Jerry Andrus
| Jerry Andrus | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
January 28, 1918 Sheridan, Wyoming, United States |
| Died | August 26, 2007 (aged 89) Albany, Oregon, United States |
| Education | Self-taught |
| Occupation | Magician, writer, inventor, scientific skeptic |
| Known for | Creator of world-renowned magic tricks and optical illusions |
| Website | jerryandrus |
Jerry Andrus (January 28, 1918 – August 26, 2007) was an American magician and writer known internationally for his original close-up, sleight-of-hand tricks and optical illusions, such as the "Linking Pins".
Andrus was born January 28, 1918 in Sheridan, Wyoming. At the age of 10, he moved to Albany, Oregon, where he lived until his death in 2007. At 12, Andrus became interested in the art of illusion when he saw a performance of a reformed "spiritual medium". He joined the International Society of Junior Magicians when he was 16 and by his 40's became known as a "magician's magician". According to long-time friend Ray Hyman, Jerry's mother was a fundamentalist Christian, and his father died when Jerry was young. Jerry became a skeptic when he was about 12. His middle school had lost a basketball game to a rival school, and students were blaming the referees for bad calls as the reason for the loss. Jerry had an epiphany that the other school would be saying the same thing if the loss had gone the other way. From that moment on, Jerry began to challenge the beliefs he had taken for granted before.
A self-taught magician, Andrus preferred to develop his own style rather than learn the craft as traditionally handed down from other magicians, eventually becoming one of the "best and most-influential 'close-up magic' performers ever." He was known to many accomplished contemporary magicians, such as Lance Burton, Doug Henning, and Penn & Teller, for this unique brand of close-up, sleight-of-hand magic.
International card magicians knew Andrus for his "Master Move", a sleight-of-hand classic "pass" without "necessary false movement".
An early member of The Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, Andrus performed there semi-annually until shortly before his death. "With over 5,000 members at the Magic Castle... this gentleman's membership number is #306; he has been performing here since we opened our doors."
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Wikipedia