Guy Hollingworth (born 1974) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

barrister, conjurer, author and lecturer. As a conjurer he is known for his skilful performances of card magic and for his books and lectures in which he presents original tricks and routines.

Career

Hollingworth first became interested in magic at the age of 13 when he was a pupil at St Paul's School, a private school in west

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The school has a magic club called The Prestige Society, which Hollingworth joined in preference over activities such as

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

or sports practice which he would otherwise have been expected to do. He was inspired by seeing footage of magician Channing Pollock, which was shown as part of the television series ''

The Best of Magic ''The Best of Magic'' was a British magic show produced by Thames Television for the ITV (TV network), ITV network that aired from 13 September 1989 to 19 September 1990. The show was hosted by Geoffrey Durham, Simon Mayo, and Anthea Turner, with ...

'', broadcast by

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...

in 1989–90. Hollingworth has stated that he was also influenced during the same period by seeing Ricky Jay perform on the Channel 4 television series '' The Secret Cabaret''. Hollingworth began his performing career with a show at the school open day. He later graduated in industrial design and subsequently in law. At the same time he continued performing magic as well as developing new tricks. Such was his success that he also began to be asked to give lectures to other magicians. He currently works full-time as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

, but continues to give occasional magic performances. Hollingworth's best known creation is his trick ''The Reformation'', in which a signed

playing card A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a fi ...

is torn into four pieces and then visibly restored one piece at a time. He is also well known for his book, ''Drawing Room Deceptions''. Some of his card magic is presented in his commercially available videos ''The Reformation'', ''The London Collection'' and ''Routines'' directed by filmmaker and magician Anthony Davis. He was also featured on NBC's '' World's Greatest Magic III'' TV special. In August 2008, he presented a well-received show at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival entitled "Expert at the Card Table", which was based on a 1902 book of the same title.

Publications

* '' FISM Lecture Notes'' (limited edition) * ''Drawing Room Deceptions'' * ''Quartet: A card and ten routines therewith'' * ''Waiting for Inspiration'' Lecture Notes

Videos

* The Reformation (limited edition) * The London Collection * Routines * The Hollingworth Collection (limited edition Box-Set with commemorative playing cards)

Marketed tricks

* Quartet – a playing card, included with a booklet of 10 routines or separately in packs of 3 * Once Upon a Time – a small fairy tale book featuring three magical routines suitable for children

Television appearances

The World's Greatest Magic III
(USA) * Heroes of Magic (UK) * Illusoes with Luis de Matos (Portugal) * Britain's Worst Cheats (UK) *

50 Greatest Magic Tricks ''50 Greatest Magic Tricks'' is a one-off list show that was produced by Objective Productions for Channel 4. The programme counted down the fifty greatest magic tricks, as voted for by members of The Magic Circle (organisation), The Magic Circ ...

(UK) * The Five Greatest Magicians in the World (Japan) * History of Magic – Close Up Magic (UK)

References

External links

Guy Hollingworth's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollingworth, Guy English magicians Living people 1974 births Place of birth missing (living people) Academy of Magical Arts Magician of the Year winners