Max Maven

Max Maven
Max Maven, out of character, performing an ESP card trick, 2007
Born	Philip Goldstein (1950-12-21) December 21, 1950 (age 66) Ithaca, New York
Occupation	Magician, mentalist

Max Maven (born Philip Goldstein 21 December 1950 in Ithaca, New York) is an American magician and mentalist. He often appears on television magic shows to perform "interactive" mind reading tricks that work for the television audience.

While his public persona and performances fall squarely within the genre of mentalism, Maven's contributions to the magic community span far wider. He is respected within the industry for being a prolific author and innovating many of the magical and mentalist effects that are used by other magicians. He has been a magic consultant for such performers as David Copperfield, Penn & Teller, Siegfried & Roy, and Doug Henning, and he is a frequent contributor to industry journals such as Genii, The Linking Ring, and M-U-M. He has also been the featured magician at the annual conventions of both the Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

He hosted a 12-part series for HTV (Harlech Television) in Britain, "Something Strange with Max Maven", a talk-show exploring all aspects of the paranormal. The show set a ratings record, and led to a second series the following year. He also starred as the title role in FOX's 1992 Halloween special Count DeClues' Mystery Castle. It was shot at The Magic Castle.

Maven occasionally plays a magician character (often as himself) on various television series, such as, "Magic", "The Art of Magic", "Something Strange with Max Maven", "Fresh Prince of Bel Air", and "The MAXimum Dimension".