Signor Blitz (born Antonio van Zandt; 21 June 1810, in
Deal, Kent
Deal is a coastal town in Kent, England, which lies where the North Sea and the English Channel meet, north-east of Dover, England, Dover and south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town whose history is closely linked t ...
, England – 28 January 1877, in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, Pennsylvania, United States) was a British
magician and performer.
[Tieteen kuvalehti Historia 11/2013, s. 77.]
Career as a magician
van Zandt started performing at the age of thirteen in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
, Germany,
billed as Signor Blitz.
After traveling for two years in northern Europe, he returned to England, appearing first in
Dover
Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
in December 1825. He then visited Ireland and Scotland. In 1834, he went to the United States,
and, after performing in New York City, traveled throughout that country. Later he visited Canada and the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
. On his return from the south he settled in Philadelphia, where he resided until his death.
One of Signor Blitz's best-known performances was a trick in which a loaded gun was pointed at him and he would catch the bullet in his hands. However, he stopped showing it because of the risky nature of the trick.
He also combined ventriloquism during his long show making quips with his dummy (''Bobby'') as well as making sound effects.
Personal life
He married and had four children. After his first wife died, he married again in 1863.
Autobiography
Blitz wrote the autobiography '' Fifty Years in the Magic Circle''.
Death
Six years after writing his autobiography, he died of consumption in his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
References
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Blitz, Signor
1810 births
1877 deaths
English magicians
People from Deal, Kent
English emigrants to the United States