Dale Salwak

Dale Salwak is a professional magician from California who has performed internationally. He is a regular performer at The Magic Castle and is known as the "The Gentleman of Magic". He has been the long-time director and owner of the Chavez School of Magic and 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 written 24 books.

Salwak was born and raised in Amherst, Massachusetts. His father worked at University of Massachusetts and his mother was a teacher and concert pianist.

He first became interested in magic at the age of five when he went to a birthday party and watched a magician perform. He was enthralled that after the performance he stayed and asked the magician to show him how to do some of the magic tricks. When he was 10, his parents paid him $2.00 to perform at his own birthday party. It was his first magic show and he performed all the tricks that he had been practicing from his father’s Ripley’s Magic for Boys book. When he was in high school, from 1963 to 1965, he took the Chavez School of Magic’s two-year correspondence course. He credits Neil Foster as his key mentor.

After high school, Salwak attended Purdue University, paying his own way by performing magic at clubs, churches and “wherever I could get the work.” He moved to Los Angeles when he was 21 to pursue an English Literature degree at the University of Southern California.

Salwak has been teaching English literature at Citrus College for over 40 years. Some of his courses include Shakespeare, Literature of the Bible, English Literature and Critical Thinking.

In addition to teaching at college, he performs as an illusionist and magician at Hollywood's Magic Castle. Salwak says The Magic Castle was an important part of his career as he was able to practice his tricks in front of an audience. He has said, “Just as in vaudeville, the comics and dancers and singers had a place to be bad and learn their craft, that’s what the castle afforded the magicians – a place to learn their craft and try out things.” He often travels to perform at magicians' conventions, clubs and casinos around the world during spring breaks and summer vacations.

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