Johnny Thompson
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John Max Thompson (July 27, 1934 – March 9, 2019) was an American comedian and Las Vegas illusionist who performed under the stage name The Great Tomsoni with his wife, Pamela Hayes. They had a comedic slapstick act with the well-dressed Thompson and his gum-popping assistant, Pam, performing illusions while enduring a series of mishaps. Within the magician community, Tomsoni was considered a virtuoso, widely known as a mentor and teacher of magic, and a creator of tricks, as opposed to simply a performer. He worked behind the scenes with magicians such as Penn and Teller, Lance Burton, Criss Angel and Mat Franco.[1][2] In 1999, he was awarded one of the highest honors in the magician community, a Masters Fellowship with the Academy of Magical Arts.[3] January 30, 2020, Showtime released a documentary about Thompson written and directed by Emery Emery called Gambler's Ballad: The Legend of Johnny Thompson.[4]
Johnny Thompson | |
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Born | John Max Thompson (1934-07-27)July 27, 1934 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | March 9, 2019(2019-03-09) (aged 84) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
Nationality | Polish-American |
Other names | The Great Tomsoni |
Occupation(s) | Illusionist, comedian |
Spouse | Pamela Hayes (1936–2021) |