Lance Burton
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William Lance Burton (born March 10, 1960) is an American
stage magician Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...
. He performed more than 15,000 shows in Las Vegas for over 5,000,000 people until retiring in 2010. He serves as a judge on '' Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars''.


Professional history

Burton first became interested in magic at the age of 5, when he was one of the volunteers at a magic show of Magician
Harry Collins Harry Collins, FLSW (born 13 June 1943), is a British sociologist of science at the School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Wales. In 2012 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. In 2013, he was elected a Fellow of the Learne ...
. The trick was The Miser's Dream, where Collins "pulled silver dollars out of the sky" and Burton's ears. The young Burton was fascinated, and a neighbor, hearing of his interest, gave him a book, ''Magic Made Easy'', which her own (then-grown) children had used. It contained ten tricks, all of which young Burton quickly learned. His first performances were for neighborhood children, charging them a nickel each. Collins, a full-time magician, noticed the interest, and became his mentor when Burton was in his teens, teaching him the fundamentals of the trade. Another of Burton's influences was his mentor Channing Pollock, who influenced Burton's
card manipulation Card manipulation, commonly known as card magic, is the branch of magic that deals with creating effects using sleight of hand techniques involving playing cards. Card manipulation is often used in magical performances, especially in close-up, ...
and use of doves. In 1977, as a teenager, Burton entered his first magic competition and won first prize. In 1980, shortly after his 20th birthday, he was awarded a "Gold Medal of Excellence" from the
International Brotherhood of Magicians International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) is an organization for both professional and amateur close-up and stage magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St. Charles, Missouri. There are over 300 l ...
. Soon after, Burton moved to Southern California, where within a week he appeared on ''
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'' (on October 28, 1981). Through the course of Burton's career he was invited back for a total of ten performances while
Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson is a cultural phenomenon and w ...
was host, and another ten performances during
Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 200 ...
's tenure. Burton has also appeared 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 ...
''. He performed an initial eight-week trial at the ''
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'' show in Las Vegas, and then had his contract extended for a record-breaking nine years. In 1982, he competed at the international Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques (FISM) competition in
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, and won the "Grand Prix" prize (the main event of the FISM competition). He was the youngest person to ever win the main event, and the first American to do so. In 1991, he produced, directed, and wrote his own show, which opened at the Hacienda Hotel and ran for five years. He had a brief marriage to magician Melinda Saxe in August 1993, but they divorced shortly after. In August 1994, Burton signed a 13-year contract (the longest contract given, at that point, to any entertainer in Las Vegas history) with the Monte Carlo Resort in Las Vegas. The 1,274-seat '' Lance Burton Theater'' was built to Burton's specifications for his show, cost $27 million, and opened on June 21, 1996. ''Entertainment Today'' magazine listed it as the #1 family magic act, and during its 13-year run Burton earned an estimated $110 million. In 2004, Burton celebrated his tenth anniversary at the Monte Carlo by introducing an illusion entitled "Solid Gold Lady", for which he used $10 million in gold. In 2006, he appeared on the Labor Day Weekend ''
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''. On July 1, 2009, Burton signed a six-year contract extension with the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, which would continue his contract until 2015. However, the contract was ended five years earlier than planned, and the final show was performed on September 4, 2010. In 2020 Lance Burton performed in Blackpool, England.


Television appearances

In 1986, Burton guest starred in a fourth season episode ''
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'' titled "Deadly Knightshade" as the mastermind magician behind the murder of a Foundation trustee. In 1986, he appeared in
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's
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special ''
Mystery Magical Special ''Mystery Magical Special'' (also known on screen as ''Marc Summers' Mystery Magical Tour'') is an American television special aired on Nickelodeon. Advertised as a Halloween-themed program, the special was originally produced in 1988, but continu ...
''. Burton starred in several network television specials, including * ''The Legend Begins'' (1996) * ''The Encounter'' (1997) * ''Top Secret'' (1998) * ''On The Road'' (2001) For his ''Top Secret'' special that first aired on February 24, 1999, at Buffalo Bill's Hotel & Casino in
Primm, Nevada Primm (formerly known as State Line) is an unincorporated town in Clark County, Nevada, United States, primarily notable for its position straddling Interstate 15 at the Nevada–California border. It sits on Ivanpah Dry Lake, which extends to ...
, Burton staged an illusion in which he appeared to escape the path of a speeding roller coaster while on the tracks of " The Desperado". The Desperado is one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the United States – taking one minute to climb, and 3.5 seconds to descend to where he was on the tracks. He appeared to avoid the coaster by a mere tenth of a second, the trick having apparently gone wrong. After the "narrow escape", he looked at the camera and said "That was stupid...That was ''really'' stupid." Burton appeared on an episode of the
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channel series ''
American Restoration ''American Restoration'' is an American reality television series airing on the History Channel. Produced by Leftfield Pictures, the first six seasons were recorded in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicled the daily activities at ''Rick's Rest ...
'', televised November 1, 2010, in which the ''Rick's Restorations'' crew repaired a light pole at Burton's residence that had been destroyed in a windstorm. In 2022, Lance Burton was a guest judge on '' Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars'' on
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. Burton was referenced in
Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American television sitcom, created by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, that aired on ABC for 11 seasons from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. The series follows the lives of three diverse but interrelated fa ...
season 4, episode 4.


Awards

*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 ...
has twice awarded him "Magician of the Year" (1985, 1991), and also given him a Masters Fellowship (2010). * 1982 Grand Prix Award at FISM for a performance in which he stood in a street scene in traditional top hat and tails and produced
doves Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...
,
candles A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. ...
and gentleman's walking canes. * 1997 Blackstone Theatre Award. * 2016 David Devant Award from The Magic Circle, given "to those who have made a significant contribution in advancing the art of magic."


References


External links

*
TV.com biographyLance Burton review & video


, January 10, 2004,
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Lance 1960 births Entertainers from Louisville, Kentucky American magicians Living people Butler High School alumni Las Vegas shows Academy of Magical Arts Magician of the Year winners Academy of Magical Arts Masters Fellowship winners Academy of Magical Arts Stage Magician of the Year winners Academy of Magical Arts Visiting Magician of the Year winners