Michael Ammar (born June 25, 1956) is an American
close-up
A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, s ...
magician.
Background
Ammar was born in
Logan, West Virginia
Logan is a city in Logan County, West Virginia, Logan County, West Virginia, United States, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 1,438 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Logan County.
History
What is now Logan was initially c ...
.
His father's background was
Syrian
Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...
.
Ammar earned a degree from
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...
in business administration in 1978.
Magician
In 1982, Ammar competed with magicians from 30 countries to win first prize ex aequo with Aurelio Pavito in Close-up Magic at Lausanne, Switzerland.
During the 1980s he developed a close friendship with his mentor,
Dai Vernon
David Frederick Wingfield Verner (June 11, 1894August 21, 1992), better known by his stage names Dai Vernon (pronounced alternatively as "DIE" or as "DAY" as in David) or The Professor, was a Canadian magician.
Vernon's sleight of hand techn ...
("The Professor"), whose influence is apparent in Ammar's performances.
Ammar was the magic week finale on Late Night with David Letterman in 2010 and has made multiple appearances on The Tonight Show.
He moved to Los Angeles - where he became a regular performer at the
Playboy Mansion
The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who lived there from 1971 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the home located in Holmby H ...
, and made appearances on the
Merv Griffin Show
''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series had runs on two different networks on NBC (1962–1963) and CBS (1969–1972) but is most known for its run on first-run syndication from 1965 to 19 ...
,
The Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...
,
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
, and
Travel Channel
Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, who previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in Manhattan, with ...
.
Ammar appeared at the
Magic Castle
The Magic Castle is a performance venue, restaurant, and clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts for magicians and magic enthusiasts in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, United States. The Academy was started in 1952 by ...
in Hollywood.. By 1990, the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood had awarded him its "Oscar" in six separate categories (the maximum number of awards for which he is eligible).
He appeared on NBC's 1998 "Worlds Greatest Magic 5" special,
and has been a guest on the
Late Show with David Letterman
''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
.
Ammar has made private performances at
Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to:
* Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate
** Universal Pictures, an American film studio
** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex
* Various theme parks operat ...
and the
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Geography
* Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy
* Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City
* Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome
* Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
. He performed and coordinated the magic talent at George W. Bush's Presidential inaugural banquet.
He was the first featured performer at the "Caesars Magical Empire" at
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks.
Caesar ...
.
Ammar has performed on television in England, France, Canada, Japan, Sweden, Norway, Australia and Russia.
Ammar's work includes the popularization of
Topit, with his refinement of Topit technique and inspired a number of close-up magicians to adopt it. He has written "The Topit Book" and made "The Topit DVD".
Magic Instructor
Ammar has been lecturing to other magicians since about 1982.
In 1999, ''
Magic Magazine
''MAGIC'', also known as ''The Magazine for Magicians'', was an independent magazine for magicians that was based in Las Vegas, Nevada. A creation of Stan Allen, it debuted in September 1991, with its first issue featuring Lance Burton on the c ...
'' named Ammar as "One of the Most Influential Magicians in the Twentieth Century".
On August 26, 2010, ''
Outside
Outside or Outsides may refer to:
* Wilderness
Books and magazines
* ''Outside'', a book by Marguerite Duras
* ''Outside'' (magazine), an outdoors magazine
Film, theatre and TV
* Outside TV (formerly RSN Television), a television network
* '' ...
'' cited Ammar as the "go-to source" for magic instruction.
The magazine published a list of ''"100 Things to Do Before You Die"'', and numbered 45 as "Learn a magic trick"—suggesting studying with the master, Michael Ammar.
Publications
“Michael Ammar Live Act (Penguin Live)”“Michael Ammar Live (Penguin Live)”“At the Table Live with Michael Ammar”*"Success and Magic"
*"Videonics videos with Dai Vernon"
*"Encore 1"
*"Encore 2"
"The Magical Arts Journal""Brainstorm in the Bahamas"
*"The Magic Video"
"The Magic of Michael Ammar""The Crazyman's Handcuffs""Easy to Master Card Miracles, Vol 1-9"
"Easy to Master Money Miracles, Vol 1-3""Easy to Master Thread Miracles, Vol 1-3"
*"Exciting World of Magic"
"Amazing Secrets of Card Magic""Complete Introduction to Coin Magic""Icebreakers""Classic Renditions 1 - The Floating Bill""Classic Renditions 3 - The Thumbtip Bill Switch""Classic Renditions 4 - Roll Over Aces""Live at the Magic Castle"New Topit Pattern""Any Signed Card to Any Spectators Wallet"
*"Cups to Lemon"
Awards
Distinguished Alumni Award from West Virginia University 2003
*Magician of the Year, Tannens, NY 2000
Gold Medalist, World Sleight-of-Hand Competition, FISM, 1982
*Best Sleight-of-Hand, International Magic Awards, 1991
*Best Sleight-of-Hand, International Magic Awards, 1992
*The Academy of Magical Arts
The Magic Castle is a performance venue, restaurant, and clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts for magicians and magic enthusiasts in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, United States. The Academy was started in 1952 by W ...
Parlour Magician of the Year (1985, 1990)
References
External links
*
*
Documentary about Ammar on tour
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ammar, Michael
1956 births
Living people
American magicians
People from Logan, West Virginia
Entertainers from West Virginia
West Virginia University alumni
American people of Syrian descent
Academy of Magical Arts Close-Up Magician of the Year winners
Academy of Magical Arts Junior Achievement Award winners
Academy of Magical Arts Parlour Magician of the Year winners