Dai Vernon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dai Vernon
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Photograph of Dai Vernon fanning a deck of cards, using the pressure fan.
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David Frederick Wingfield Verner
June 11, 1894 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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| Died | August 21, 1992 (aged 98) Ramona, California, United States
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| Alma mater | Royal Military College of Canada |
| Occupation | Magician |
| Spouse(s) | Eugenie "Jeanne" Hayes (1924-1992) |
| Children | Theodore, Derek |
Dai Vernon (born David Frederick Wingfield Verner; June 11, 1894 – August 21, 1992) was a famous Canadian magician. People often called him The Professor. He was known for his amazing sleight of hand skills, especially with card tricks and close-up magic.
Many other magicians looked up to him and learned from him. He spent his later years living at the Magic Castle, a special club for magicians in Hollywood, California.
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The Life of Dai Vernon
Dai Vernon was born in Ottawa, Canada. He loved magic from a young age. He often joked that he learned his first trick from his father when he was seven, saying he had "wasted the first 6 years" of his life! His father was a government worker who also enjoyed magic as a hobby.
Vernon studied engineering in college. But by the time World War I started, he had moved to New York City to follow his passion for magic.
Early Magic Days
Vernon's first magic book was The Expert at the Card Table. He had memorized the entire book by the time he was 13. This book taught him many secrets about card tricks.
Once, a young magician named Cliff Green asked Vernon what kind of magic he did. Vernon asked Green to name a card. Vernon then pulled out a deck of cards and showed the top card, which was the one Green had named! He then told Green, "That's the kind of magic I do."
In New York, Vernon met many other skilled magicians. He quickly became known for his incredible talent.
How He Got His Name
His first name, "Dai," came from a newspaper mistake. They used a Welsh nickname for David instead of his real name. When he moved to the United States, people often confused his last name, Verner, with a popular ice skater's last name, Vernon. To make things easier, he eventually just started using "Vernon" as his last name.
The Man Who Fooled Houdini
Vernon was known as The Professor because of his deep knowledge of sleight of hand. The famous magician Harry Houdini once claimed he could figure out any card trick if he saw it three times.
Vernon showed Houdini a trick where he moved the top card of a deck to the second position. Then, he showed the top card again, and it was the original card! Houdini watched Vernon do the trick seven times, always asking him to "do it again." Finally, Houdini's wife told him he was fooled. For many years after, Vernon proudly used the title The Man Who Fooled Houdini in his advertisements.
Vernon's Work and Contributions
Even though he was respected by magicians, Vernon didn't have a steady full-time job in magic until he was in his 40s. He sometimes performed at nightclubs or on cruise ships. He also entertained soldiers during World War II.
For a long time, Vernon made money by cutting custom silhouette portraits. He could cut a silhouette in about two minutes! This allowed him to support his family and spend most of his time traveling. He searched for card cheats and anyone who knew about sleight of hand.
Vernon invented or improved many famous close-up magic tricks. His "standard" Cups and balls routine is still used today. His 6-ring "Symphony of the Rings" is also a very popular Chinese linking rings routine.
Life at The Magic Castle
For the last 30 years of his life, Dai Vernon was the main magician and star attraction at The Magic Castle in Los Angeles, California. There, he taught and guided many younger magicians who became famous themselves, like Ricky Jay, Doug Henning, and Michael Ammar.
Family Life
In 1924, Dai Vernon married Eugenie "Jeanne" Hayes, who was a magician's assistant. They had two sons, Theodore and Derek. Jeanne eventually grew tired of Vernon's constant traveling and his focus on magic, so they lived separately later in life, though they never officially divorced.
Death
Dai Vernon passed away on August 21, 1992, in Ramona, California. His body was cremated, and his ashes were placed with magic items at the Magic Castle.
Books by Dai Vernon
- Dai Vernon's Book of Magic
- Inner Secrets of Card Magic
- More Inner Secrets of Card Magic
- Further Inner Secrets of Card Magic
- Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic
- Dai Vernon's Tribute to Nate Leipzig
- Malini & His Magic
- The Essential Dai Vernon (Collected Work)
- The Symphony of the Rings
- Early Vernon
- Dai Vernon's Revelations
- Vernon Touch
Legacy and Influence
Dai Vernon's influence on magic continues today.
- In 2005, a book called The Magician And The Cardsharp was written about Vernon's early search for a cardsharp who had a secret, undetectable way of dealing cards.
- In 2006, the first detailed biography of Vernon, Dai Vernon: A Biography, *Artist * Magician * Muse (Vol. 1: 1894-1941), was released.
- A documentary called Dai Vernon: The Spirit Of Magic was made in 1999.
Dai Vernon in Film
The character "The Professor" in the movie Shade was based on Dai Vernon. Another character in the movie, named Vernon, was also named after him.
See also
In Spanish: Dai Vernon para niños
