Jonathan Levit (born April 20, 1971) is an American

magician Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

television host A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garner ...

and

theatrical producer A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The producer is responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of a production or venue, raises or provides financial backing, and hire ...

. He has appeared in quite a number of movies and television series, and was the host of

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communic ...

's reality series, '' Celebracadabra''. Jonathan also performs frequently at the World Famous

Magic Castle The Magic Castle is a clubhouse for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It is in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California and it bills itself as "the most unusual private club in ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

Biography

Early life

At the age of 3, Levit experienced life as a world traveler, moving with his family to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

for several years. During those years, he would take in the culture from all over

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

and the world. At the age of 8, Levit was bitten by the performing bug, and his life was never same. While back in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

, Levit happened upon some old magic tricks in the basement of his home, which belonged to his father. Jonathan first set foot on stage to perform his first magic act at the age of 12. That same year, Levit appeared on ''

The Sally Jessy Raphael Show ''Sally'' (originally titled ''The Sally Jessy Raphael Show'') is an American syndicated tabloid talk show that was hosted by radio talk show host Sally Jessy Raphael. It originally was a half-hour local St. Louis television program, debuting Oct ...

'' along with

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

as a guest. Levit continued his training as a magician, studying with some of the top minds in the art, honing his sleight of hand and performance skills, at the same time receiving numerous awards in close up, stage and street performing competitions. Producing grabbed Levit's interest while in college at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Levit would produce a variety of sold out shows on and off campus during his academic career, casting many performers that have gone on to become forces of their own in the entertainment fields. Before leaving Syracuse, Levit was sent the inspiration he needed and would look back on to give him the push to pursue his true interest.

Bob Costas Robert Quinlan Costas (born March 22, 1952) is an American sportscaster who is known for his long tenure with NBC Sports, from 1980 through 2019. He has received 28 Emmy awards for his work and was the prime-time host of 12 Olympic Games from ...

wrote Levit a note telling him to "follow your dreams...you can't go wrong." He still holds that note from time to time as a reminder. This was the spark Levit needed, as he loaded up his car and set out for

.Official Website , http://www.jonathanlevit.com, June 5, 2008

Career

Upon moving to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, Levit immediately dove into training at various acting studios. It didn't take long for him to get into his groove once again. His first appearance on television came in the form of a starring role, opposite

Ricky Jay Richard Jay Potash (June 26, 1946 – November 24, 2018) was an American stage magician, actor and writer. In a profile for ''The New Yorker'', Mark Singer called Jay "perhaps the most gifted sleight of hand artist alive". In addition to sleigh ...

, on ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

''.IMDb profile, June 5, 2008 This role would pave the way for an adventurous and successful life as an actor and television host. Appearing in starring roles in top-rated television shows and commercial films, Jonathan has enjoyed a constant journey forward. As a television host, Levit has been swept all over the world, exploring some of the most intriguing and exciting stories imaginable. While at home in Los Angeles, Levit continues to work as an actor, television host and voiceover artist and is often a welcomed performer at the

. Here, he has the opportunity to hone his other lifelong passion of performing magic. It's this balance of acting and magic that keeps Levit sharp - "both arts enhance each other."

Filmography

References

External links

Jonathan Levit's Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Levit, Jonathan 1971 births Living people American magicians