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Philip Reed Willmarth (August 19, 1931 - September 16, 2014) was an American magician, magic historian, lecturer, author and editor. He was president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians between 2007 and 2008, and had been a member of the organization since 1969. [1]
Phil Willmarth was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania. He became interested in magic when his physician father gave him a book on the topic. Wilmarth began performing magic while studying at Allegheny College, where he received a bachelor's degree in Arts in Communications in 1953. He later joined the Army, serving stateside. He began working for the Tatham-Laird Agency, and later founded his own company. Wilmarth returned to magic, moving to Arlington Heights, Illinois in the 1950s. Wilmarth relocated to Durham, North Carolina, in 1998, and died there of cancer on September 16, 2014, aged 83. [1] Willmarth appeared on the cover of The Linking Ring three times. [2] His remains were interred at Lakeside Cemetery in Colon, MI in August 2015. [2]
Willmarth wrote numerous books and articles on the field of magic and its performance including "The Magic of Matt Schulien" (1959), "Fun With a Handkerchief" (1969), "The Ring and Rope Book" (1975), "Jim Ryan Close-up" (four volumes, 1980–81), "The Knot Collector" (1989) and "The Impostress Princess Expanded" (2011). He also published other authors' books. [1] [3] Willmarth was the assistant editor of The Linking Ring magazine from 1978 to 1992 and executive editor until 2007. [1] [2]
He was a member of the Order of Merlin Shield and received a Literary Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts in 2007. [1]
Harry Lorayne is an American magician and a memory-training specialist and writer who was called "The Yoda of Memory Training" and "The World's Foremost Memory-Training Specialist" by Time magazine. He is well known for his incredible memory demonstrations and has appeared on numerous television shows including 24 times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. His book The Memory Book was a New York Times bestseller. His card magic, especially his innovations in card sleights, is widely emulated by amateur and professional magicians.
Jeff McBride, also known as "Magnus", is an American magician and magic instructor. He is known for his sleight of hand skills and specializes in the manipulation of playing cards, coins, and other small objects. His stage performances blend elements of kabuki, a Japanese theater form, with traditional conjuring. He has been recognized by the Academy of Magical Arts, the Society of American Magicians, and the International Federation of Magic Societies. He has also has set several Guinness World Records.
Max Maven is an American magician and mentalist whose performances are considered erudite and intelligent. He is ranked as one of the most influential mentalists of all time, and one of the 100 "Most Influential Magicians of the 20th Century" by Magic Magazine.
Tony Slydini, simply known as Slydini, was a world-renowned magician. His mastery, expertise, originality and innovative approach to close-up artistry magic, earned him a legendary reputation in the magic world. He traveled the world performing for the public as well as performing and lecturing fellow magicians. As a result, he served as an inspiration to generations of well-known magicians, celebrities and entertainers, including Doug Henning, Dick Cavett, Bill Bixby, Ricky Jay, David Copperfield and countless others. Although he was best known as a master of close-up artistry, he continually demonstrated an extraordinary performing ability and during his lifetime was responsible for a long series of books, films and publications highlighting his mastery of the magical crafts. For his work, he received the highest honors that his profession could bestow, including both the coveted Masters Fellowship Award and Performing Fellowship Award from the Academy of Magical Arts. During his lifetime, Tony Slydini was inducted into the Society of American Magicians Hall of Fame as a Living Legend.
Teller is an American magician, illusionist, writer, actor, painter, and film director. He is half of the comedy magic duo Penn & Teller, along with Penn Jillette, where he usually does not speak during performances. Teller, along with Jillette, is an H.L. Mencken Fellow at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C.
Richard Osterlind is a mentalist who has been performing for major corporations for more than 35 years. He has appeared at the Sheraton Great Wall in Beijing, the Hotel De Paris in Monte Carlo, the Casa De Campo in the Dominican Republic and many other luxury resorts around the world. He is a speaker, author, teacher of magic and mentalism and creator of many magic effects.
International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) is an organization for both professional and amateur close-up and stage magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St. Charles, Missouri. There are over 300 local groups, called Rings, in more than 88 countries, largely concentrated in cities of the United States and Canada. The organization publishes a monthly periodical entitled The Linking Ring, which features tricks, coverage of shows and events in the magic community, and interviews with magicians.
The Linking Ring is a monthly print magic magazine published by the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) for its members since 1922. It is based in Bluffton, Ohio. In 2007, Samuel Patrick Smith, a magician, author and publisher based in Eustis, Florida, became executive editor of the magazine.
Alan Scott Watson is a professional magician living and performing in Auckland, New Zealand. He has been performing professionally for more than 30 years and has been presented with some of magic's highest awards and accolades.
J C Sum is a Singaporean hybrid marketer, author, content creator, former illusionist and illusion designer.
Jean Hugard was an Australian professional magician.
Karrell Fox was a 20th-century American magician and television performer.
Dale Salwak is a professional magician from California who continues to perform internationally. He is a regular performer at The Magic Castle and is known as "The Gentleman of Magic". He has been the long-time director and owner of the Chavez School of Magicwhich was established by Ben and Marian Chavez in 1941 under the G.I. Bill. He has been featured in cover stories on numerous magic-related publications. He has also taught English literature at Citrus College in Glendora, California since 1973 and has also published 25 books.
A gibeciere is a large pouch-like device used by magicians as a utility device, most often to aid in the performance of the famous magic trick known as "The Cups and Balls". In modern times, it is often used by street magicians due to its ability to hold large items such as fruits, various balls and sometimes stuffed or even real animals. It is commonly held around the performer's waist by a belt, in plain sight, and the pouch commonly rests along the front of the body, just below the waistline.
John Mulholland was an American magician, author, publisher and intelligence agent.
Aldo Colombini was an Italian-born magician, lecturer, author and media producer. At the time of his death he was married to Rachel Colombini, also a magician. Rachel died circa 2018, after rumors of her death circulated on the internet in 2017. When he first moved to the United States in 1993, he spoke no English. He created and marketed hundreds of magic tricks, along with numerous books and instructional videos on the topic of magic. He wrote a long-running column for The Linking Ring magazine, entitled, "As Always, Aldo".
Richard Webster is an author, ghostwriter, mentalist, hypnotist and magician.
John Nicholls Booth was an American professional magician and prolific author on the history of magic performance. He was recognized for his work, and is also known for having the longest running membership in the International Brotherhood of Magicians.
Ricardo Roucau was a magician commonly known as Fantasio. Roucau previously performed as Ricardo and then as Larry, before being warned in 1961 by John Scarne that the name would not work for a magician trying to make it in America. He also performed with his wife as 'Larry and Daisy'. Roucau adopted the name Fantasio after noticing it on a box of playing cards. Roucau was a prolific inventor, and Mike Caveney believes that Fantasio's appearing and disappearing props were at one point the most popular magic props in the world.
David Williamson is a professional sleight-of-hand artist, magician, and author. David Britland of Genii magazine called him "an exceptional stage performer" and "a magician who changed the way we do magic." He was named Magician of the Year in 2017 by the Academy of the Magical Arts, and was named an Honorary Member of prestigious British association The Magic Circle.
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