John Carney (magician)

John Carney (born January 23, 1958 in Des Moines, Iowa) is a professional sleight of hand artist, author and comic actor. Carney is widely acknowledged as one of the top sleight of hand magicians in the world, having won Hollywood’s Magic Castle"" award for Magician of the Year seven times, for his close up, stage, and parlor shows, as well as his lecture on magic. He was also an award winner at the FISM international magic awards. Carney studied under the legendary Dai Vernon.

Carney performances include corporate speaking and entertainment for parties and other events, as well as his theatre show, Carney's Wonders. This theatrical piece showcases Carney's talents as an accomplished actor, as show which LA Weekly called, ""... a blessing ... Carney's seamless technique makes a mockery of empiricism and the known mechanics of the universe!"

Carney's Wonders incorporates several Carney characters and stories into his magic. These include the peculiar Mr. Mysto, a clueless magical savant. Carney’s comic acting was honed through classes with Second City and the Harvey Lembeck Workshop.

He has performed in casinos in Atlantic City, Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas. Mr. Carney has also appeared on The Jerry Seinfeld HBO Special and CBS Magicians Favorite Magicians. He has served as spokesman for MasterCard, performing magic for their national television commercials.

Carney is also a teacher of magic, having lectured and conducted seminars around the world. His books, "Carney Knowledge", "Carneycopia", and "The Book of Secrets" (Published by CarneyMagic, 2001, ISBN:0-0701287-0-3) are considered modern classics of the craft. Genii, the trade magazine called it, "a masterpiece…one of the most satisfying reading experiences I have had in a very long time. This is a must-have, must-read, must re-read, top-of-the-pile, words-to-live-by, masterwork. "

Carney currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

External links

* [http://www.carneymagic.com/ Official John Carney homepage]