Jim Steinmeyer

Jim Steinmeyer (born November 1, 1958) is an American internationally respected designer of magical illusions and theatrical special effects. His best known illusions include Origami, Interlude, and Walking Through a Mirror. He is also an author, consultant and producer.

Steinmeyer was born in Oak Park, Illinois. He grew up in Hinsdale, Illinois and attended Loyola University Chicago.

For a number of years, Steinmeyer was the magic designer to Doug Henning, and invented illusions for Henning's television specials and two Broadway shows. He has served as a magic consultant to Siegfried and Roy, David Copperfield and Lance Burton, as well as creating magic effects for Orson Welles, Harry Blackstone, The Pendragons, Simon Drake, Ricky Jay, Jason Bishop, and many others.

For David Copperfield, Steinmeyer created the illusion of the Vanishing Statue of Liberty, which was featured on a live television special in 1983. Musician Alice Cooper used a Steinmeyer-designed effect in his 2009 tour, where at one point he is confined inside a polished metal torture device, then impaled with a rack of sharp spikes.

Other notable stage illusions designed by Steinmeyer include:

As a researcher of magic history and a designer of special effects for the theatre, Steinmeyer's work has been featured in theatrical shows such as Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods and Mary Poppins. He also created several enhanced effects for the Las Vegas production of Phantom of the Opera, including a special version of Christine's dressing room mirror in Act I and Raoul's torture cage in Act II. He worked on Aladdin the musical special effects too.

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