Richiardi Jr. (often billed just as Richiardi, and sometimes as Aldo Richiardi), was the stage name of magician Aldo Izquierdo Colosi (24 November 1923 – 6 September 1985), who became famous for dramatic and gory stage presentations of classic stage illusions."Richardo, Aldo" in T. A. Waters, ''The Encyclopedia of Magic and Magicians''. NY: Facts on File, 1988

Life and career

Aldo Izquierdo Colosi was born in Peru in 1923. His father Ricardo Richiardi (1895–1937) was a magician and ventriloquist, known as The Great Richardi. His grandfather, who also used the name Richiardi, had been a stage magician as well. He was

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian (although sometimes wrongly described as Brazilian or Argentinian). Although Aldo did not initially want to become a professional magician, he felt pressured to continue the family tradition; thus, in the 1940s, he adopted the name Richiardi Jr., and began a career in magic. Richiardi Jr. was "a charismatic and electric performer who brought a sense of theatricality to everything he touched". He made his name with a series of stage shows featuring versions of established illusions such as sawing through a woman. What made his shows distinctive was that he used fake blood and other techniques to give the impression that he really was cutting or maiming his assistants. In 1949, ''Time'' magazine noted that these shock tactics had made his act one of the top earning stage shows in New York. Other illusions Richiardi Jr. performed include levitation and the razor blade trick (where he would appear to swallow and regurgitate razor blades). He continued performing in New York City throughout his career, with shows such as ''The Incredible World Of Magic & Illusion'', which ran at The Village Gate in New York in 1978. Richiardi performed the floating "kiddie car" a variation of a well known suspension effect on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'' which, years later, was used in Doug Henning's successful New York show ''Doug Henning & His World of Magic''. Richiardi made many television appearances, including 24 on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', the most appearances by any magician on that landmark series. In the 1970s he also starred in his own television show ''Chamber of Horrors'', which was introduced by

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor. He was known for his work in the horror film genre, mostly portraying villains. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price ...

. Richiardi Jr. injured his foot in 1985, and died due to complications that occurred after several surgeries. On 8 June 2007,

Criss Angel Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (; born December 19, 1967), known professionally as Criss Angel, is an American magician, Magic (illusion), illusionist and musician. He is often referred to as one of the world's most successful illusionists, g ...

stated on ''

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the The Late Late Show (American talk show), ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airi ...

'' that Richiardi was one of his greatest influences.

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

wrote that Richiardi Jr. was "one of the finest magicians I have ever seen".

Jamy Ian Swiss Jamy Ian Swiss (born November 30, 1952, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American magician, author, speaker, historian of magic, essayist, book reviewer, and scientific skeptic. He is known for sleight-of-hand with playing cards. Magic Swiss i ...

wrote that, " thout doubt, the greatest illusionist I’ve ever seen was Richiardi, Jr".

References

External links

www.richiardijr.com
– Photos and video of Richiardi Jr. Currently the same site a
Portal de la Magia Peruana

by Lou Lancaster
Union Peruana de Ilusionistas
Peruvian magicians' organisation – includes references to Richiardi. {{DEFAULTSORT:Richiardi Jr Peruvian magicians 1923 births 1985 deaths Peruvian expatriates in the United States Academy of Magical Arts Magician of the Year winners Academy of Magical Arts Performing Fellowship winners

Life and career

References

Further reading

External links