Steve Cohen (born February 1, 1971) is an American
magician
Magician or The Magician may refer to:
Performers
* A practitioner of magic (supernatural)
* A practitioner of magic (illusion)
* Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context
Entertainment
Books
* ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...
who specializes in
parlor magic
A parlour (or parlor) is a reception room or public space. In medieval Christian Europe, the "outer parlour" was the room where the monks or nuns conducted business with those outside the monastery and the "inner parlour" was used for necessar ...
. Sometimes called the "millionaires' magician", he performs regularly at the
Lotte New York Palace Hotel
Lotte New York Palace Hotel is a luxury hotel in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, at the corner of 50th Street (Manhattan), 50th Street and Madison Avenue. It was originally developed between 1977 and 1980 by Harry Helmsley. ...
in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
and at private parties in other places.
Biography
Steve Cohen was born in
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...
on February 1, 1971, and raised in
Yorktown Heights
Yorktown Heights is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census.
History
Yorktown Heights is in the town of Yorktown, New York, in northern ...
and
Chappaqua
Chappaqua ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of New Castle, in northern Westchester County, New York, United States. It is approximately north of New York City. The hamlet is served by the Chappaqua station of the Metro- ...
in the
northern
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ra ...
portion of
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
. He attended
Horace Greeley High School
Horace Greeley High School is a public, four-year secondary school serving students in grades 9– 12 in Chappaqua, New York, United States. It is part of the Chappaqua Central School District.
It is consistently ranked among the top high scho ...
in Chappaqua and
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
, and also participated in a foreign exchange program at
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the ''Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō'' by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the school was formally renamed Waseda University in 1902.
The university has numerou ...
in Tokyo. He is fluent in the
Japanese language
is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ma ...
, and has attained Level One certification in the
Japanese Language Proficiency Test
The , or JLPT, is a standardized criterion-referenced test to evaluate and certify Japanese language proficiency for non-native speakers, covering language knowledge, reading ability, and listening ability. The test is held twice a year in Japan a ...
. Since 1997, the Japanese magic manufacturer
Tenyo Co, Ltd. has appointed Cohen to translate the instructional booklets for their international line of magic products from Japanese to English.
Cohen lived in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
for five years, where he worked as a society entertainer at the
Park Hyatt Tokyo
The is the second-tallest building in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It was designed by Kenzo Tange and completed in 1994.
Shinjuku Park Tower is a single building consisting of three connected block-shaped elements; S tower, which is 235 m (771 ft ...
hotel in
Shinjuku
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...
. For the last two years of his stay in Tokyo, Cohen entertained guests weekly at the New York Bar & Grill, the setting of
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor Coppola, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed ...
's film ''
Lost in Translation''.
In 2005,
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
published his first book, ''Win the Crowd: Unlock the Secrets of Influence, Charisma and Showmanship'' in which he highlights the psychological secrets of magicians and how people can use these secrets in their everyday lives.
The book has been translated into seven languages, including
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
, Japanese, Spanish,
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
, and
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
.
Cohen holds the rank of MIMC (
Member of the Inner Magic Circle
The Magic Circle is a British organization dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic.
Applicants must qualify for membership, either through a performance exam or by a written thesis on a branch of magic, after which they are des ...
) with Gold Star, awarded by
The Magic Circle in London.
Cohen regularly presents his ''Chamber Magic'' show at the homes and events of wealthy individuals, with notable hosts including
Warren Buffett
Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is one of the most successful investors in the world and has a net w ...
,
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
,
Barry Diller
Barry Charles Diller (born February 2, 1942) is an American businessman. He is Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC and Expedia Group and founded the Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting. Diller was inducted into the Television Hall of ...
,
Martha Stewart
Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing pub ...
,
Jack Welch
John Francis Welch Jr. (November 19, 1935 – March 1, 2020) was an American business executive, chemical engineer, and writer. He was Chairman and CEO of General Electric (GE) between 1981 and 2001.
When Welch retired from GE, he receive ...
,
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film st ...
,
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
,
André Previn
André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
,
Anne-Sophie Mutter
Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 29 June 1963) is a German violinist. She was supported early in her career by Herbert von Karajan. As an advocate of contemporary music, she has had several works composed especially for her, by Sebastian Currier, Henri ...
, the
Queen of Morocco and the
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
The crown prince of Saudi Arabia is the second-most important position in Saudi Arabia, second to the King, and is his designated successor. Currently, the Crown Prince assumes power with the approval of the Allegiance Council after he is nomi ...
.
Cohen starred in, and as a co-executive, produced ''Lost Magic Decoded'', a two-hour documentary that premiered on the
History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
on October 18, 2012.
Work
''Chamber Magic''
![Poster Final](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Poster_Final.jpg)
''Chamber Magic'' has been presented by Cohen since April 2001; its creative director is magician, author and positioning expert Mark Levy. The show's title was inspired by the term
chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...
, the intimate form of classical music typically performed in sophisticated and smaller venues. Cohen has recreated the intimacy of 19th century parlor magic performances by performing in the close quarters of a private suite. His show is strongly influenced by the Viennese magician
Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser (1806–1875), the father of parlor magic, who entertained an elite audience of invited guests three or four times a week. ''Chamber Magic'' shows are held five times weekly, previously in the Waldorf Astoria, now at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, but have also been presented for public groups at The
Willard InterContinental Washington
The Willard InterContinental Washington, commonly known as the Willard Hotel, is a historic luxury Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts hotel located at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Downtown Washington, D.C. It is currently a member oHistoric Ho ...
(District of Columbia),
Beverly Wilshire Hotel
The Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, commonly known as the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, is a historic luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Located at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive, it was completed in 1928. It has ...
(Los Angeles),
Drake Hotel (Chicago)
The Drake, a Hilton Hotel, 140 East Walton Place, Chicago, Illinois, is a luxury, full-service hotel, located downtown on the lake side of Michigan Avenue two blocks north of the John Hancock Center and a block south of Oak Street Beach at the ...
,
Beau-Rivage (Geneva),
Langham Hilton (London),
Four Seasons (Houston), Harvard Faculty Club (Boston), and the Ritz Carlton (San Francisco).
''Miracles at Midnight''
![MAM poster tweaks 001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/MAM_poster_tweaks_001.jpg)
In March 2009, Cohen launched a show titled ''Miracles at Midnight'' which is billed as the world's most exclusive magic show. Audiences are limited to only twenty guests, and the show is held only once monthly, at midnight on the last Saturday of each month. Like ''Chamber Magic,'' this presentation also takes place in a private suite at the Waldorf Astoria.
''Theater of Wonder''
![Carnegie Hall Poster - Theater of Wonder](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Carnegie_Hall_Poster_-_Theater_of_Wonder.jpg)
On January 12, 2012, Cohen debuted his stage show ''Theater of Wonder'' at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
in New York City. The two-hour solo performance was the first magic show to appear in the famous music hall in 38 years. The performance took place in the 268 seat
Weill Recital Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built by ...
.
''Lost Magic Decoded'' documentary
Cohen created, starred in and co-executive produced a two-hour television special for
The History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
, titled ''Lost Magic Decoded''. The special premiered on October 18, 2012 to critical acclaim.
In ''Lost Magic Decoded'', Cohen traveled across three continents to locate vintage magic tricks that have not been seen for hundreds of years. Amongst others, he demonstrated such classic tricks as:
The Turk (a chess-playing automaton), Think-a-Drink (a kettle that pours any beverage called for), the
Light and Heavy Chest, the
Indian rope trick
The Indian rope trick is a magic trick said to have been performed in and around India during the 19th century. Sometimes described as "the world’s greatest illusion", it reputedly involved a magician, a length of rope, and one or more boy ass ...
, and the
Bullet catch
The bullet catch is a stage magic illusion in which a magician appears to catch a bullet fired directly at them — often in the mouth, sometimes in the hand or sometimes caught with other items such as a dinner plate. The bullet catch ma ...
.
''Confronting Magic'' art book
![Confronting-Magic-Flat-Front](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Confronting-Magic-Flat-Front.jpg)
In collaboration with
Assouline Publishing
Assouline Publishing is a book publisher and luxury lifestyle company founded in 1994 by Prosper and Martine Assouline. It has published more than 1,700 titles on subjects including architecture, art, design, fashion, gastronomy, lifestyle, phot ...
, Cohen released an art book in January 2021 titled ''Confronting Magic'', a retrospective of his twenty-year public career. The book's foreword was written by film director
Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and ''The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for Be ...
.
Television appearances
Cohen has appeared on numerous talk show and news programs, including ''
Late Show with David Letterman
The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
'',
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 the M ...
, ''
Martha Stewart Living
''Martha Stewart Living'' is a magazine and former television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of ...
'', ''
CBS Sunday Morning
''CBS News Sunday Morning'' (normally shortened to ''Sunday Morning'' on the program itself since 2009) is an American news magazine television program that has aired on CBS since January 28, 1979. Created by Robert Northshield and original host ...
'',
The History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
, ''
The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet
''The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet'' was an American syndicated morning talk show. Produced by Fox, the show first aired on January 22, 2007, to a number of markets originally through Fox and MyNetworkTV, most in the Fox Television Stati ...
'', ''
The Richard and Judy Show'', and ''Night Talk'' on
Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television (on-air as Bloomberg) is an American-based pay television network focusing on business and capital market programming, owned by Bloomberg L.P. It is distributed globally, reaching over 310 million homes worldwide. It is head ...
.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Steve
1971 births
Living people
American magicians
Cornell University alumni
People from Yonkers, New York
People from Yorktown Heights, New York
Horace Greeley High School alumni