Harry Lorayne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harry Lorayne
Born	Harry Ratzer (1926-05-04)May 4, 1926 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	April 7, 2023(2023-04-07) (aged 96) Newburyport, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Mnemonist magician author
Notable work	The Memory Book (1974)
Spouse(s)	Renée Lorraine Lefkowitz ​ ​ (m. 1948; died 2014)​
Children	1

Harry Lorayne (born Harry Ratzer; May 4, 1926 – April 7, 2023) was an American mnemonist (someone with an amazing memory), a talented magician, and a popular author. Time magazine called him "The Yoda of Memory Training." He was also known as "The World's Foremost Memory-Training Specialist." Harry Lorayne was famous for showing off his incredible memory skills. He appeared on many TV shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 24 times! His book, The Memory Book, became a New York Times bestseller. Magicians everywhere still use his clever card tricks and special moves.

Harry Lorayne: Memory Master

Early Life and His Love for Magic

Harry Lorayne was born Harry Ratzer. He grew up in a poor neighborhood in New York City called the Lower East Side. When he was six or seven, he saw his first card trick. He immediately wanted to learn how to do it himself. To buy a deck of cards, he collected empty milk bottles. He would return them for the two-cent deposit. He practiced hard and even figured out eight different ways to do that first trick!

In the 1930s, he practiced sleight of hand (clever hand movements) at Hamilton Fish Park Pool. When he was 18, he started performing as a table magician. He worked at Billy Reed's Little Club in New York. An actor named Victor Jory, who played a magician detective, often visited the club. Harry started showing Victor his memory tricks. Victor was very impressed, and this changed how Harry performed his shows.

TV Star and Amazing Memory Shows

Harry Lorayne first appeared on national television in 1958. Before that, he had his own local show in 1951 called "The Prof. Magic Show." His first big TV appearance was on I've Got a Secret. On that show, he showed he could remember everyone's name in the audience! He later appeared on many other popular shows. These included The Ed Sullivan Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and The Mike Douglas Show. He was a regular guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, appearing 24 times.

To show off his memory, Harry would visit clubs. He would stand with the club president and meet every member. Sometimes, there were as many as 1,500 members! After meeting everyone for about an hour and a half, he would talk about memory for 20 minutes. Then, he would ask if anyone had a question. He promised to pay anyone a thousand dollars if he couldn't remember their name. He always remembered everyone!

Harry also made headlines by memorizing phone books perfectly. At almost every public memory show, he would meet all the people as they arrived. Then, he would start his show by asking everyone he had met to stand up. He would point to each person, say their name correctly, and ask them to sit down. Usually, the entire audience would be sitting by the end. He even had a memory school in New York. Many big companies used his "Memory Power" video course to train their employees.

Harry Lorayne kept giving lectures and writing books even after he was 90 years old. He lived in a house on Jane Street in New York. This street is sometimes called "Authors Row" because many writers have lived there. His friend Mel Brooks, a famous filmmaker, wanted to use Harry's address in his 1967 movie, The Producers. But Harry's wife, Renée, worried that fans would knock on their door all the time. So, Mel Brooks changed the address in the movie.

Harry Lorayne passed away on April 7, 2023, at the age of 96. The New York Times wrote that his achievements were even more amazing because he grew up poor. He also struggled in school because of dyslexia (a learning difficulty that affects reading). He only finished one year of high school.

A Prolific Author and Publisher

Harry Lorayne wrote many books about memory training for the public. He also wrote books for professional magicians. His book The Memory Book has sold over two million copies! The famous musician Bob Dylan wrote in his book Chronicles: Volume One that he read Harry's book. He found it just before he became a music star.

Randy Wakeman, a magician, said that Harry Lorayne was "the most influential author, publisher, and teacher of magic routines in the world today." For 20 years, Harry also wrote and published a monthly magazine called Apocalypse. He started it with Richard J. Kaufman, who left after the first year.

Books by Harry Lorayne

Magazine Columns

• Apocalypse Magazine – 1978–1997
• Genii Magazine

Awards and Achievements

Harry Lorayne received many awards for his amazing contributions to magic and memory training:

• Lifetime Achievement Fellowship - Academy of Magic Arts, 2018
• John Nevil Maskelyne Prize - The Magic Circle, 2016. This award is for important contributions to magic literature.
• Performing Fellowship - Academy of Magic Arts, 2002.
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Society of American Magicians, 1994.
• Literary Fellowship Award - The Magic Castle, 1981.
• Magician of the Year Award - Society of American Magicians, 1983.
• Literary & Media Fellowship - Academy of Magic Arts, 1980.
• The Stars of Magic Award - International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM), 1975.

See Also

In Spanish: Harry Lorayne para niños

• Memory sport
• Method of loci
• Mnemonic
• List of people with dyslexia
• Spatial memory
• Vedic Mathematics