Richard Jay Potash (June 26, 1946 – November 24, 2018) was an American stage magician, actor, and writer. In a 1993 profile for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', Mark Singer called Jay "perhaps the most gifted

sleight of hand Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' () comprises fine motor skills used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card fl ...

artist alive". In addition to sleight of hand, he was known for his

card tricks Card manipulation, commonly known as card magic, is the branch of Magic (illusion), magic that deals with creating effects using sleight of hand techniques involving playing cards. Card manipulation is often used in magical performances, especia ...

card throwing Card throwing is the art of throwing standard playing cards with great accuracy or force. It is performed both as part of stage magic shows and as a competitive physical feat among magicians, with official records existing for longest distance ...

, memory feats, and stage patter. He also wrote extensively on magic and its history. His acting credits include ''

The Prestige ''The Prestige'' is a 1995 epistolary science fantasy mystery novel by Christopher Priest. It tells the story of a prolonged feud between two stage magicians in late 1800s England. Its main structure is that of a collection of diaries that ...

'', '' The Spanish Prisoner'', ''

Mystery Men ''Mystery Men'' is a 1999 American superhero comedy film directed by Kinka Usher (in his feature-length directorial debut), written by Neil Cuthbert, loosely based on Bob Burden's '' Flaming Carrot Comics'', starring Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, ...

'', '' Heist'', ''

Boogie Nights ''Boogie Nights'' is a 1997 American drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley and focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic ...

'', ''

Tomorrow Never Dies ''Tomorrow Never Dies'' is a 1997 spy film, the eighteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode from a screenplay ...

'', '' Heartbreakers'', '' State and Main'', ''

House of Games ''House of Games'' is a 1987 American neo-noir film about con-men and confidence scams by David Mamet, his directorial debut. He also wrote the screenplay, based on a story he co-wrote with Jonathan Katz. The film's cast includes Lindsay Crou ...

'', ''

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

'', and '' Deadwood.'' In 2015, he was the subject of an episode of

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

's '' American Masters'', the only magician ever profiled in the series.

Early life

Jay was born in the

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 ...

borough of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

to Shirley (Katz) and Samuel Potash. A member of a middle-class

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family, he grew up in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. and brushed his teeth with Colgate", Jay recalled. "He kept his toothpaste in the medicine cabinet and the Brylcreem in a closet about a foot away. Once, when I was ten, I switched the tubes. All you need to know about my father is that after he brushed his teeth with Brylcreem he put the toothpaste in his hair." During an interview on the

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

program ''

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's hosts are Terry Gross and Tonya Mosl ...

with

Terry Gross Terry Gross (born February 14, 1951) is an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of '' Fresh Air'', an interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by NPR. Since joining NP ...

'', Jay said that possibly "the only kind memory I ever had of my parents" was when they secretly hired one of his idols, magician Al Flosso, to perform at his

bar mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...

. Jay's grandfather, Max Katz, was a

certified public accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Stat ...

and amateur magician who introduced Jay to magic.

Career

Magician

Jay first performed in public at the age of seven, in 1953, when he appeared on the television program ''Time for Pets''. He is most likely the youngest magician to perform a full magic act on TV, the first magician to ever play comedy clubs, and probably the first magician to open for a rock and roll band. At New York's

Electric Circus ''Electric Circus '' (also known as ''EC'') is a Canadian live dance music television program that aired on MuchMusic and Citytv from September 16, 1988, to December 12, 2003. The name originated from a nightclub that once existed at Citytv's fir ...

in the 1960s, he performed on a bill between Ike and Tina Turner and

Timothy Leary Timothy Francis Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996) was an American psychologist and author known for his strong advocacy of psychedelic drugs. Evaluations of Leary are polarized, ranging from "bold oracle" to "publicity hound". Accordin ...

, who lectured about

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

. During the 1960s and 70s, Jay lived in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...

, performing while also intermittently attending the

Cornell University School of Hotel Administration The Nolan School of Hotel Administration (SHA, more commonly known as the Hotel School) is a specialized business school in the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, a private Ivy League university located in ...

, but later moved to the

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, ...

area. He quickly developed a following among magic aficionados, and a reputation for sleight-of-hand feats that baffled even his colleagues. In his 1993 ''New Yorker'' profile of Jay, Mark Singer related the following story from playwright

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

and theater director Gregory Mosher: Three of Jay's one-man shows, ''Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants'', ''Ricky Jay: On the Stem'', and ''Ricky Jay: A Rogue's Gallery'', were directed by Mamet, who also cast Jay in a number of his films. A collector and historian, Jay was a student and friend of Dai Vernon, whom he called "the greatest living contributor to the magical art." He collected rare books and manuscripts, art, and other artifacts connected to the history of magic, gambling, unusual entertainments, and frauds and confidence games. Jay opposed any public revelations of the techniques of magic. Jay was formerly listed in the ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

'' for throwing a playing card 190 ft at (the current record is by Rick Smith Jr.). He could throw a playing card into a

watermelon The watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, that has a large, edible fruit. It is a Glossary of botanical terms#scandent, scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, and is plant breeding ...

rind (which he referred to as the "thick, pachydermatous outer melon layer" and "the most prodigious of household fruits") from ten paces. In addition, he was able to throw a card into the air like a boomerang and cut it cleanly in half with a pair of "giant scissors" upon its return. In his shows, he often attacked plastic animals with thrown cards in "self defense".

Actor

Jay appeared in a number of David Mamet films including ''

'', '' The Spanish Prisoner'' and '' Redbelt''; he also appeared in a few episodes of the Mamet-produced TV series ''

The Unit ''The Unit'' is an American action-drama television series created by David Mamet that aired on CBS from March 7, 2006, to May 10, 2009, with the total of four seasons and 69 episodes. The series focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled ...

'' as a C.I.A. recruiter. Jay played Henry Gupta, a henchman to villain Elliot Carver, in the James Bond film ''

;'' and appeared in

Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. Often described as one of the most preeminent writer-directors of his generation, List of awards and nominations received by Paul Thomas Anders ...

's ''

'' and ''

'', as well as Christopher Nolan's ''

''. He joined the cast of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

western drama '' Deadwood'' as a recurring character and writer for the first season in 2004, playing card sharp Eddie Sawyer. He wrote the episode "Jewel's Boot Is Made for Walking" and left the series at the end of the first season.

Consultant

As an expert on magic, gambling, con games and unusual entertainment, Jay was a consultant on Hollywood projects for many years, beginning with his work on

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

's production of Caleb Deschanel's '' The Escape Artist''. Other early work included teaching

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous accolades such as an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1994, the ...

how to manipulate coins for '' The Natural'' and working with

Douglas Trumbull Douglas Hunt Trumbull (; April 8, 1942 – February 7, 2022) was an American film director and visual effects supervisor, who pioneered innovative methods in special effects. He created scenes for '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'', '' Close Encounter ...

on his Showscan project ''New Magic'' (1983). In the early 1990s, Jay and Michael Weber created a firm, Deceptive Practices, providing "Arcane Knowledge on a Need-to-Know Basis" to film, television and stage productions. By offering both vast historical expertise and creative invention, they were able to provide surprising practical solutions to real production challenges. Among many accomplishments, they designed the wheelchair that hid

Gary Sinise Gary Alan Sinise (; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, director, producer, musician and humanitarian. Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has ...

's legs in ''

Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis. An adaptation of the Forrest Gump (novel), 1986 novel by Winston Groom, the screenplay of the film is written by Eric Roth. It stars Tom Hanks in the title rol ...

'', the glass that "drinks itself" used by the gorilla in '' Congo'', and an illusion "in which a man climbs to the top of a ladder of light and vanishes in midair" for the Broadway production of '' Angels in America: Perestroika''. Other projects they worked on included ''

'', '' The Illusionist'', ''

Sneakers Sneakers (American English, US) or trainers (British English, UK), also known by a #Names, wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but are also widely used for everyday casual ...

'', ''

Leap of Faith In philosophy, a leap of faith is the act of belief, believing in or accepting something not on the basis of reason. The phrase is commonly associated with Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Idiomatic usage As an idiom, ''leap of faith'' ca ...

'', ''

Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...

'', '' The Parent Trap'', '' I Love Trouble'', '' The Great Buck Howard'', '' Heartbreakers'', and ''

Ocean's Thirteen ''Ocean's Thirteen'' is a 2007 heist comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien. It is the third in the ''Ocean's'' film trilogy and a sequel to ''Ocean's Twelve'' (2004). The film features an en ...

''. Additionally, he worked with libraries and museums on their collections, including the Mulholland Library of Conjuring and the Allied Arts and the Museum of Jurassic Technology in

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Lectures and exhibitions

Jay authored numerous articles and delivered many lectures and demonstrations on such subjects as conjuring literature, con games, sense perception, and unusual entertainments. Among his presentations: * "Sleight and Shadow", at the New York

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

* "Belknap Visitor in the Humanities" lecture on the relationship between magicians and mediums, at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

* "Doing Likewise: Imitation, Emulation, and Mimesis", at the New York Institute of Humanities, hosted by

Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, comedian and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 19 ...

. * "Hocus Pocus in Perfection: Four Hundred Years of Conjuring and Conjuring Literature," the Harold Smith Memorial Lecture at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

. * "Splendors of Decaying Celluloid", with

Errol Morris Errol Mark Morris (born February 5, 1948) is an American film director known for documentaries that interrogate the epistemology of their subjects, and the invention of the Interrotron. In 2003, his '' The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Li ...

, Rosamond Purcell and Bill Morrison at the New York Institute for the Humanities. * "The Origins of the Confidence Game", at the conference of Police Against Confidence Crime. * "Chirosophi: Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Conjuring Literature," at the Henry E. Huntington Library in

San Marino, California San Marino is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2020 United States census the population was 12,513, a decline from the 2010 United States census. History Origin of name Th ...

. * "Fast and Loose: The Techniques and Literature of Cheating", at the William Andrew Clark Memorial Library,

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

. * "The Mystery of Fasting Impostors," and "The Avant Garde Art of Armless Calligraphers", at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

. * "Sense, Perception, & Nonsense" at the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The univer ...

Festival of the Arts. * "Illusion as Truth", at the International Design Conference in Aspen (keynote address). * "Prose & Cons: The Early Literature of Cheating", at the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

(Pforzheimer Lecture Series) and the Chicago Humanities Festival. * "Magic & Science", at the TED Conference in

Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...

. Jay also lectured at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

, the

Grolier Club The Grolier Club is a private club and society of bibliophiles in New York City. Founded in January 1884, it is the oldest existing bibliophilic club in North America. The club is named after Jean Grolier de Servières, Viscount d'Aguisy, T ...

, the

Hammer Museum The Hammer Museum, which is affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles, is an art museum and cultural center known for its artist-centric and progressive array of exhibitions and public programs. Founded in 1990 by the entrepreneur- ...

, Getty Center, and Town Hall Theatre in New York City. In 1999 he guest-curated an exhibit at the Harvard Theater Collection entitled "The Imagery of Illusion: Nineteenth Century Magic and Deception." Exhibitions of material from his collections have been mounted at the Hammer Museum, the

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is a multi-disciplinary Contemporary art, contemporary arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that cel ...

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

, the Christine Burgin Gallery, the Museum of Jurassic Technology, and UCLA's Clark Library. He loaned material to the Getty Center for their exhibit "Devices of Wonder" the Skirball Museum, the

Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington and Arabella Huntington in San Marino, California, United State ...

, the Whitney Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art for an exhibit entitled "Wordplay: Matthias Buchinger's Drawings From the Collection of Ricky Jay" in 2016.

Documentary film

Jay is the subject of the feature documentary '' Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay'', and of a 1995

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

documentary titled ''Hustlers, Hoaxsters, Pranksters, Jokesters, and Ricky Jay.''

Death

Jay died on November 24, 2018, at age 72. His attorney Stan Coleman confirmed his death but further details were not immediately released. Later press coverage reported that Jay died of natural causes.

Credits

Film

* ''

'' (1987) – George / Vegas Man * '' Things Change'' (1988) – Mr. Silver * ''

Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

'' (1991) – Aaron * ''

'' (1992) – Cons and Frauds Consultant * '' The Spanish Prisoner'' (1997) – George Lang * ''

'' (1997) – Kurt Longjohn * '' Hacks'' (1997) – The Hat * ''

'' (1997) – Henry Gupta * ''

'' (1999) – Vic Weems * ''

'' (1999) – Burt Ramsey / Narrator * '' State and Main'' (2000) – Jack * '' Heartbreakers'' (2001) – Dawson's Auctioneer * '' Heist'' (2001) – Don "Pinky" Pincus * '' Incident at Loch Ness'' (2004) – Party Guest #5 * '' Last Days'' (2005) – Detective * ''

'' (2006) – Milton * '' The Great Buck Howard'' (2008) – Gil Bellamy * '' Redbelt'' (2008) – Marty Brown * '' The Brothers Bloom'' (2008) – Narrator (voice) * ''Intense'' (2009) – John * '' The Automatic Hate'' (2015) – Uncle Josh (final film role)

Television

*''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Johnny Carson, it aired from October 1, 1962 to May 22, 1992, replacing ''T ...

'' (October 26, 1970) *'' Doug Henning's World of Magic II (''December 1976) *''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' (1977) *''The Ricky Jay Magic Show'' – BBC special (1978) *'' Dinah!'' (July 11, 1979) *''The John Davidson Show'' (November 28, 1980) *''

Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who ope ...

'' – Bird (1983) *'' The Paul Daniels Magic Show'' (1985) *'' Arsenio'' (1988) *'' Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women'' – 1 hour special for American TV (1989) *'' The Secret Cabaret'' (two series made by Open Media for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

, UK) *'' D.L. Hughley Breaks the News'' (January 10, 1990) *'' Civil Wars'' – Lenny NiCastro (November 11, 1991) *''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'' (1994, 2013) * ''The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky'' – Hawkes (1995) *''Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants'' – 1 hour version of his Off-Broadway show, taped for HBO (1996) *''Hustlers, Hoaxsters, Pranksters, Jokesters and Ricky Jay'' (1996) *'' American Masters'' – "Richard Avedon: Darkness and Light" (1996) *''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...

'' (1998, 2002) *''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...

'' – The Amazing Maleeni / Herman Pinchbeck / Albert Pinchbeck in " The Amazing Maleeni" (2000) *''

MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television series created by Peter Rees (producer), Peter Rees and produced by Beyond International in Australia. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast in ...

'' – Episode 20, "Exploding Jawbreaker, Static Cannon, Deadly Playing Cards." Jay demonstrated card throwing, and the speed of his throws was clocked. (2003) *'' Deadwood'' – Eddie Sawyer (2004), Season 1 *'' Kidnapped'' – Roger Prince (2006–07) *''

'' – Agent Kern (2007–09) *'' Lie to Me'' – Mason Brock (2009) *''

FlashForward A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards a ...

'' – Man in Warehouse / Ted Flosso (2009–10) *''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...

'' – Interviewed by Morley Safer for segment, "Pigeon Fever" (2010) *''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' – plays himself in episode " The Great Simpsina" (2011) *''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...

'' – plays voice in Robin's head in episode "The Date" (2013) *''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...

'' (March 31, 2014) *'' Getting On'' – Thoracic Surgeon (2014) *''

Sneaky Pete ''Sneaky Pete'' is an American black comedy crime drama television series created by David Shore and Bryan Cranston. The series follows Marius Josipović ( Giovanni Ribisi), a released convict who adopts the identity of his cellmate, Pete Murph ...

'' – T.H. Vignetti (2019)

Theater

*''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (1982); produced by Joseph Papp for The New York Shakespeare Festival. *''Ricky Jay & His 52 Assistants'' (1994) *''Ricky Jay: On The Stem'' (2002) *''Ricky Jay: A Rogue's Gallery'' (2009) He also performed on the 2005 BBC Radio adaptation of David Mamet's ''Faustus''.

Books

Jay was the author of eleven books: * ''Cards as Weapons''. Image Graphiques (1977). . * ''Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women''. Villard (1986). . * ''Many Mysteries Unraveled: Conjuring Literature in America 1786–1874''. Antiquarian Society (1990). ASIN B00FFJ0402. * ''The Magic Magic Book''. Whitney Museum Library Associates (1994). ASIN B004ONUJP0. * ''Jay's Journal of Anomalies''. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2001). . * ''Dice: Deception, Fate, and Rotten Luck''. Quantuck Lane Press (2002). . * ''Extraordinary Exhibitions: Broadsides from the Collection of Ricky Jay''. Quantuck Lane Press (2005). . * ''Ricky Jay Plays Poker'' (Audio CD). Sony Legacy (2007). ASIN B000HT2MB4. * ''Magic: 1400s–1950s'' (with Mike Caveney, Jim Steinmeyer) Taschen (2009). . * ''Celebrations of Curious Characters''. McSweeney (2010). . * ''Matthias Buchinger: "The Greatest German Living"''. Siglio (2016). Charles McGrath called Jay "perhaps the last of the great 19th-century authors." Jay's last book, ''Matthias Buchinger: "The Greatest German Living"'', was well-received, called "awe-inspiring" by the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' and "beguiling" by the ''

New York Review of Books New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

''.

Music

Ricky Jay contributed to several projects in the music world, most notably the 2007 Sony releas
''Ricky Jay Plays Poker''
a box set containing a CD of poker-related songs (by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

Patsy Cline Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American singer. One of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, she was known as one of the first country music artists to successfully Cross ...

Lorne Greene Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; February 12, 1915 – September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor, singer, and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western ''Bonanza'' and Commander Adama in ...

, Howard Da Silva, O. V. Wright, and several others), a DVD featuring Ricky Jay discussing and performing notable feats of card table deception, and a box of Ricky Jay playing cards. He performed "The Fiddler" with Richard Greene on Hal Willner's

sea shanty A sea shanty, shanty, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional Folk music, folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large Merchant vessel, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessels. The term ...

-compilation '' Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys'' (2006), as well as "The Chantey of Noah and his Ark (Old School Song)" on its follow-up '' Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys'' (2013). He appeared in the music video for Bob Dylan's song "Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum", from the album ''Love and Theft''. During the production of the video, a screwdriver reportedly fell from the rafters and lodged in Jay's hand.Interview in ''The Believer'', May 2012. He appeared in the video for the Jerry Garcia and David Grisman single "The Thrill Is Gone", available on the DVD of the ''Grateful Dawg'' documentary.

References

External links

*
Ricky Jay Archive at the Magic Newswire website
*
San Francisco Chronicle review of "Extraordinary Exhibitions: Broadsides From the Collection of Ricky Jay" during 2005 exhibition

"Secrets of the Magus" 1993 ''New Yorker'' profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jay, Ricky 1946 births 2018 deaths American magicians Card magic Cornell University alumni Historians of magic Jewish American male actors Magic consultants Obie Award recipients Sleight of hand Male actors from Brooklyn American male film actors American male television actors Writers from Brooklyn American male stage actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American writers 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American writers 21st-century American Jews Academy of Magical Arts Magician of the Year winners