- Doug Henning
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Doug Henning Born Douglas James Henning
May 3, 1947
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CanadaDied February 7, 2000 (aged 52)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.Cause of death Liver cancer Occupation magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician Spouse Barbara De Angelis
Debby DouillardChildren none Douglas James Henning (May 3, 1947 – February 7, 2000) was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician.
Contents
Early life
Henning was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, began practicing magic at Oakenwald School in Fort Garry, and later moved to Oakville, Ontario.
He performed his first show at the age of 14 at the birthday party of a friend and was inspired by his audience's spellbound reaction. Within a few months of placing an ad in a local newspaper, Henning launched a series of performances on local television in Toronto, and as an entertainer at parties.[citation needed]
He was a student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and studied psychology.[1] Henning met Ivan Reitman there when he appeared in the 1968 Reitman directed production of Li'l Abner in the role of Lonesome Polecat.[2]
Career
Shortly after university, Henning was awarded a Canada Council for the Arts grant.[3] The terms of the grant required Henning to study magic. He did so, traveling to view first hand the talents of such magic greats as Slydini and Dai Vernon. Doug studied under Tony Slydini and considered him his primary teacher of magic.[4]
With the intention of returning magic to its “glory days”, Henning worked to perfect his craft. Garnering financial support, he developed a live theatrical show, Spellbound, directed by Ivan Reitman, with music by Howard Shore and co-starring actress Jennifer Dale, a musical that combined a dramatic story and Henning's magic tricks. The show opened in Toronto, where it broke box office records. Henning reworked the show after catching the attention of New York producers, and took it to Broadway as The Magic Show, with songs composed by Stephen Schwartz. Debuting in 1974, the show ran for four and a half years, and earned Henning a Tony Award nomination.[citation needed]
Following his Broadway success, Henning approached NBC with the idea of producing a television special. It wasn't until Henning suggested that he would reproduce live Harry Houdini's famous and highly dangerous water torture escape for the first time since Houdini performed it himself that the NBC executives signed him. Henning spent the next eight months reworking his stage act for TV and practicing the water torture escape act. More than 50 million viewers tuned in for the December 1975 broadcast of Doug Henning's World of Magic, hosted by Gene Kelly (Orson Welles was supposed to host but became ill.) Henning successfully performed the water torture illusion, although he did not break Harry Houdini's time record. This event was the first of seven annual broadcasts,[5] which would eventually bring Henning seven Emmy nominations. Henning's signature parting words from The World of Magic were: "Anything the mind can conceive is possible. Nothing is impossible. All you have to do is look within and you can realize your fondest dreams. I would like to wish each one of you all of life's wonders and a joyful age of enlightenment."
Henning relocated to Los Angeles in 1976, and created his own production company that created stage effects for music videos and concerts by Earth, Wind and Fire, Michael Jackson and other artists.[citation needed]
In 1977, Henning co-wrote a biography of Harry Houdini, Houdini: His Legend and His Magic.[6]
Henning divorced Barbara De Angelis in 1981, and married Debby Douillard in the Ladies' Dome in Fairfield, Iowa, in December of that year.[7]
In 1983, Henning was the producer and star of the Broadway musical, Merlin.[1]
In 1984 Henning began a solo show on Broadway called Doug Henning and His World of Magic.[1]
Transcendental Meditation
In the mid 1980s, Henning retired from the stage and had an increasing interest in Transcendental Meditation.[1] He received a Ph.D in the Science of Creative Intelligence from the Maharishi University in Switzerland.[8]
Natural Law Party
In 1992, Henning was the Natural Law Party candidate in England’s general election, representing a residential section of Lancashire.[9] He was Senior Vice President of the Natural Law Party of Canada ("NLPC"), and ran as the party's candidate for the former Toronto riding of Rosedale in the 1993 federal election, finishing sixth out of ten candidates.[9][10][11]
Veda Land
In 1992, Henning and Transcendental Meditation founder, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi drafted plans for a $1.5 billion-dollar project called "Maharishi Veda Land" near Niagara Falls, Ontario[1] that would "combine astonishing, unique visual and sensory effects, state-of-the-art 3D imagery, and ultra high-tech entertainment technology with his best and most original magic illusion secrets".[12] Maharishi Veda Land was conceived as a magical Himalayan setting where visitors would be wowed with theatrical presentations of ancient Vedic stories and “the deepest secrets of the universe", while ingesting organic vegetarian burgers and snacks.[citation needed] Attractions were to include a building suspended above water and a journey into the heart of a rose.[1] At present the project's status is uncertain.[1]
Death and legacy
Henning died aged 52 in February 2000 at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles five months after being diagnosed with liver cancer.[1] Coincidently at the same age of Houdini.
Henning's ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean off Redondo Beach, California.[4]
On June 8, 2010, it was announced that he would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.[13] His "Zig Zag Girl" illusion is housed at the American Museum of Magic.[14]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h McKinley, Jesse (February 9, 2000). "Doug Henning, a Superstar Of Illusion, Is Dead at 52.". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04E2DD153EF93AA35751C0A9669C8B63. Retrieved May 1, 2010. The New York Times
- ^ [Source: original McMaster production playbill][not specific enough to verify]
- ^ "Our cover: Douglas James Henning 1947 - 2000". The Linking Ring (The International Brotherhood of Magicians) 80 (4): 210. April 2000.
- ^ a b Doug Henning Bio Genii Magic.com
- ^ "Henning TV Special A Smash". The Linking Ring (The International Brotherhood of Magicians) 57 (2): 37, 38. February 1977.
- ^ "Biography for Doug Henning (I)". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0377392/bio. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
- ^ Stone, Jay (October 23, 1993. pg. E.1). "Let a smile be your platform". The Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ a b Gardner, Martin, "Doug Henning and the Giggling Guru", Skeptical Inquirer Vol 19.3 (May/June 1995)
- ^ "'Have rabbit, will travel': Yogic flyer's Natural Law Party failed to capture the imagination", National Post (UK) (February 20, 2000)
- ^ "Rosedale, Ontario (1933-1996)", History of Federal Ridings Since 1867
- ^ “Maharishi Veda Land” maharishivediccity.net description of Vedaland project
- ^ "2010 Inductees for The Canada Honours Announced". Canada's Walk of Fame. 2010-06-08. http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/news/2010-inductees-the-canada-honours-announced. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
- ^ Fajurid, Gabe (1999-02-04). "Magic Museum provides mecca for experts, fans alike". The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original on 2008-05-01. http://web.archive.org/web/20080501123828/http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/1999/feb/02-04-99/arts/arts1.html. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
Further reading
External links
- Canadian Walk of Fame
- Synopses of Merlin and The Magic Show and a Doug Henning Illusionography. John Harrison.
- Doug Henning at the Internet Movie Database
- "Douglas James Henning". Magician, Entertainer. Find a Grave. May 04, 2000. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9231. Retrieved Aug 17, 2011.
Categories:- 1947 births
- 2000 deaths
- Escapologists
- Canadian expatriates in the United States
- Canadian magicians
- Magician of the year Award winner
- Natural Law Party of Canada candidates in the 1993 Canadian federal election
- People from Toronto
- People from Winnipeg
- McMaster University alumni
- Professional magicians
- Transcendental Meditation practitioners
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