Tommy Wonder (November 29, 1953 – June 26, 2006) was the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

of Jacobus Maria Bemelman, a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

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 performed both close-up and stage magic. Wonder performed in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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and on

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television. Wonder developed an interest in conjuring at an early age. He studied acting, dancing and singing for three years at the ''Academie voor Podiumvorming'' (Performance Academy) in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

and subsequently toured for two years with ''De Haagsche Comedie''. He took second prize at the FISM World Championships of Magic in 1979 and again in 1988. In 1998 he also received the ''Performer Fellowship Award'' from 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 ...

in Hollywood. In 1999, he was awarded ''Best Sleight of Hand Performer'' from the World Magic Awards. Because Wonder designed and developed all of his own repertoire, he was held in high esteem amongst his colleagues in magic. On 5 August 2006 he

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

received the Theory & Philosophy Award at the FISM World Championships of Magic in Stockholm. Wonder's 1996 two-volume ''The Books of Wonder'' is highly acclaimed. He died in 2006 after a brief battle with lung cancer.

Works

References and notes

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wonder, Tommy Dutch magicians 1953 births 2006 deaths Deaths from lung cancer in the Netherlands Academy of Magical Arts Performing Fellowship winners