Famous Magicians in History and Today
Nov 7, 2026 · The Editors
The most famous magicians in history — from Dedi of ancient Egypt and Robert-Houdin to Houdini, Dai Vernon and Chung Ling Soo — and the famous magicians performing today in Las Vegas and on television.
Magic is one of the oldest performing arts, and its history is full of extraordinary people. Here are the magicians who shaped it — and the famous names performing it now.
In ancient times
Dedi (ancient Egypt). The Westcar Papyrus, written down more than 3,500 years ago, tells of a magician called Dedi who performed for the pharaoh Khufu, apparently cutting the head off a goose and restoring it. It is the earliest known account of a magic performance.
Roman street performers — the acetabularii — performed the cups and balls two thousand years ago, a trick still in every magician's repertoire today.
The father of modern magic
Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805–1871), a French clockmaker, moved magic out of fairgrounds and into elegant theatres in the 1840s. He performed in evening dress, used his mechanical skill to build automata and illusions, and established the image of the gentleman magician. In 1856 the French government sent him to Algeria to show that French "magic" outdid that of local holy men.
The golden age of stage magic
John Henry Anderson (1814–1874), "The Great Wizard of the North", was a Scottish showman and one of the first to advertise on a grand scale.
Harry Kellar (1849–1922) was America's leading magician at the turn of the century, famous for his levitation.
Howard Thurston (1869–1936) succeeded Kellar with the biggest touring magic show in America — the kind that needed several railway cars.
Chung Ling Soo — in reality the American William Robinson (1861–1918) — performed as a Chinese conjurer and died on stage in London in 1918 when his famous bullet catch went wrong.
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini (1874–1926), born Erik Weisz in Budapest, took his stage name in tribute to Robert-Houdin. He became the most famous magician who ever lived through escapes — from handcuffs, straitjackets, jail cells and a water torture cell. Later in life he campaigned against fraudulent spiritualist mediums, attending séances in disguise to expose them.
The magicians' magician
Dai Vernon (1894–1992), "The Professor", transformed close-up card magic, insisting that sleight of hand should look completely natural. He is famous for fooling Houdini with a card trick. Generations of magicians learned from him at the Magic Castle in Hollywood.
Modern famous magicians
- Doug Henning brought magic back to Broadway and television in the 1970s.
- David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear on television in 1983 and has performed for decades in Las Vegas.
- Siegfried & Roy ran one of the most famous shows in Las Vegas history, with white tigers.
- Penn & Teller combine comedy, magic and sometimes revealing how tricks are not done — a long-running Las Vegas fixture.
- Ricky Jay was a sleight-of-hand master, actor and historian of magic.
Famous magicians today
- David Blaine — street magic and endurance stunts.
- Derren Brown — British mentalist and illusionist.
- Shin Lim — close-up card magic, winner of major talent competitions.
- Dynamo — British street magician.
- Many more perform nightly in Las Vegas, the world's capital of magic shows.
The props they share
The famous names used the same classic props that every magician starts with: linking rings, the cups and balls, silks, canes and the dove pan. How to become a magician.
