David Nixon (magician)
| David Nixon | |
|---|---|
| Born |
David Porter Nixon 29 December 1919 Muswell Hill, London, England, UK |
| Died | 1 December 1978 (aged 58) Surrey, England, UK |
| Occupation | Magician and television presenter |
David Nixon (29 December 1919 – 1 December 1978) was an English magician and television personality. At the height of his career, Nixon was the best-known magician in the UK.
Born in Muswell Hill, London, Nixon attended the Westcliff High School for Boys in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. His father was a lawyer whose hobby was magic and who took Nixon to watch performers such as Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant. One magician who made an early impression on the young boy was Stanley Collins, who had a gentlemanly image which influenced Nixon's later performing style. Nixon started performing magic himself after an aunt bought him an Ernest Sewell Magic Box for Christmas. On leaving school he gained a job with the Henley Telegraph, the in-house magazine of the W. T. Henley Telegraph company, a publication which had been founded by Alfred Hitchcock. In 1938 he joined the Magic Circle. He also became an accomplished double bass player and performed with a local band.
With the advent of the Second World War, Nixon joined ENSA, the organisation that was set up to provide entertainment for British troops. He had been prevented from serving in a front line role as a result of suffering from pneumonia when he was a teenager. In summer 1946, after leaving ENSA, he joined the Fol de Rols, a variety troupe based in Scarborough. He was joined on stage by the actor and comedian Norman Wisdom, who wreaked havoc with his act. The partnership was a roaring success and the two subsequently appeared at the London Casino.
In addition to his magic act, Nixon sang, danced and worked front of house. In 1947 he married a singer named Margaret Burton. The same year he got his first opportunity on television in a show called Café Continental. Nixon's big break came in 1954 when he was invited to be a panelist on the British version of the highly successful television quiz show What's My Line. He presented various series including the British version of Candid Camera, Comedy Bandbox (1962) (later David Nixon's Comedy Bandbox (1966) and was Basil Brush's first partner. His magic shows included Tonight with David Nixon (1969), David Nixon's Magic Box (1970) and The David Nixon Show (1972). He also appeared as a panelist on TV and radio game shows, most notably on the UK TV version of What's My Line. He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1973 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the Magic Circle Headquarters in London. He then famously presented an episode of the programme the following year, in which the subject was none other than the series' regular British host, Eamonn Andrews. A keen chess player, Nixon also presented Checkmate, a Thames Television series teaching the basics of the game.
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