Ricky Jay, American magician and actor, dies

Symbol copyright Getty Pictures Symbol caption Ricky Jay appeared in films like Boogie Nights, Magnolia and The Next Day To Come By No Means Dies

American magician and actor Ricky Jay has died of herbal reasons in La, his manager has confirmed.

A 1993 profile of Jay within the New Yorker defined him as “most likely the most talented sleight-of-hand artist alive”, capable of baffle even fellow magicians together with his skills.

The performer also appeared in motion pictures like Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Tomorrow By No Means Dies.

Tributes have already started to flood in from fellow magicians and actors.

Penn Jilette, of magic duo Penn & Teller, described him as “one in every of the best who ever lived”, even as How I Met Your Mom star Neil Patrick Harris known as his death a “profound loss”.

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Born Richard Jay Potash in Brooklyn, Jay didn’t publicly discuss his youth, and his date of birth is not exactly recognized, ranging from 1946 to 1948.

He reportedly first carried out in public at the age of 4, and played a number of comedy golf equipment and nightclubs – thought to be certainly one of the first magicians to do so.

Jay was also well known for his card throwing talent. In presentations, he used to be capable of throw playing cards into the rind of a watermelon from 10 paces.

Guinness International Data once reportedly listed Jay as throwing a enjoying card 190ft (58m) at 90mph (145km/h).

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Jay acted in several leading Hollywood movies.

In 1997, he performed terrorist Henry Gupta in The Next Day To Come By No Means Dies, and seemed in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie Boogie Nights. Jay also narrated portions of Anderson’s 1999 work, Magnolia.

More not too long ago, he performed Eddie Sawyer in season certainly one of the tv programme Deadwood. He wrote the episode Jewel’s Boot Is Made for Walking for the display.

He also worked as a expert in Hollywood. He and collaborator Michael Weber founded the company Misleading Practices in the early 1990s to advise film and tv productions on “arcane knowledge”, and helped out on movies like Forrest Gump, Congo, The Status and The Illusionist.

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