Michael Finney is a professional magician. He was born in 1954 in

Woodland, California Woodland is a city in and the county seat of Yolo County, California, United States. Located approximately northwest of Sacramento, it is a part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The population continues to grow every year, with a growth ra ...

. He moved to

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

in 1978 and opened the Finney Bones comedy club in 1986. He has appeared on numerous television specials and performs regularly throughout the U.S. He has appeared on the cover of

The Linking Ring ''The Linking Ring'' is a monthly print magic magazine published by the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) for its members since 1922. It is based in Bluffton, Ohio. In 2007, Samuel Patrick Smith, a magician, author and publisher ba ...

Biography

After spending part of his early career as a close-up magician and a children's performer at a

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

, Finney decided to concentrate strictly on comedy magic. Once a comedy finalist on the television program ''

Star Search ''Star Search'' (later known as ''Ed McMahon's Star Search'') is an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./ Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 29 ...

'', Finney was nominated for 'Magician of the Year' by the

Magic Castle 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 ...

nightclub in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, performed at the 2004 Inaugural Gala for President

George W Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

, and received the Silver Lion Head award for excellence in comedy and magic from magicians

Siegfried and Roy Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

NBC

Once a regular performer on

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 ...

's ''World's Greatest Magicians'' and ''World's Wildest Magic'' shows, Finney now performs primarily one day corporate events, charity events, and at

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

s. Finney is one of only a few magicians with their own foundation —- the Michael Finney Foundation to benefit firefighters and the Pappas School for homeless children. In eight years, his foundation donated over $400,000 to his causes, according to Finney's estimate. He stated in a 2005 interview that he was also associated with the Gift of Life, a

Rotarian Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and pe ...

group that provides assistance and operations for children with heart problems. He is currently involved with the Wounded Warriors program, having contributed almost a million dollars through his foundation.Mr. Finney himself on the Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship

References

https://www.theaquarian.com/2014/02/19/interview-with-masters-of-illusion-up-to-new-tricks/

External links

Official homepage

1954 births Living people American magicians Academy of Magical Arts Parlour Magician of the Year winners {{US-entertainer-stub