William Lance Burton (born March 10, 1960) is an American
stage magician
Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...
. He performed more than 15,000 shows in Las Vegas for over 5,000,000 people until retiring after 31 years in 2010.
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, (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.
Career
While at the University of Bath Professor ...
. 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. 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 lo ...
. Soon after, Burton moved to Southern California, where within a week he appeared on ''
The Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
'' (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, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...
was host, and another ten performances during
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
'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 ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airing from January 3, 2005, to December 19, ...
''.
He performed an initial eight-week trial at the ''
Folies Bergère
The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...
'' 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
The International Federation of Magic Societies (FISM) (Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques) was founded on September 5th,1948 and is one of the most respected organizations in the magic community. It is an international body coor ...
(FISM) competition in
Lausanne, Switzerland
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...
, 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 2020 Lance Burton performed in Blackpool, England.
Television appearances
In 1986, he guest starred in a fourth season episode ''
Knight Rider
''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series ''Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...
'' titled "Deadly Knightshade" as the mastermind magician behind the murder of a Foundation trustee.
In 1986, he appeared in
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
's
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
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 ...
''.
In 1991, he produced, directed, and wrote his own show, which opened at the
Hacienda Hotel
The Hacienda Hotel is a historic site in New Port Richey, Florida. It is located at 5621 Main Street. On October 24, 1996, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by Thomas Reed Martin
Thomas Reed ...
and ran for five years.
He had a brief marriage to magician
Melinda Saxe
Melinda is a feminine given name.
Etymology
The modern name ''Melinda'' is a combination of "Mel" with the suffix "-inda". "Mel" can be derived from names such as Melanie meaning "dark, black" in Greek, or from Melissa (μέλισσα) meaning ...
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.
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 community in Clark County, Nevada, United States, primarily notable for its position straddling Interstate 15 where it crosses the state border between California and Nevada. It sits on I ...
, 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 a 1954 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Thomas Carr (director), Thomas Carr and written by Daniel Mainwaring. It is based on the 1950 novel ''The Desperado'' by Clifton Adams. The film stars Wayne Morris ( ...
". 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 has had four network television specials, his last one being ''Lance Burton: On The Road'' with guest stars
Ali Landry
Ali Germaine Landry (born July 21, 1973) is an American actress, model, and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1996. She played Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom '' Eve'' and was the Doritos Girl in a 1998 Super Bowl commercial. In 1998, ...
and
Dylan Ace
Dylan may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Bob Dylan (born 1941), American singer and songwriter
** ''Dylan'' (1973 album), a 1973 album by Bob Dylan
** ''Dylan'' (2007 album), a 2007 compilation album by Bob Dylan
* Dylan (musician), profess ...
.
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 ''
Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon
The ''MDA Labor Day Telethon'' was an annual telethon held on (starting the night before and throughout) Labor Day in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The Muscular Dystrophy Association was founded in ...
''.
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.
Burton appeared on an episode of the
History
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
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 Resto ...
'', televised November 1, 2010, in which the ''Rick's Restorations'' crew repaired a lightpole at Burton's residence that had been destroyed in a windstorm.
In 2022, Lance Burton is a guest judge on Criss Angel’s “Magic with the Stars” on the CW Network.
Awards
*The
Academy of Magical Arts
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 ...
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 short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
,
candles
A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time.
A person who makes candles i ...
and gentleman's
walking canes.
* 1997
Blackstone Theatre Award
Blackstone may refer to:
People
* Charles Blackstone (born 1977), fiction writer
* Elliott Blackstone (1924–2006), former police sergeant and LGBT advocate
* Gay Blackstone (born 1952), widow of Harry Blackstone, Jr.
* Harriet Blackstone (186 ...
.
* 2016
David Devant
David Devant (22 February 1868 – 13 October 1941) was an English magician, shadowgraphist and film exhibitor. He was born David Wighton in Holloway, London. He is regarded by magicians as a consummate exponent of suave and witty presentation ...
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,
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Lance
1960 births
People 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