Chan Canasta

Chan Canasta

Chan Canasta (born Chananel Mifelew, January 9, 1920 – April 22, 1999) was a pioneer of mental magic in the 1950s and '60s. Born in Kraków, Poland, he was the son of a Polish-Jewish educator. Most of his family perished in the Holocaust.

Contents

Stage career

Canasta moved to Great Britain in 1947, following a stint in the Royal Air Force during World War II.

Starting as a card magician who took his surname from the popular card game of canasta, he became a well known stage magician performing feats of memory and book tests during the late 1940s.

Television career

In 1951 Canasta recorded his first television show for the BBC - a sparse affair with only a few props that concentrated on mental effects.

Throughout his career Canasta made over 350 television appearances, including on the American Ed Sullivan, Arlene Francis and Jack Paar shows.

His final TV appearance was in 1971, on the BBC's Parkinson show, and was billed as "The Return of Chan Canasta," for he had left television performing behind several years earlier.

Art career

Canasta retired from the stage at the height of his fame to pursue his true dream, that of being a serious painter. In his later years he established a second career as an artist, with successful gallery shows in London and New York.

Influence

Among magicians, Canasta is revered for the invention of a principle that eschewed perfection, believing that making an occasional error made his other effects stronger and more entertaining.

British mentalist Derren Brown cites Canasta as a prime influence.

Further reading

  • David Britland, Chan Canasta - A Remarkable Man, pub. by Martin Breese

External links



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cyril Takayama — In front of ION Orchard in Singapore. Born September 27, 1973 (1973 09 27) (age 38) ) Hollywood, California …   Wikipedia

  • David (Fu Manchu) Bamberg — David Tobias Theodore Bamberg (Fu Manchu) Born David Tobias Bamberg February 19, 1904(1904 02 19) Derby, England, U.K. Died August 19, 1974(1974 08 19) (aged 70) Buenos Aires, Argentina Occupation …   Wikipedia

  • April 22 — Events*1500 Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil. *1509 Henry VIII accedes to the throne of England after the death of his father. *1529 Treaty of Saragossa divides the eastern hemisphere between… …   Wikipedia

  • January 9 — Events * 475 Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. *1349 The Jewish population of Basel, Switzerland, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing bubonic plague, were rounded up and incinerated.… …   Wikipedia

  • David Blaine — Blaine in April 2008 Born David Blaine White April 4, 1973 (1973 04 04) (age 38) Brooklyn, New York, U.S …   Wikipedia

  • Harry Houdini — Houdini redirects here. For other uses, see Houdini (disambiguation). Harry Houdini Houdini in 1899 Born Erik Weisz March 24, 1874(1874 03 24) …   Wikipedia

  • Derren Brown — This article is about the British illusionist and mentalist. For the British guitarist, see Darren Brown. For the baseball coach, see Daren Brown. Derren Victor Brown Born Derren Victor Brown 27 February 1971 …   Wikipedia

  • Doug Henning — Born Douglas James Henning May 3, 1947 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Died February 7, 2000(2000 02 07) (aged 52) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Cause of death …   Wikipedia

  • David Copperfield (illusionist) — For other uses, see David Copperfield. David Copperfield David Copperfield. Photo taken by Homer Liwag Born David Seth Kotkin September 16, 1956 (1956 09 16) …   Wikipedia

  • Siegfried & Roy — (Platform) are two German American former entertainers who became known for their appearances with white lions and white tigers. From 1990 until an injury ended their stage careers on October 3, 2003, the duo formed the show Siegfried Roy At The… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”