John Edward Szeles | |
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Amazing Johnathan (left) with Robert Swirsky (center) and Psychic Tanya (right).
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Born |
Detroit, Michigan |
September 9, 1958
Medium | Magician, Stand-up, Actor |
Years active | 1983 - 2017 |
Spouse |
Anastasia Synn (June 7th, 2014–present) Sandra Bowing (1995–2000) (divorced) |
Website | www.amazingj.com |
John Edward Szeles (born September 9, 1958), better known by the stage name The Amazing Johnathan, is an American stand-up comedian/magician. His act is mostly composed of hijinks, interaction with one specific audience member, and a few legitimate magic tricks. From 2001 to 2014, he was a year-round headliner in Las Vegas. Self-described as the "Freddy Krueger of Comedy", Szeles usually performs wearing his everpresent headband and his shows frequently use gore, such as pretending to suck on his own hanging eyeball, cutting his wrists, and skewering his own tongue. He is also good friends with fellow performer Criss Angel, and has helped Angel perform a variety of illusions, most notably during his three guest appearances on Mindfreak.
Szeles, who began his career performing in the streets of San Francisco, first appeared on television in The 8th Annual Young Comedians Show in 1983 and later went on to become the host of the short-lived 1991 syndicated variety/game show Ruckus. He appeared on various talk and variety shows from the mid-80s to mid 2000s. His only credited performance as an actor was The Obligatory Holiday Episode of The Weird Al Show (playing the part of Uncle Johnathan). He has made several appearances on Late Night with David Letterman, a record 24 appearances on Fox's Comic Strip Live, and has had several specials on Comedy Central including Comedy Central Presents, The Lounge Lizards and more recently his own one hour special entitled Wrong on Every Level., He dedicated the special to his Uncle Eugene, who showed him his first card trick which "started this whole mess". His only film appearance is the 2005 documentary .
Johnathan had huge success in Australia, becoming a household name due to his many well received performances on Channel 9's "Hey Hey Its Saturday".