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William Larsen Jr. (May 8, 1928 – February 11, 1993) was co-founder and president of the Academy of Magical Arts, better known as Hollywood’s
Magic Castle The Magic Castle is a clubhouse for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It is in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California and it bills itself as "the most unusual private club in t ...
, with his brother
Milt Larsen Milt Larsen (born April 9, 1931) is an American actor, writer, performer, lyricist, magician, entrepreneur, speaker, and the creator of The Magic Castle, a private club for magicians and enthusiasts. Early life Larsen and his brother, Bill ...
and wife
Irene Larsen Irene Larsen, known affectionately as “Princess Irene” throughout the worldwide community of magicians and illusionists, was a co-founder of the Magic Castle and the Academy of Magical Arts. She was born Irene Stolz in Germany in 1936. In 195 ...
. Born in Pasadena and a graduate of Occidental College, Larsen began his career in television at CBS, working his way up to associate producer of “Playhouse 90" and the Danny Kaye and Jonathan Winters variety shows. In 1953, after the death of his father, attorney and magician William W. Larsen Sr., he became editor and eventually publisher of Genii, The Conjurors Magazine, a publication for magicians founded by his parents in 1936. Larsen and his brother,
Milt Larsen Milt Larsen (born April 9, 1931) is an American actor, writer, performer, lyricist, magician, entrepreneur, speaker, and the creator of The Magic Castle, a private club for magicians and enthusiasts. Early life Larsen and his brother, Bill ...
, realizing a dream of their father’s, founded the Magic Castle in 1963, a private dining and performance club for magicians that now has more than 5,000 members. Not long after the Magic Castle opened, Bill married
Irene Larsen Irene Larsen, known affectionately as “Princess Irene” throughout the worldwide community of magicians and illusionists, was a co-founder of the Magic Castle and the Academy of Magical Arts. She was born Irene Stolz in Germany in 1936. In 195 ...
on November 10, 1963. Along with
Milt Larsen Milt Larsen (born April 9, 1931) is an American actor, writer, performer, lyricist, magician, entrepreneur, speaker, and the creator of The Magic Castle, a private club for magicians and enthusiasts. Early life Larsen and his brother, Bill ...
, he has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...
. On February 12, 1993, the Los Angeles Times published his obituary.


References

American magicians 1928 births 1993 deaths {{US-entertainer-stub