Mac King (born December 2, 1959) is an American magician who has performed on television specials, often as a co-host. He has his own family-friendly show, "The Mac King Comedy Magic Show", at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino in the Thunderland Showroom, in Las Vegas, Nevada. King's show is currently the longest running one-man show in the history of Las Vegas.

Career

After college graduation King began touring the comedy clubs with his one-man comedy magic act. Over the next nineteen years his career took off, to such an extent that for years he did over 200 shows a year. In the nineties he began to do television specials, and to appear at Las Vegas casinos. In January 2000, King became a permanent act at Harrah's, performing 10 shows a week. In addition to the TV specials and Harrah's performances, King performs at more than 60 private corporate events each year. Some of his better-known effects involve

goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of the order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the w ...

Fig Newton Newtons are a Nabisco-trademarked version of a cookie filled with sweet fruit paste. Fig Newtons are the most popular variety. They are produced by an extrusion process. Their distinctive shape is a characteristic that has been adopted by compe ...

s, and a yellow

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he claims is a magic

cloak of invisibility A cloak of invisibility is an item that prevents the wearer from being seen. In folklore, mythology and fairy tales, a cloak of invisibility appears either as a magical item used by duplicitous characters or an item worn by a hero to fulfill a q ...

. In 2021 Mac King moved to the Excalibur after 20 years at Harrah's Las Vegas.

On-stage accident

One of King's most memorable moments occurred while performing his cut-and-restored rope routine. King has said that one of his biggest pet peeves is that some magicians use dull

scissors Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting var ...

, and he makes it a point to keep his scissors

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sharp. While performing the routine, he accidentally severed the tip of his thumb. He quickly tried to stop the bleeding by wrapping his thumb in tape, but the injury was too severe. He asked the audience if there was a nurse present, and a nurse stepped forward. She managed to stop the bleeding. King continued with his show and finished his second show later that evening before going to the hospital to have his injury treated.

Television shows and specials

On the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

The World's Greatest Magic ''The World's Greatest Magic'' was a series of American television specials showcasing magic acts. The first of five shows was broadcast by NBC in 1994, and continued with annual editions through 1998. These shows were most often first telecast ...

'' specials, King taught the audience a minor effect before and after each commercial in segments referred to as the Mac King School of Magic. He is the only magician to be in all five of the network's specials. * '' An Evening at the Improv'' * ''

Comic Strip Live The Comic Strip Live is the oldest stand-up comedy showcase club in New York City, located at 1568 Second Avenue (between 81st and 82nd Streets). History The Comic Strip was opened in 1976. Richard Tienken and Robert Wachs were two of the club ...

'' * ''

'' * '' The World's Greatest Magic II'' * '' The World's Greatest Magic III'' * '' The World's Greatest Magic IV'' * '' The World's Greatest Magic V'' * '' Houdini: Unlocking His Secrets'' * '' The World's Wildest Magic'' * '' Penn and Teller's Sin City Spectacular'' * '' Donny and Marie'' * '' The Other Half'' * '' Penn & Teller: Fool Us'' King's home was also featured on

HGTV HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. HGTV Dream Home is an ...

Personal life

King was born December 2, 1959, in

Hopkinsville, Kentucky Hopkinsville is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census was 31,180. History Early years The area of p ...

. He became interested in magic as a kid because both of his grandfathers (Elwood Huffman and Pax King) were keen amateur magicians. King was a graduate from the J. Graham Brown School in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

in 1977. King then attended Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on a National Merit Scholarship. He graduated with Highest Honors in 1981 with a double major (Anthropology and Magic). King performed, with fellow Kentuckian

Lance Burton William Lance Burton (born March 10, 1960) is an American stage magician. 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''. Profess ...

, over the summers he had off during college. They did three shows a day, every day, at a western-themed park in Cumberland Falls, Kentucky. King married Jennifer Sils in 1985, having met her when she was chosen from the audience by King to help with a trick. They have one child named Eli King who was born in Nevada. He is also friends with

Penn & Teller Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette and Teller, are American magicians, entertainers, and scientific skeptics who have performed together since 1975. They are noted for their ongoing act that combines elements of comedy with magic. The duo has bee ...

, who wrote the preface to King's book '' Tricks With Your Head''. In March 2022, King eulogized

The Amazing Johnathan John Edward Szeles (September 9, 1958 – February 22, 2022), better known by the stage name The Amazing Johnathan, was an American comedian and Magician (illusion), magician. His act was mostly composed of hijinks, interaction with one specifi ...

, who had died a couple of weeks prior.

Books

King has co-authored 3 books. * '' Tricks With Your Head'', a humorously written series of tricks mostly requiring few, if any props (other than the performer's anatomy), co-authored with Mark Levy. * ''

Campfire Magic A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires ...

'' subtitled "Over 50 Amazing and Easy-to-Learn Tricks and Mind-Blowing Stunts" co-authored with Bill King. * '' Great Big Ol' Book-o-Magic.'' King also collaborated with cartoonist

Jeff Knurek Jeff Knurek is an American cartoonist, industrial designer, and toymaker. He is the current cartoonist for the syndicated Jumble puzzle, working with David L. Hoyt. Personal life Knurek was born in 1966 Wyandotte, Michigan. In 2007, Knurek b ...

to create and market the "Magic in a Minute" line of children's promotions, toys, magic tricks, videos, books, and events.

References

External links

King's official PagePress Kit and Bio Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Mac American magicians 1959 births Living people People from Hopkinsville, Kentucky Macalester College alumni Entertainers from Louisville, Kentucky J. Graham Brown School alumni Las Vegas shows Academy of Magical Arts Magician of the Year winners