on the marquee. However, the [[LovelyAssistant assistants]] (almost AlwaysFemale) are also trained professionals. Woe betides anyone who tries to RummageFail through their possessions. A skilled one will usually perform tricks that [[ImpossiblyAwesomeMagicTrick are impossible in real life]], which is handwaved by simply saying a magician never reveals his secret.
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32If it’s a matter of AnimalOccupationStereotypes, we may meet a RabbitMagician.
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34Of course, ''real'' illusionists usually don't fit ''any'' of the stereotypes listed above, but since the magic community is, by nature, sorta close-knit, this is far from being a DiscreditedTrope.
35
36See the HocusTropus index for the many tropes surrounding Stage Magic.
37
38----
39!!Examples:
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41%%
42%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
43%%
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45[[foldercontrol]]
46
47[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
48* August 7 from ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' was a former professional stage magician before becoming a straight-up {{reality warp|er}}ing Contractor and [=MI6=] operative. Humorously, and ''[[BlessedWithSuck cruelly]]'' given his past profession, the price for using his power is to give away the secrets of every magic trick he knows.
49* The Jester class from ''Literature/DidYouKnowThatAPlayboyCanChangeHisJobToASage'' employs a number of skills and techniques that evoke this imagery, commanding the attention of audience and foes alike right where the jester wants it, essentially answering the question of "what would a stage magician be like if they could do actual magic in their act?".
50* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'': Hisoka is more of a magician than he is a clown, with cards as his favored weapons. He likes to use some kind of twisted magic tricks in his fights to confuse his opponents and to make his fight a spectacle show.
51* Meimi/Saint Tail in ''Manga/KaitouSaintTail'' uses magic tricks she'd learned from her father to operate as a PhantomThief, with her magic being [[ImpossiblyAwesomeMagicTrick so beyond the level of average stage magic]] that it blurs the line between that and her being an actual MagicalGirl.
52* ''Anime/MagicalEmiTheMagicStar'' is about a young elementary school girl named Mai who is a CircusBrat but not a very good magician, who can transform into an OlderAlterEgo named Magical Emi who is a cool stage magician with a {{fanservice}}-providing version outfit of the standard Stage Magician outfit.
53* ''Manga/MagicalSempai'': The titular character does her best in this, but as it's an ecchi comedy series, she shows off more skin than skill.
54* Kaitou Kid from ''Manga/MagicKaito'' and ''Manga/CaseClosed'' (as well as suspects or victims in various episodes). Specifically, Kid is a magician thief, using his tricks to steal objects and deceive people.
55* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
56** ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'': In one episode, a (rather pathetic) stage magician named Melvin is trying to make big in Las Vegas (Broadway in the original Japanese version) with a fire wand trick. It nearly burned the entire carnival, prompting the carnival manager to fire him on spot. The only good magic trick he has is a Pokémon called Exeggcute which can do an effective Hypnosis spell on people.
57** ''Anime/PokemonJirachiWishmaker'': Butler, the BigBad of the film, is a professional, traveling stage magician who, along with his assistant Diane, puts on an excellent performance for Ash and friends. However, Butler was a former Team Magma scientist who was fired when his machine to clone [[OlympusMons Groudon]] from fossilized remains ended in complete failure. As a result, Butler is using the traveling magic show as a front to find Jirachi, a wish-granting Pokémon that theoretically could achieve what his machine had failed.
58* ''Series/{{Trick}}'': This is Yamada Naoko's official profession, but she's rarely seen actually performing on stage (mostly because her stage presence is so lacking she actually drives away her audience).
59* ''Manga/YuGiOh'':
60** While the Black/[[DubNameChange Dark]] Magician plays the MagiciansAreWizards trope straight, many of his support cards invoke stage magician imagery.
61** Pandora/[[DubNameChange Arkana]] was a famous magician in the past but lost his career after a botched trick ruined his face. His Dark Magician deck also features a lot of cards that resemble standard magician tricks.
62* ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' has this as a running theme. Yuya's dad, Yusho/[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Yusyo]], is a professional Entertainment Duelist with a magician theme. We once see him use a Spell Card to misdirect a man who had captured a woman and was able to rescue her. Also, his ace is a stage magician stylized to reflect playing cards and linking rings. Other support cards involving his Sky Magician keep the theme. Dennis Macfield also uses a stage magician, Entermage Trapeze Magician, as his ace due to Yusho's influence.
63[[/folder]]
64
65[[folder:Comedy]]
66* The Amazing Johnathan is a subversion of this whole image: he's dirty, he's fat, he's hairy, and all of his tricks usually [[StylisticSuck end up backfiring spectacularly]], though he'll also play it straight depending on RuleOfFunny. He relies heavily on comedy magic. Sadly he's had to lighten his schedule owing to some cardiac problems. "Welp, chalk another thing up on the [[http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/q1y0dc/stand-up-amazing-johnathan--money-illusion list of 'Shit I can't do'."]] [[LongList The list is at least 80 items long]], and includes such gems as "Know how many states there are" twice, "Bring a woman to orgasm", and "Shower".
67* Creator/PattonOswalt has an entire bit about watching a Comedy-Magician when he was first starting out, who was ''genuinely'' very good at it, but who'd been pissed off by the bar's owner stiffing him for five dollars, and proceeded to perform his act with very little showmanship out of spite.
68-->'''Patton:''' And he was an amazing magician! He was really good! So there's something so beautiful about ''that'' level of skill just used [[DisproportionateRetribution for petty vengeance]].
69[[/folder]]
70
71[[folder:Comic Books]]
72* In ''ComicBook/AthenaVoltaire'', Athena's father was a notable stage magician, and she picked up a wide range of odd skills from him and the other performers he worked with. One which comes in handy is the EscapeArtist experience she got from none other than Creator/HarryHoudini, a good family friend.
73* The main character from ''Jar Of Fools'', Ernie Weiss (based on Creator/HarryHoudini, whose real name was Ehric Weiss), and his mentor Al Floss (based on the actual magician named Al Floss).
74* ComicStrip/MandrakeTheMagician was the very first comic book superhero - he could do "real" magic as opposed to illusions - making this Older Than Superman.
75%% * There were a bloody lot of these back in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks. The ones that survived complete to today are Mandrake, Zatara (see below), Ibis the Invincible, and Sargon the Sorcerer. A few others get mentions in PublicDomainCharacter comics like ''Terra Obscura'' and ''ComicBook/ProjectSuperpowers''.
76** DC also had Mysto, a nonmagical crime-solving Stage Magician, very likely based on Mandrake. However, unlike Mandrake, Mysto possessed no real magic powers, and relied upon sleight of hand and hypnosis.
77* Creator/HarryHoudini is one of the experts recruited by UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt for his team of special operatives in ''ComicBook/RoughRiders''. He forms an OddFriendship with black prizefighter Jack Johnson.
78%% * Alchemist or Magician Smurf fills this role in ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' comic book stories.
79* One arc in ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'' had the title character encounter and work alongside Houdini, who is revealed to be an actual dimension-travelling mage using his show as a cover. Houdini teaches Spawn a few tricks about what his suit can do.
80* Wim Magwit in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]] comics. He's actually a genius inventor, whose signature trick involves a "magic hoop" that's actually a teleportation device (very short-range, but teleportation mostly doesn't exist ''at all'' in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, so it's still impressive).
81%% * [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Billy Batson's]] great-uncle Dudley is a stage magician in ''ComicBook/ShazamTheNewBeginning''.
82* Moloch the Mystic from ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'' is a stage magician turned supervillain. In his declining years, [[spoiler:as he is dying from cancer]], he is living in a tiny apartment surrounded by the trappings of his stage act.
83* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':
84** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Hypnota is a stage magician and hypnotist whose identical twin sister acts as their LovelyAssistant. They use the fact that they're identical and that Hypnota dresses as a man so this fact is unknown to the audience to pull off some of their tricks.
85** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Natasha Teranova practices stage magic and card tricks for fun, which comes in handy during the long days stranded in space and later as a bit of fun for the revolutionaries.
86* ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} from Franchise/TheDCU and her deceased father, Zatara. Both are [[MagiciansAreWizards real sorcerers pretending to be stage magicians.]] Zatanna in particular has considerable skill in standard sleight of hand and escape artistry in addition to her authentic mystical abilities, and she has quite a bit of fame and fortune stemming from her traditional performances in theaters and stadiums around the world.
87[[/folder]]
88
89[[folder:Fan Works]]
90%% * Abra-Kadabra from ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic''.
91* ''Fanfic/NotTheIntendedUseZantetsukenReverse'': Chapter 22 has Soma trying to use the Killer Clown soul's deck manipulation ability for magic tricks.
92%% * Trixie Lulamoon from ''Fanfic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse''. Also her grandfather, Quartermoon the Magnificent.
93* In ''Fanfic/CheatingDeathThoseThatLived'', Tabbock has a knack for deception and tricks. He takes on the persona of a stage magician when he's named tribute of the 43rd Hunger Games, where his interview is a magic show, his in-arena kills after themed after magic tricks, and he's given a magic hat, cape, and wand by the Gamemakers as a gift to look the part for his final trick (a "disappearing box"). He also does magic tricks during his Victor's party and was paid by Olga to hypnotize Lyme into volunteering for the Hunger Games.
94[[/folder]]
95
96[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
97* Manny the praying mantis in ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' is the magician on a bug circus, albeit he seems to honestly believe that he's capable of magic. His LovelyAssistant is Gypsy, a gypsy moth.
98* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'', the Pharaoh's magicians (first mentioned in [[Literature/BookOfExodus Exodus]] chapter 7) are re-imagined as this. Their stage tricks are contrasted with Moses' genuine miracles.
99[[/folder]]
100
101[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
102* In ''Film/{{Clue}}'', Mrs White's illusionist husband is mentioned.
103--> '''Wadsworth''': Your first husband also disappeared.\
104'''Mrs White''': But that was his job, he was an illusionist.
105--> '''Wadsworth''': But he never reappeared.
106--> '''Mrs White''': He wasn't a very good illusionist.
107%% * Celine, in ''Film/CelineAndJulieGoBoating,'' and Julie tries her hand at it, too.
108* The main character in ''Film/TheIllusionist2006'', with a powerful touch of MaybeMagicMaybeMundane. The film tells the story of Eisenheim, a magician in turn-of-the-century Vienna, who reunites with his childhood love, a woman far above his social standing. The film also depicts a fictionalized version of the Mayerling incident.
109* ''Film/TheIncredibleBurtWonderstone'' features three generations of stage magicians: the classic top hat and tails type, Rance Holloway; the Siegfried and Roy-inspired duo of Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton (with elements of David Copperfield thrown in); and the more modern, David Blaine/Criss Angel-based street magician Steve Gray. Rance is seen to be [[TheMentor a benevolent mentor]] to Burt and Anton, while Steve is [[TheRival considered a threat to the pair's more traditional stage magic]]. David Copperfield himself cameos in the film.
110* In ''Film/TheMadMagician'', Don Gallico attempts to move on from creating illusions for others to start his own career as a stage magician under the name 'Gallico the Great'. After his dream is ruined, he murders rival magician The Great Rinaldi (one of the people responsible for his downfall) and takes over his career.
111%% * Most of the main characters in ''Film/{{Magicians}}''.
112%% * Creator/NicolasCage's character from ''Film/{{Next|2007}}''.
113* ''Film/NowYouSeeIt2005'': A whole trio of them, competing in a reality show to be the greatest teenage stage magician. Their tricks range from card magic to levitation, to [[MagiciansAreWizards real magic.]] There are even more stage magicians in the beginning, all making the effort to show off their skills.
114* ''Film/NowYouSeeMe'' stars a team of four stage magicians dubbed The Four Horsemen, who use their acts to rob banks. At least two seem to have an area of expertise, with Merrit being a talented hypnotist/mentalist and Jack being more of a conman in his skillset (primarily sleight-of-hand).
115* Both main characters in ''Film/ThePrestige''. The film follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, rival stage magicians in London at the end of the 19th century. Obsessed with creating the best stage illusion, they engage in competitive one-upmanship, with tragic results.
116%% * In ''Film/{{Scoop}}'', Creator/WoodyAllen is "The Great Splendini", a stereotypical stage magician.
117%% * One of the main characters in ''Film/TerrorTrain'', played by David Copperfield.
118* Film/{{Willow}} is a magician who wants to learn actual magic. [[spoiler: The fact he knows fake magic is actually very important to the climax as he manages to fool the BigBad(an actual sorceress) into thinking he did something impossible.]]
119* ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' himself, see below in Literature. His backstory is developed in the 2013 prequel ''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful''. Although posing as a wizard, he is actually a stage magician and ConMan whose hot air balloon was swept up in a tornado and deposited in Oz.
120[[/folder]]
121
122[[folder:Gamebooks]]
123* [[https://gamebooks.org/Series/53/Show ''Blackstone's Magic Adventures'']] was a three-book mystery gamebook series that featured real-life magician Harry Blackstone Jr., as well as instructions in each book on how to perform various magic tricks.
124[[/folder]]
125
126[[folder:Literature]]
127* In ''Literature/BoredOfTheRings'', Goodgulf the Wizard loves to boast of his magical powers, but only proves capable of pulling off clichéd stage magic tricks that seem to do more to annoy witnesses than fool them.
128* The main character of ''Carter Beats the Devil'', based on a real-life magician of the same name. At the climax of his latest touring stage show, Carter invites United States President Warren G. Harding on to stage to take part in his act. In front of an amazed audience, Carter proceeds to chop the president into pieces, cut off his head, and feed him to a lion, before restoring him to health. The show is a great success, but two hours later the president is dead, and Carter finds himself the centre of some very unwelcome attention indeed.
129* Reg Chronotis from Creator/DouglasAdams's ''Literature/DirkGentlysHolisticDetectiveAgency'' is one of these. But he tries taking one trick too far...
130* The Guild of Conjurers in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels. They are generally amateurs and are quite popular with the populace of Ankh-Morpork; magic's magic, but the idea that someone's making billiard balls appear ''without'' doing magic is something else. Wizards, of course, hate them.
131* [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden's]] father, Malcolm, was said to be a stage magician, though he's a PosthumousCharacter and appears almost entirely in brief flashbacks (and one sort-of dream sequence). It's no coincidence that his son is named Harry Blackstone Copperfield.
132* Mercedes Lackey's Literature/ElementalMasters novels:
133** ''Literature/ReservedForTheCat'' features a Fire Master (i.e., a mage) who spends his career being a very good stage magician. He does occasionally use 'real magic' in his performances.
134** ''Literature/{{Steadfast}}'' has an Air Magician who is also a stage magician and uses Air Elementals to help him in his act.
135* The mystery of Mr. Todhunter, in the Literature/FatherBrown story "The Absence of Mr Glass", is explained by his being a stage magician.
136* [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Aziraphale]] in ''Literature/GoodOmens''. He certainly could do "real magic" if he wanted, but he much prefers prestidigitation, despite how awful he is at it.
137* The Weasley Twins in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' have shades of this, using their magical ability to develop tricks for pranksters, being grade-A pranksters themselves. In one book, they use this trope as a cover to impress a local village girl, who thinks that their tricks are "almost like real magic". They actually open their own joke shop later on in the series. The Marauders, their inspiration, may have also been like this. Funnily enough, their joke shop also does steady, if not exactly booming, business in selling Muggle stage magic props to wizards.
138** There's also a popular [[{{Fanon}} fan theory]] that Harry's maternal grandparents were stage magicians, thus explaining their enthusiasm regarding Lily being a witch.
139%% * The conjuror in Creator/GKChesterton's ''Magic'', though it's MaybeMagicMaybeMundane.
140* Literature/NickVelvet is an amateur magician who often uses sleight of hand in his thefts. He is skilled enough that he is able to get a job as a magician on a riverboat in "The Theft of Twenty-Nine Minutes".
141* Many of the characters in ''Literature/TheNightCircus'', particularly Prospero and his protege Celia. Prospero teaches his daughter to hone her innate talents by holding ever larger and more complex magical workings in her mind. Celia takes her position on the game board as the illusionist who makes true transformations, adding tents and maintaining wondrous aspects from the inside.
142%% * Alistair [=MacKinnon=] in ''[[Literature/SallyLockhart The Shadow in the North]]''.
143* The Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse has Xaverri, an ex-girlfriend of Han Solo who plays a major role in a few novels as a stage illusionist. While one would think that in a universe where holograms have been well-established for thousands of years, such illusions would have a hard time impressing people, Xaverri is ''so good'' with her holographic artistry that she can fool ''capital ship grade sensors'', let alone the human eye. This plays a pivotal role in a battle where a rag-tag group of smugglers and pirates defeat a much larger Imperial task force.
144* ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'' himself, [[ItWasHisSled as everyone knows by now,]] was not a wizard at all, but a stage magician flung by a tornado into a MagicalLand, where through clever use of stage magic he was able to convince the denizens he was a powerful wizard.
145* Butterbumps, the Tyrells' fool, in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' entertains his ladies with sleight-of-hand tricks.
146* In ''Literature/StrangerInAStrangeLand'' Valentine Michael Smith does a stint as a magician in a carnival. Even with the lovely Jill for an assistant, he is not very good; the manager says his tricks (actually done through Martian telekinesis)are good, but he just doesn't know people
147* ''Literature/WorldOfWonders'', the third novel in ''Creator/RobertsonDavies'' Literature/DeptfordTrilogy is about the rise to fame of stage magician Magnus Eisengrim.
148[[/folder]]
149
150[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
151* The 1970s Creator/{{ITV}} kids' show ''Series/AceOfWands'' featured a stage magician called Tarot who solved mysteries in his spare time. The show had a magic advisor, but most of the tricks depicted in the show were cheats using video effects.
152* GOB Bluth on ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment''. In spite of presenting himself as a cool ladykiller, he's a pretty dorky guy who is constantly trying to impress people with stage magic at inappropriate moments and usually flubbing it terribly.
153* ''Series/{{Banacek}}'': In "Now You See Me, Now You Don't", Banacek investigates when an amateur stage magician literally disappears during the middle of his vanishing act.
154* ''Series/TheBozoShow'': Wizzo was one, of the "Arabian Nights mystic" flavor. The man under the makeup, Marshall Brodien, was a professional magician whose "do-it-yourself" magic show kits were often seen during Bozo's Grand Prize Game.
155* Michael Carbonaro of ''Series/TheCarbonaroEffect'' is a sleight-of-hand artist with a twist -- instead of being on stage, he performs his tricks while in disguise on the streets or in various businesses and pretends to be as shocked and confused by his own antics as the people he deals with. It's when they're on the verge of losing their minds that he finally reveals himself.
156* ''Series/ColonelMarchOfScotlandYard'': In "The Case of the Misguided Missal", RealLife stage magician Chan Canasta appears AsHimself: brought in by March to demonstrate how the missing book could have been stolen from the safe.
157* ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' has featured magicians twice, as the murderer in "Now You See Him..." and as the victim in "Columbo Goes to the Guillotine." In both cases, Columbo feigns bewilderment at the magic acts, but his innate perceptiveness allows him to notice far more than the average audience member.
158* On ''Series/CornerGas'', Hank's talent show act was supposed to be this, but due to his watch displaying the wrong date, he ended up stuck at the talent show with no props, forcing him to mime his act and describe what ''would'' have happened had the props been there. [[spoiler:He won. All the other acts were just that bad]].
159%% * ''Series/{{CSI}}'': 'Abra Cadaver'
160* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': "Sleight Out Of Hand" guest-starred real-life magician Criss Angel as in-universe magician Luke Blade, who fancied himself the next Houdini but who snapped and began killing people in variations of his own stunts. He cut his first victim in half with a garden-variety hand saw...while she was still alive. The team purchases a magic kit as part of their investigation; Mac uses it to turn a handkerchief into a rose in front of Stella and Danny, but never reveals to them how it's done.
161* ''Series/FridayThe13thTheSeries'':
162** "The Great Montarro". The episode in fact revolves around a number of them, from the cursed artifact's original owner, to a whole theater full of them competing for a prize, with several falling under suspicion before [[SuspectExistenceFailure they are unfortunately eliminated]] and the true villain is revealed. Also, [[JackOfAllTrades Jack was apparently one in his youth]].
163** One of the magicians Jack used to have an act with, Robert "The Great" Jandini, appears in "The Spirit of Television", being asked by Jack to help him, Micki, and Johnny out in debunking whom they suspect to be a phony medium. Unfortunately, said medium has the use of a cursed TV set, which she uses to kill some of her clients in exchange for prolonging her life, and Jandini ends up paying the ultimate price for trying to help the protagonists out, much to Jack's own [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone rage and guilt]].
164* The patient in the ''Series/{{House}}'' episode "You Don't Want to Know" is a stage magician who manages to impress the usually irascable House with a card trick.
165* On ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' Barney frequently uses magic to try to impress girls and has vintage magic posters in his apartment. In real life, Creator/NeilPatrickHarris is president of the Magic Circle, and an accomplished magician.
166* Series/JonathanCreek is TheManBehindTheMan to one of these in his day job, and quite a skilled illusionist himself when he feels like it. Adam's illusions are often showcased on the programme, and tricks of the magician's trade are often key to solving the mysteries.
167%% * ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' had an episode that featured stage magic.
168* An episode of ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' features Nathan masquerading as a stage magician at a corporate event whilst the team pull off a heist.
169* ''Series/TheMagician'', a TV series starring Creator/BillBixby as stage illusionist Anthony "Tony" Blake, who used his skills to solve crimes. Bixby was a skilled amateur magician who performed all of the illusions performed by his character.
170* ''Series/{{Monk}}'': Season 7's "Mr. Monk and the Magician" pits Monk against The Great Torini (played by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Valentine Steve Valentine]], an accomplished magician in his own right), the mentor of Monk's upstairs neighbor, after the latter is strangled the night of his debut as a magician. Torini goes so far as to [[SmugSnake mockingly sign a "confession" to the murder]] on flash paper at one point, which then ignites in Monk's hand.
171-->'''Torini:''' Abra cadabra, Mister Monk.
172* ''Series/{{Murderville}}'': The conceit of the first episode, "The Magician's Apprentice". A magician's LovelyAssistant has been sawed in half, and one of the suspects is a rival magician who awes Terry and Conan with sleight of hand during his interrogation.
173* ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse'': Pee-Wee tried stage magic once. [[GoneHorriblyRight Once.]] [[InvisibilityWithDrawbacks Let's just say it would have ended badly if Jambi hadn't intervened.]]
174* ''Series/PennAndTellerFoolUs'' is a show based on bringing in various magic acts to perform and try to fool the titular duo. If they do, they get a spot opening for their Las Vegas show - if they don't, they still get a boost in publicity from their appearance on the show.
175* ''Series/PerpetualGraceLTD'': Paul, a shifty ne'er-do-well and something of a ManChild, happens to be a keen devote of stage magic. He demonstrates his abilities with a nigh-supernatural ability to disappear and reappear in puffs of smoke. When asked how he accomplishes the feat, he will only say that it involves "hunkering" and "scurrying."
176* On ''Series/PushingDaisies'', there are Ned's half-brothers (which are twins) and their mentor, the Great Hermann.
177* One of the "leapees" on ''Series/QuantumLeap'' was one of these. If memory serves, he took a young Al under his wing for a while at one point.
178* Played with in an episode of ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' where a visiting uncle is revealed to be a "Wigician," a witch who is also a professional stage magician without using actual magic. Apparently, this is something of an embarrassment to Zelda who feels he's squandering his legitimate magical talent.
179* Occasionally ''Series/SesameStreet'' would feature The Amazing Mumford, for whom Grover was always eager to be the audience volunteer. Sometimes Mumford's tricks would have an educational bent (for example, when he subtracted pineapples), sometimes they were just gags. On one occasion Grover came to watch, but there was no show—Mumford was just practicing. Mumford didn't get the trick right, but Grover did get a hop and a skip for his exit.
180* ''Series/SheHulkAttorneyAtLaw'': The fourth episode introduces Donny Blaze, a stage magician whose act mostly consists of [[StylisticSuck cheap sleight-of-hand tricks]] that bore his audience senseless. Donny is [[MagiciansAreWizards actually]] a former student of the [[Film/DoctorStrange2016 Mystic Arts in Kamar-Taj]] and still has his Sling Ring which he uses to liven up his act by opening portals to other dimensions. This draws the ire of Wong, the current Sorcerer Supreme, who hires She-Hulk to sue Donny Blaze and stop him from messing around with dangerous magic.
181* ''Series/TheSunnySideUpShow'': In one segment, Sean pretends to be "The Great Seandini" and tries to make Chica disappear but instead makes clones of Chica appear. In order to make them disappear, Sean receives a message from a Sproutlet viewer requesting they "Chicasize."
182%% * The ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode "Criss Angel is a Douchebag" features several.
183* The ''Series/TalesFromTheCrypt'' episode "[[Recap/TalesFromTheCryptS5E8WellCookedHams Well Cooked Hams]]" features two: Zorbin the Magnificent is really good at stage magic. Not so much for Miles Federman, his protege, who botches many a magic trick he tries to perform despite promoting himself as being great at it.
184* ''Series/WhodunnitUK'': In "Before Your Very Eyes", a murder takes place at the climax of a magician's act when sabotage turns the sword cabinet into a NotSoFakePropWeapon.
185[[/folder]]
186
187[[folder:Pinballs]]
188* Similarly, ''Pinball/PinballMagic'' has the player proving his magic skills before Matra Magna and her panel of mystics and magicians.
189* ''Pinball/TheatreOfMagic'' casts the player as a (female) Stage Magician performing before an unseen audience.
190[[/folder]]
191
192[[folder:Radio]]
193* ''Blackstone the Magic Detective'', a radio series telling the (fictional) adventures of Harry Blackstone, famous stage magician of the day, solving mysteries.
194* ''Radio/ChanduTheMagician'', a 1930s radio series that also got made into a movie serial. The series featured the adventures of the character Frank Chandler, also known as Chandu, an American who learned mystical arts such as astral projection which he used to fight criminals and other villains. Chandu was the inspiration for ComicBook/DoctorStrange.
195[[/folder]]
196
197[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
198* The 1975 ''It's Magic! Magic! Magic! Game" by Remco has the players in this role. They must perform with their LovelyAssistant the classic Levitation, SawAWomanInHalf, and the DisappearingBox illusions.
199* In both ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'' and ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'', certain magic-users are presented as using stage magic as a cover story. Magic in this setting is made more dangerous by mortals perceiving it, an effect called Disbelief, but it is possible to [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve suspend Disbelief by masking it]]. (This won't work with the really flashy stuff like lightning bolts.)
200* Several characters in ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds''' ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity'' setting sport this as their profession, including yet another example of an "Abra-cadaver". All have real magic in addition to their stage magic.
201* ''TabletopGame/{{Space 1889}}'' in Magical Mystery Tour from Challenge 63 the player characters are supposed to escort and help a stage magician out-magic a warmongering shaman.
202* A ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' article about adding magic to ''TabletopGame/{{Alternity}}'' included sleight of hand as one option, with the note that in high-tech settings like ''TabletopGame/StarDrive'', misdirection and illusion could be ''really'' convincing. A sample adventure involves a stage magician on an interstellar cruise ship, who is killed by one of his own illusions.
203[[/folder]]
204
205[[folder:Theatre]]
206* ''Theatre/TheConsul'' has the Magician, "the one and only Nika Magadoff." Like many of the other characters applying for a visa, he is unable to produce the documents the [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Secretary]] demands. Declaring that "art is the artist's only passport," he attempts to prove his identity by demonstrating a variety of his tricks, making Mr. Kofner's watch disappear and reappear, and hypnotizing everyone else in the room into dancing with each other. When the Secretary is more annoyed than impressed by these demonstrations, he proceeds to RummageFail through all his pockets, producing a rabbit (among other things) but no papers.
207* The opening scene of ''Love Life'' has the central couple being performed upon by a magician, with Sam being levitated and Susan being [[SawAWomanInHalf sawed in two]].
208%% * The Wizard in ''Theatre/OnceUponAMattress'', who used to perform under the stage name Candamon (but [[DoNotCallMePaul doesn't want anyone to call him that anymore]]).
209* Zark, the protagonist in Creator/CirqueDuSoleil's ''Theatre/{{Zarkana}}'', is this and falls under MagiciansAreWizards, but the backstory establishes that he lost his powers when he lost his sweetheart. The show follows his journey into a MagicalLand to regain both.
210[[/folder]]
211
212[[folder:Video Games]]
213* In ''VideoGame/AtelierLuluaTheScionOfArland'', Ficus Finis is a magician who dresses in this manner, including a swanky top hat, gold-embroidered black overcoat, and white gloves, as well as wielding [[DeathDealer a deck of cards]] in combat.
214* The poster for "Showbiz Bendy" in ''VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine'' depicts Bendy holding a wand, Alice Angel holding a saw, and Boris the Wolf inside a box with his head and feet sticking out.
215* Carl Clover from ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' dresses like this, and has several moves that involve [[{{Hammerspace}} pulling things out of thin air.]]
216* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': The Fontaine Archon Quest introduces Lyney, an up-and-coming stage magician who's already made quite a name for himself in Fontaine, with his twin sister Lynette acting as his LovelyAssistant. While the twins both have [[MagiciansAreWizards real magic in the form of their Visions]], their performance at the Opera Epiclese opens with both setting their Visions aside, making it clear that the {{Impossibly Awesome Magic Trick}}s being performed are simply clever sleight of hand and carefully hidden props. Years prior to the game's events, the two were {{Street Urchin}}s who used their magic tricks to earn enough Mora to survive and kept their skills sharp even after being adopted by "Father" (actually [[spoiler:the Fatui Harbinger Arlecchino]]).
217* Sam, the main character in ''VideoGame/GrayMatter'' is a Stage Magician in training and she really wants to become full-fledged by joining the mysterious Daedalus Club. Her ability also plays a part in solving puzzles.
218* One of Franchise/{{Kirby}}'s {{power|Copying}}s in ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror'' and ''VideoGame/KirbySqueakSquad''. His moves include releasing doves, card-throwing, and releasing a jack-in-the-box. Aside from Kirby himself, there's also the third boss in ''VideoGame/KirbysEpicYarn'', a [[PumpkinPerson pumpkin-headed]] magician named Squashini who uses a slot machine to choose which trick he'll attack you with, ranging from a ShellGame with top hats, to tying Kirby to a bomb he has to escape.
219* Hamilton Temple in ''VideoGame/TheSeventhGuest'', who came to Stauf Manor in hopes of learning true magic from its owner.
220* Mr. Rabbit, one of the guests in [[VideoGame/CubeEscape Rusty Lake Hotel]]. He shows you some of his tricks while you tend to him [[spoiler: and ends up fatally stabbed from a [[HoistByHisOwnPetard sword trick gone wrong]].]]
221* This is how Magic Man of ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'' is designed; he's in a carnival, he looks like a stage magician crossed with a deck of cards, and he uses attacks that involve throwing cards or releasing birds (naturally, given the series, the protagonists can [[PowerCopying copy the card throw]].)
222* The Rank 4 boss in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'', Harvey Moisewich Volodarskii, is a professional magician who has a Siegfried/Roy accent and dresses like David Copperfield. He fights Travis at his show and has a OneHitKill attack where he has his assistants lock Travis into an exploding box.
223* One of the two OriginalGeneration protagonists of ''VideoGame/SuperHeroineChronicle'', Noel Kazamatsuri, calls herself a "[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment magical magician]]".
224* ''The Magic Show'' is all about a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin magic show]] performed by the main character, who can be male or female.
225* Maxwell from ''Videogame/DontStarve'' originally started out as a Stage Magician[[spoiler: back when his name was William Carter]], and many of his quotes reference this.
226* Lemmy Koopa in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioColorSplash''. His magic wand can produce genuine magic, but for the stuff his wand cannot do, he's crafted sleight-of-hand tricks to compensate. As he is an illusionist and Mario [[FightLikeACardPlayer fights using a deck of cards]] in this game, Lemmy is the only major boss able to directly influence and manipulate Mario's cards, aside from Roy's orange paint attack when the latter uses his Paint Launcher.
227* Yoshino Shimazu, from ''Literature/MariaWatchesOverUs'', appears in the doujin FightingGame ''[[VideoGame/{{Maribato}} Maribato!]]'' as a playable character: Aside from using a wooden sword as her main weapon, Yoshino also relies on tricks to fight: When performing, her wooden sword temporarily transforms into a black staff with a white tip, she can [[PullARabbitOutOfMyHat summon birds from her top hat]] to damage airborne opponents, and her throw has he stuffing her opponent into a trick cannon, and [[HumanCannonball fire her up into the sky]].
228* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'' has the Limbo Warframe, who is themed as a stage magician, top hat included. Going with the 'vanishing people' trick, Limbo's skillset revolves around banishing enemies and allies to an [[LayeredWorld alternate dimensional plane]].
229* Introduced in the [[VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet the ninth generation]] of the mainline ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' series, Meowscarada (the final form of the Paldean Grass-type starter [[CuteKitten Sprigatito]]) is partially based on illusionist stage magicians. The round flower that appears to be floating near its head is actually connected to it by a stem, which is hidden by a reflective fur lining on its cape. It plucks these flowers and stealthily rigs them around its opponents with careful misdirection, to set them off as pollen bombs. When it uses its signature move 'Flower Trick', a spotlight shines on the opponent as one of these bombs drops out of nowhere onto it, with a shower of petals and confetti.
230* ''VideoGame/NobodySavesTheWorld'': The Magician form wears a snazzy tuxedo, cape, and black top hat, and has attacks based around [[DeathDealer playing cards]] and [[PullARabbitOutOfMyHat summoning rabbits]] and white tigers.
231[[/folder]]
232
233[[folder:Visual Novels]]
234* ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'':
235** Max Galactica from ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Justice For All]]'' is one, and good enough to win an international competition of stage magic. His signature trick is flying over the audience, but he also performs card tricks with Phoenix, Maya, and Gumshoe offstage. His flying act lands him in the defendant's seat when his fellow circus members claim to witness him flying away from the scene of a murder.
236** ''[[VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney The Apollo Justice game]]'' introduces a legitimate magician team, Troupe Gramarye, consisting of Magnifi, Zak, Thalassa, Valant and Trucy. Tragedies befall the group as [[spoiler:Thalassa perishes in an accident caused by Zak and Valant, while Magnifi contracts several diseases that render him incurably ill. Then he chooses Zak as his successor and gives him the rights to his magic and screws over Valant, committing suicide to make it look like he had killed him, which leads Valant to frame Zak and kick start the game's plot]]. And the ultimate victim of it all is Trucy. If only she knew what was waiting for her in [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice a sequel]]...
237** ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice Spirit of Justice]]'' introduces Bonny de Famme, a rookie magician who is working with Trucy. [[spoiler:There's actually two of her; Bonny and her twin sister Betty]]. In addition, Trucy found an older member of Troupe Gramarye, Mr. Reus, to work with her as well. [[spoiler:Once again, there are actually two of him, though it's much darker - Trucy knew the second Mr. Reus, Manov Mistree, while the first, Roger Retinz, manipulated Trucy's show and killed his successor to ruin Trucy's life]].
238%%** Troupe Gramarye in ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'' is a full troupe of them, and were considered the best in the business before their breakup. Apollo's boss/sidekick Trucy is the youngest member and [[spoiler: successor to the troupe's magic]].
239* Himiko Yumeno from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' is the Ultimate Magician. However, she insists on being called the Ultimate Mage, and that her tricks are actually real magic, even when explaining her magic trick is vital to a murder investigation.
240* Rosé Mulan from ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'' has stage magician as her claimed profession, though she states it's merely a side gig for her true role as a supernatural savant. When she's able to pick locks, she claims it's from her experience as a magician, though there's clearly more to it than that.
241[[/folder]]
242
243[[folder:Web Animation]]
244* ''WebAnimation/CampCamp'': When he was sent to Camp Campbell, Harrison signed up for magic camp (not to be confused with the [[{{LARP}} other magic camp]]) to learn how to be a stage magician. The twist? He has ''actual'' magic powers, which tend to mess up his acts since he can't control them.
245* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': In "I Get a Trick out of You," Lumpy performs a magic act for the other characters, which includes [[SawAWomanInHalf sawing Cuddles in half]], which [[GoneHorriblyWrong goes horribly wrong]].
246[[/folder]]
247
248[[folder:Webcomics]]
249* ''Webcomic/ChampionsOfFaraus'': The Stage Thief of Vickerton is named so because of their stage magician-themed outfit, which also includes a helmet to conceal their identity.
250* Master Payne from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' is a [[MadScientist Sparky]] stage magician with his own traveling circus who is based on a [[http://www.masterpaynemagic.com/ real-life stage magician.]]
251* An arc of ''WebComic/TheWotch'' featured a character who "cheated" by using real magic. He said he was actually helping true stage magicians by reinforcing the myth.
252* ''Webcomic/{{Widdershins}}'' is set in an AlternateHistory Victorian-era English town where [[MundaneFantastic real magic is common]], but people still enjoy stage magic. "The Mysterious Chung Soo" [[https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/november-19th-2012-10-days-left-on-the-kickstarter/ plays up]] his image as a [[TheVoiceless silent]] MagicalAsian OldMaster on stage; in fact, he's 20-something Tim Chiang from Surrey, which doesn't have quite the same mystique.
253[[/folder]]
254
255[[folder:Western Animation]]
256* One ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' cutaway has Peter performing magic on stage for the blind, in his usual outfit, but with a top hat and black cape.
257-->'''Peter:''' Was it a red card?\
258'''Blind man:''' I don't know what red is.\
259'''Peter:''' Ta daaa!
260* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Fillmore}}'' involves a missing robot dog that a junior magician makes vanish at the school talent show. The ChaseScene gets a lot more interesting when the suspect is using magic tricks to escape.
261* The villain of ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman'' is a horrible stage magician who can't pull off a single proper trick. His hat, however, contains actual magic and gives Frosty life.
262* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':
263** The episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS4E7JurassicBark Jurassic Bark]]" features Bender practicing stage magic. He attempts to [[SawAWomanInHalf saw Dr. Zoidberg in half]], but Zoidberg exposes the trick.
264--->'''Zoidberg:''' I was all in this half. It's magic!\
265'''Bender:''' You're not fit to wear Fry's leotard!
266** ''Futurama'' also has "The Great Revealo", [[{{DontExplainTheJoke}} who always reveals the secret to every single trick he performs]].
267* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': Kaeloo, Stumpy, and Mr. Cat wear top hats and use wands to do magic tricks on stage in Episode 5. Kaeloo manages to pull a bouquet of flowers from a hat and pull out a bunch of multicolored handkerchiefs as well. Stumpy's act fails because he didn't have any tricks and thought magic was real. [[AxCrazy Mr. Cat]]'s act consists of using [[NighInvulnerability Quack Quack the indestructible duck]] as an assistant and [[SawAWomanInHalf sawing him in half]] [[TheyKilledKennyAgain for real.]]
268* Ace Cooper, the main character of ''WesternAnimation/TheMagician'' is a stage magician. However, he also has the ability to [[MagiciansAreWizards cast real magic]] after a TransformationSequence, which he does once an episode.
269* WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse plays one in the WesternAnimation/{{Classic Disney Short|s}} "Magician Mickey". He gets heckled by WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck, and hilarity ensues when Mickey starts performing [[MagiciansAreWizards ever more implausible tricks]] at Don's expense.
270* In the UPA Cartoon ''The Magic Fluke'', Fox does do magic tricks in his conductor baton wand, to play music was ''Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2'', and levitation trick ceiling, then orchestra has been disappeared. He destroyed his ripped tuxedo to the fox.
271* [[TheMagnificent The Great and Powerful Trixie]]'s (and her father, [[NonindicativeName Jack Pot]]'s) profession from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. Her Cutie Mark is even a MagicWand! Granted, genuine magic does exist in this world (and Trixie herself wields it), but few ponies make a ''magic act'' out of it. She backs it up with tools such as smoke bombs and assorted pyrotechnics, stunts, and stories.
272* Presto Digitagione of the Creator/{{Pixar}} short ''WesternAnimation/Presto2008'' is one of these, but with (presumably) much more talent at real magic since he's created two portals and hid them in his hats.
273* Abra Cadaver, [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies the magical zombie]] in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'', uses an assortment of magical tricks to fight the girls, including putting them in a box and attempting to saw them in half.
274* ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'': "Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!" "Again?"
275* Several real-life magicians have appeared in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', including Creator/PennAndTeller multiple times. Fictional magicians have also appeared, most notably Gunter and Ernst, {{exp|y}}ies for Seigfreid and Roy (who wound up getting mauled by a tiger in the show [[HarsherInHindsight before it happened to the real-life duo]]). Both Bart and Lisa have also pursued magic as a hobby.
276* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'': Malchior the Magnificent is this for the Smurfs, from whom Jokey wants to learn how to do stage magic.
277* The Amazing Mumbo from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' is a criminal who often fights the Titans. Though he dresses and behaves like a stage magician, he has [[MagiciansAreWizards real magical powers]]. His most notable appearance is in "[[Recap/TeenTitansS3E11BunnyRaven Bunny Raven]]", in which the Titans are trapped inside his magic hat and he turns them into animals, except for Beast Boy, who is turned into a lamp.
278%% * Princess Tenko is this, and her animated counterpart in ''WesternAnimation/TenkoAndTheGuardiansOfTheMagic'' combines this with MagicalGirlWarrior.
279* Creator/TexAvery's MGM short "Magical Maestro" has Mysto the Magician getting snubbed by opera singer Poochini, and gaining his revenge by casting a series of humiliating spells as the latter performs. Mysto he freeze conductor in his magic wand and he stole his tuxedo, and hair wig.
280* WesternAnimation/BugsBunny tangles with magician Ala Bahma in the early Creator/ChuckJones short "Case of the Missing Hare".
281* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'':
282** In the episode "[[Recap/ReadyJetGoS2E12WhoMessedUpTheTreehouseFactOrFiction Who Messed Up the Treehouse?]]", Jet tries to be a magician to make the trash disappear, but fails. He even uses terms such as "Abracadabra" and "Hocus pocus".
283** In "[[Recap/ReadyJetGoS2E15MyThreeSunsMagnetPI Magnet, PI]]", it is revealed that Sean is an amateur magician called The Great Seanzo. Later, the kids put on a magic show for Carrot using magnets.
284* ''WesternAnimation/RosiesRules'': Crystal does magic tricks under the name "The Great Crystalini."
285[[/folder]]
286
287[[folder:Real Life]]
288* The older renditions of The Magician trump card of the tarot playing card decks depict not the mystical mage of magical lore... but, the stage magician/ con-man of the regular market fair or feast day available across Medieval Europe, not just in Italy or France. The usual suspects on the table indicate the coal-face, sleight-of-hand tricks of the cup-and-ball, shell games and rods. Which are probably OlderThanDirt.
289* TheAmazingRandi presents us with an interesting case: starting off as a stage magician, he eventually became a noted debunker of claimed PsychicPowers and other forms of charlatanry...frequently by performing the same feats as a stage magician, and explaining how it's done.
290* Criss Angel (Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos). This magician with a rock and roll "bad boy" persona came to prominence at the TurnOfTheMillennium with his colorful stunts on the A&E show ''Series/CrissAngelMindfreak''. He launched a UsefulNotes/LasVegas show co-produced by Creator/CirqueDuSoleil (''Theatre/CrissAngelBelieve'') in 2008.
291* Dai Vernon -- one of the most legendary magicians to have been overshadowed by Houdini. In addition to inspiring many magicians and developing the most [[FollowTheLeader imitated cups and balls routine known to man]], Dai Vernon is credited with helping perfect a lot of sleight-of-hand techniques used by today's magicians. He is also known to have been the only man to ever outfox Houdini himself, earning himself the laconic description -- "The man who fooled Houdini."
292* David Berglas was a British stage magician, escapologist, and hypnotist during the '50s, '60s, '70s, and, '80s who was featured in numerous European television shows and was an inspiration to Derren Brown.
293* David Blaine formed his creative persona as a direct inversion of this kind of magic (hence his usual title, "street magician"). Increasingly, however, he has gained popularity for increasingly showy, increasingly public (and publicized) feats of magic, though the stunts are more endurance-based than typical illusions.
294* David Copperfield became famous in TheEighties with TV specials that included such stunts as making the Statue of Liberty appear to vanish and escaping from Alcatraz. Probably the best-known traditional magician working now.
295* Creator/DerrenBrown uses misdirection to exploit and explore facets of human psychology that make us vulnerable to deception. He often explains how he does his tricks as well to demonstrate that these flaws are natural and not as easy to overcome as we may think. Although much of what he does is classic magic tricks disguised as psychological tricks. One notable and easily proved example is when he convinced several bodybuilders that he could hypnotize them to convince them that they would be unable to lift a small woman that Derren was easily able to lift. In reality, she was simply shifting her center of gravity further back when the bodybuilders tried to lift her, it is much easier to pick someone up when they are standing right next to you as opposed to being further away.
296* Dirk Arthur seems to have taken the animal act torch from Siegfried & Roy, but unlike them is very meticulous in making sure that the animals he works with on stage are properly trained (he's a very competent animal trainer and advocate for wildlife conservation). He's produced a documentary for the Discovery Channel in which he discusses the behind-the-scenes aspect of what it takes to keep the animals healthy, happy, and properly trained. Doesn't show how he does any tricks but he does show that each cat has their own personality. And while he doesn't explicitly say it, it's clear he has an emotional attachment to each cat, and while he says he thinks of them as colleagues, it's clear he thinks of them as a family as well.
297* Doug Henning was a famous stylistic subversion of this kind of performer. Most famously, he rejected the tuxedo, top hat, and clean-shaven look cliche and opted to have more of a hippie day-glo look along with an earnest enthusiasm which help revitalized the magic show as popular entertainment in the 1970s.
298* Creator/HarryHoudini was, within the trade, admired for his preparation and command. A lot of his contemporaries thought he was out of his depth doing basic stage magic (basically everything he did had to be [[MundaneMadeAwesome made more awesome than it really was]]). Normal magicians pulled a dozen threaded needles out of their mouths to a small audience. Houdini would stretch the thread from one stage wing to the other. As one fellow magician said. "How did the audience see the needles? Houdini told them they were there."
299* Howard Thurston was a stage magician during Houdini's time who was even more famous than Houdini. A recent biography of him is titled "The Last Greatest Magician in the world"
300* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' star Creator/JasonAlexander is also an accomplished magician, among his many talents.
301* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_Maskelyne Jasper Maskelyne]] claimed to have used stage magic as ''warfare'' during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. He disguised [[RedHerring jeeps as tanks]] and [[AWolfInSheepsClothing tanks as trucks]]. He faked entire armies and navies. He faked an '''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bertram invasion]]'''. He could in fact be considered a key man behind Allied victory -- As the war dragged on, the Allies realized that they would eventually lose Alexandria and the Suez Canal to German bombers, [[InstantWinCondition cutting off their oil supplies]]. '''''Maskelyne created a fake (night-lit)Alexandria three miles off-target and [[BlindedByTheLight masked the canal itself with a wheel of spinning light nine miles wide]].''''' ...That is, if you believe [[TheMunchausen him]] and not the official record or independent research.
302* Jean Robert-Houdin was the originator of the trope, creating the Top Hat and Tails look described above back in the 1850s when it was the height of fashion. (He was reacting against the then-current trend of stage magicians wearing mystical robes, choosing to make a different statement by showing a man doing magic while dressed like an ordinary member of his audience -- a statement recreated in later decades when other magicians rejected the Top Hat and Tails look and adopted the common dress of their own times.) Houdini took his stage name from Robert-Houdin.
303* Lance Burton, a UsefulNotes/LasVegas favorite, is another traditional example who specializes in close-up magic (producing doves, cards, etc.). He's also done several TV specials in the late '90s and early '00s in which he points out that often it's not so much magic as science (of misdirection) but he's still quite a competent illusionist, and well respected in the field.
304* The "Masked Magician," of a series of specials aired on the Fox network from 1997-1998 called ''Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed''. He was seen as a threat by many stage magicians at the time for breaking the long-standing taboo of never revealing how to do a trick. At the end of the fourth special, he revealed himself to be American stage magician Val Valentino, telling the audience that the reason he broke the taboo was that he wanted to reinvigorate children's interest in magic by showing that even the most complex of illusions often had simple tricks to pulling them off as well as allowing the audience to marvel at the magicians' showmanship and the performance as a whole rather than focusing on trying to figure out how the tricks were performed. The show had a one-episode revival in 2002 with a different Masked Magician whose identity was not revealed and then got a proper revival from 2008-2009 which featured Valentino reprising the role with the original costume.
305* Melinda Saxe, a.k.a. "Melinda First Lady of Magic" -- she was in fact the first female magician to headline on the UsefulNotes/LasVegas strip -- took some flack because she looked like the LovelyAssistant, but still achieved a measure of national fame with her "Drill of Death" routine in the 1990s. She retired to raise a family but has recently returned to performing.
306* Neil Patrick Harris is not only a real magician but also president of the Academy of Magical Arts, which has as its clubhouse the Magic Castle.
307* You also have the Pendragons formerly a husband and wife team who called their work "physical grand illusion". There was an incident where Arthur Pendragon was severely injured during a rehearsal. An arrow that wasn't supposed to actually fire did and pierced him.
308* Creator/PennAndTeller, who came to prominence in TheEighties cheerfully admit to stage magic being fakery to the point that they don't hesitate to show how some conventional tricks are performed. They also incorporate tons of comedy and social commentary into their shows.
309** They often follow up said explanation with an even more elaborate or surprising illusion (which they don't explain) to close off an act and leave audiences wondering. One of their main aims is to make people think critically about events and acts that seem supernatural.
310** One of Teller's best-regarded (at least by other magicians) routines is the Red Ball Trick. Penn quite visibly doesn't care for it, announcing at the start "he's got a thread" and storming off stage. The audience then spends the next several minutes trying in vain to spot the thread they've just been told is there; most people conclude the statement is misdirection and the ball is controlled some other way. The reality (and the reason it's so impressive to other sleight-of-hand artists) is that Teller is just ''that good''.
311** Notably, in their show about stage magicians trying to fool them, they take great pains to try not to blow the secrets of their guests when trying to reveal they know how it's done. They may reveal their own secrets and commonly used ones, but they respect hard-working magicians who've come up with their own twists too much to ruin them.
312* Ricky Jay has performed card magic on stage in an acclaimed show titled "Ricky Jay and his 52 assistants".
313* Siegfried (Fischbacher) and Roy (Horn) got their start in UsefulNotes/LasVegas as a supporting act in showgirl revues in TheSeventies, but eventually headlined their own shows, the biggest of which ran at the groundbreaking Mirage Hotel and Casino from 1989-2003. They were famous for using huge setpieces and exotic animals in their acts; infamously it was Roy being mauled by one of their white tigers during a performance that ended their stage careers. Their flamboyance made them by far the most frequently parodied modern magicians during their run.
314[[/folder]]

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