Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Ricky Jay: The Card Master

Ricky Jay is a master magician, known for his sleight of hand illusions. However, there is more to this man than magic as he is also an actor, consultant, author, and historian. Born Richard Jay Potash in Brooklyn, NY, in 1948, he was introduced to the world of magic by his grandfather, Max Katz, who was an amateur magician. Ricky Jay, as he is now known, is now one of the most famous card tricksters.

The one-man show Ricky Jay & His 52 Assistants earned him the Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards for Outstanding Achievement. Ricky Jay: On the Stem recently ended a critically acclaimed seven-month run in New York City. David Mamet directed both of these shows and A Rogue's Gallery. Mr. Jay was cast in several films directed by Mr. Mamet, including Heist and House of Games. He also appeared in other films, including Tomorrow Never Dies, Magnolia, and Boogie Nights.

On the small screen, Mr. Jay starred in the X-Files episode entitled, "The Great Maleeni." He was both a writer and guest star during the 2004 season of the HBO western drama, Deadwood. A stage debut occurred at the New York Shakespeare Festival for the Joseph Papp production of Midsummer Night's Dream.

In the realm of magic, Mr. Jay landed himself in the Guinness Book of Records by throwing a playing card a total of 190 feet at the rate of 90 miles per hour. This record stood until recently, when Rick Smith, Jr. broke it by throwing a card 216 feet. Mr. Jay can throw a card into a rind of watermelon from a distance of ten paces. In addition to card throwing, he is famous for his memory feats, card tricks, and stage speeches.

This illusionist takes his art seriously and collects manuscripts, art, artifacts, and rare books regarding the history of magic, confidence games, frauds, and gambling. He is known to spend more than $5,000 on single books. As a historian, he once served a curator of the Mulholland Library of Conjuring and the Allied Arts and authored an illustrated history regarding early trick conjuring books, called The Magic Magic Book.

As the owner of the consulting firm Deceptive Practices, Mr. Jay has been able to provide expertise for Broadway productions, films like Forrest Gump, and several museum exhibitions. His firm provides clients with what he terms "arcane knowledge." However, Mr. Jay will always be most well-known for his impressive card tricks.

Magic tricks have always been a great way to catch the look of a beautiful woman, entertain children, and to impress friends. If you would like to follow in the footsteps of Rick Jay and learn magic tricks that will mesmerize, visit MagicTrickStore.com today!


View the original article here

No comments:

Post a Comment