Ricardo Roucau (3 October 1936 – 30 October 2017) was a magician commonly known as Fantasio. Roucau became interested in magic at an early age after seeing

Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu ( zh, t=傅滿洲/福滿洲, p=Fú Mǎnzhōu) is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character f ...

perform in Argentina. Roucau previously performed as Ricardo and then as Larry, before being warned in 1961 by

John Scarne John Scarne (; March 4, 1903 – July 7, 1985) was an American magician and author who was particularly adept at playing card manipulation. He became known as an expert on cards and other games, and authored a number of popular books on cards, ...

that the name would not work for a magician trying to make it in America. He also performed with his wife as 'Larry and Daisy'. Roucau adopted the name Fantasio after noticing it on a box of

playing card A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a f ...

s. Roucau was known for his handling of walking sticks and lit candles, which he would make materialise during his act. Roucau was a prolific inventor, and

Mike Caveney Michael Douglas Caveney (born June 17, 1950) is an American magician, author, publisher, magic historian and collector. He is a life-member of the Magic Castle in Hollywood and a member of The Magic Circle of London. His work as a magician and ...

believes that Fantasio's appearing and disappearing props were at one point the most popular magic props in the world. Roucau performed at the

Desert Inn The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, and the

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (, ) is an urban university campus in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, t ...

and

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He also appeared on ''

The Hollywood Palace ''The Hollywood Palace'' was an hourlong American television variety show broadcast Saturday nights (except September 1967 to January 1968, when it aired on Tuesday nights) on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Titled ''The Satur ...

'' and ''

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 ...

''. Roucau and his wife Monica won second place in General Magic at the 1979 Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques (FISM) competition and Rocau won second place in Comedy Magic in the 1994 FISM competition. Fantasio was a lifetime member of Ring 45 and Assembly 280. In 2010, he was named Dean of Assembly 280.

Published books

* ''Magic with Canes and Candles'' (1970) * ''My Canes and Candles'' (1990)

References

1936 births 2017 deaths Argentine magicians Entertainers from Buenos Aires {{magic-stub