Penn Jillette facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Penn Jillette
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Jillette at the Young Americans for Liberty National Convention in 2016
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Penn Fraser Jillette
March 5, 1955 |
| Education | Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Known for | Half of the comedy magic duo known as Penn & Teller |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Spouse(s) | Emily Zolten |
| Children | 2 |
Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955) is an American magician, actor, musician, inventor, TV host, and author. He is best known as one half of the famous magic team Penn & Teller. With his partner Teller, he has performed in many stage and TV shows. These include Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Penn & Teller: ...!. As of 2024, they perform regularly in Las Vegas at The Rio. Penn is the one who talks and tells stories during their shows.
Penn Jillette has written eight books. One of them, God, No!: Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales, became a New York Times Bestseller. He is also known for supporting atheism (not believing in God), scientific skepticism (questioning things), and the First Amendment (which protects free speech). He used to identify as a libertarian, which means he believed in a lot of personal freedom and less government. However, he changed this view in 2020.
Contents
Early Life and Magic Beginnings
Penn Jillette was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts. His mother, Valda Rudolph Jillette, was a secretary. His father, Samuel Herbert Jillette, worked at a jail. Penn became an atheist when he was a teenager after reading the Bible. He was later asked to leave his church because his questions made some of his friends doubt their beliefs too.
Penn didn't like traditional magic shows that pretended magic was real. He saw a show by illusionist James Randi when he was 18. Randi's approach to magic, which openly showed that it was clever deception for entertainment, really impressed Penn. Penn often says that Randi was one of the most important people in his life, besides his family.
After graduating from high school in 1973, Penn worked with his friend Michael Moschen on a juggling act. In the same year, he graduated from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. In 1974, a friend introduced him to Teller. The three of them formed a group called Asparagus Valley Cultural Society. In 1981, Penn and Teller officially teamed up as Penn & Teller. They became very successful with their magic show, first Off Broadway and then on Broadway theatre.
Penn's Career Highlights
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Penn Jillette has had a very busy career beyond magic shows. In 1983, he hosted a touring show for the band the Residents. During this show, he told long, funny stories between songs. The show was designed to look like it was falling apart, with Penn pretending to get angry.
From 1990 to 1994, Penn wrote a regular column for PC/Computing magazine. He was also the main voice for the TV channel Comedy Central in the 1990s and early 2000s.
In 1994, Penn bought a house in Las Vegas Valley and called it "The Slammer." This house was shown in many TV shows and articles. He used to record music and his radio show there. In 2016, he sold "The Slammer" so his family could live in a more convenient place.
Starting in 1996, Penn had a recurring role on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. He played Drell, the head of the Witches' Council. He and Teller even appeared in the first episode.
In 2003, Penn and Teller started hosting Penn & Teller: ...! on Showtime. In this show, they looked at different cultural topics, explained myths, and shared their opinions on society.
From 2006 to 2007, Penn hosted a live radio talk show called Penn Radio from his home. He stopped the show to spend more time with his children. During the 2006–07 TV season, Penn also hosted the game show Identity on NBC.
In 2008, Penn was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. He was paired with professional dancer Kym Johnson.
Penn's book, God, No! Signs You May Already Be An Atheist and Other Magical Tales, was released in 2011. It quickly became a New York Times Best Seller.
Penn plays the upright bass and often performs with jazz pianist Mike Jones. Mike Jones often opens for Penn and Teller's Las Vegas show. In 2018, they released a live jazz album together called The Show Before the Show.
In 2012, Penn was a contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice season 5. He returned for the All-Star Celebrity Apprentice season in 2013. He made it to the finale and raised $663,655 for his chosen charity, Opportunity Village.
On April 5, 2013, Penn and Teller received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Their star is near the one for Harry Houdini. The next day, they were named "Magicians of the Year" by the Magic Castle.
Penn often says that magician and skeptical activist James Randi was very important to his career. He believes that without Randi, Penn & Teller would not be the same.
Business Ventures
50 Skidillion Watts
From 1987 to 1989, Penn Jillette helped fund a record label called 50 Skidillion Watts. This label belonged to David and Jad Fair of the band Half Japanese. Penn said he helped because "anybody who listens to Half Jap becomes a fan."
Personal Life
Family
Penn Jillette is married to Emily Jillette. They have two children, a son named Zolten and a daughter named Moxie CrimeFighter.
Red Fingernail
Penn Jillette often has one red fingernail on his left hand. He has given different reasons for this. One story is that his mother told him to get a manicure, so he painted all his nails red as a joke. He has also said it helps with misdirection in magic or that it's "just plain cool."
More recently, Penn said that he wears his father's ring and his mother's nail polish to remember and respect them. He also thought about telling his children that the red nail polish is for them.
Health
In December 2014, Penn Jillette had to go to the hospital because of his blood pressure. By his birthday in March 2015, he had lost 105 pounds. He follows a special diet called the nutritarian diet, which means he eats very few or no animal products, no processed grains, and no added sugar or salt. Penn is featured in Eating You Alive, a 2016 movie about food and health. In 2020, he said he is a vegan.
Atheism
Penn Jillette identifies as an atheist. This means he does not believe in God. The license plates on his cars have words like "ATHEIST," "NOGOD," and "GODLESS." He once said they wouldn't let him have "INFIDEL."
In 2005, he wrote an essay saying he was "beyond atheism," meaning he believes there is no God. He explained that his atheism affects every part of his life. Penn believes it's important for people to openly discuss and debate the existence of God. He thinks this topic is too important to keep private. However, he respects people who do believe in God. In 2008, he shared a story about a fan who gave him a pocket Gideon Bible. Penn appreciated this gift because he knew the fan sincerely cared about him.
In 2007, Penn took the "Blasphemy Challenge" and publicly denied the existence of a holy spirit. In 2016, he said that "every sane person is" agnostic, meaning they don't claim to know for sure if God exists.
Politics
Penn Jillette used to identify as a libertarian. This means he believed in a lot of personal freedom and less government control. In 2003, he even said he might consider himself an anarcho-capitalist, which is an extreme form of libertarianism. He was also a fellow at the Cato Institute, a group that supports libertarian ideas.
In the 2020 United States presidential election, Penn supported Andrew Yang in the Democratic primary. After that year's general election, he wrote that he "used to identify as Libertarian" but voted for Joe Biden. In a January 2024 interview, he said he would vote Democrat in the upcoming presidential election and would not vote for a third-party candidate.
Appearances
Filmography
- Savage Island (1985)
- Off Beat (1985)
- My Chauffeur (1986)
- Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987)
- Invisible Thread (1987)
- Gandahar (1988)
- Penn & Teller Get Killed (1989)
- Half Japanese – The Band That Would Be King (1991)
- The Residents: Twenty Twisted Questions (1992)
- Car 54, Where Are You? (1994)
- Hackers (1995)
- Toy Story (1995) – Buzz Lightyear TV commercial announcer
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
- Fantasia 2000 (1999) – Himself
- Michael Moore Hates America (2004)
- The Aristocrats (2005)
- ¡Mucha Lucha!: The Return of El Maléfico – Himself, Fortune Teller, Ticket Man, Pawn Shop Owner (2005)
- The Growth (2009)
- Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009)
- Tim's Vermeer (2013) – Himself
- An Honest Liar (2014)
- Theory of Obscurity: a film about The Residents (2015)
- Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No (2015)
- Director's Cut (2016)
- The Grounds (2016)
- J.R. ‘Bob’ Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius (2019) – Himself
- Marty Supreme (2025; Upcoming film)
Television
- Penn & Teller Go Public (1985)
- Miami Vice (1985) ... Jimmy Borges
- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1994) ... Darrin Romick
- VR.5 (1995) ... Mr. Orwell Kravitz
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast (1996) ... Himself
- Friends (1997) ... Encyclopedia Salesman
- The Drew Carey Show (1995, 1997) ... Archibald Fenn
- Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996–1997) ... Drell
- Nightmare Ned (1997) ... Frank Grimes
- Babylon 5 (1998) ... Rebo
- Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular (1998–99)
- Hollywood Squares (1998–2004) regular
- The Simpsons (1999, 2011) ... himself
- Dharma & Greg (2001)
- Just Shoot Me (2001) ... Terry
- The West Wing (2004) ... himself
- Penn & Teller: ...! (2003–2010)
- The Moxy Show (original voice of Flea)
- Identity (2006–2007)
- Real Time with Bill Maher (2006) ... himself
- World Series of Poker (2006)
- Dancing with the Stars (2008) ... himself
- Numb3rs (2008) ... himself
- Glenn Beck (Fox News)
- Handy Manny (2008) ... Magic Marty
- The Defenders (2010) ... Ruben Charters
- Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman (2009) ... Himself
- Penn & Teller: Fool Us (2011, 2015–)
- Real Time with Bill Maher (2011) ... himself
- Penn & Teller Tell a Lie (2011)
- Celebrity Apprentice 5 (2012)
- All-Star Celebrity Apprentice (2013)
- In Bed With Joan (2013) ... guest
- Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off (2014)
- Chopped Tournament of Stars (2014)
- Wizard Wars (2014)
- Celebrity Wife Swap (2014) ... himself
- Alpha House season 2 (2014) ... fictionalized version of himself
- Camp Stew (2014) ... hosting as himself
- Hell's Kitchen (2014) ... himself
- Penn Jillette's Street Cred (2014–) ... himself
- Deal with It (2014) ... himself
- Modern Family season 6 (2015)
- King of the Nerds (2015) ... himself
- Celebrity Jeopardy (2015) ... himself
- Whose Line Is It Anyway? (2015) ... He and Teller appeared as special guests
- Scorpion (2016) ... Dr. Cecil P. Rizzuto
- Billions (2016) ... himself
- The Eric Andre Show Season 4 (2016) ... himself
- Code Black Season 2 (2016) ... Johnny Prentiss
- The Late Show with Ewen Cameron (2017) ... himself with Teller
- Crashing (2018) ... himself
- The Grand Tour (2018) ... himself with Teller
- Ridiculousness (2019) ... himself
- Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? (2019) ... himself with Teller
- The Masked Singer (2022) ... Hydra, himself with Teller
- Britain's Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician (2022) ... Judge, Himself
Video Games
- Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors (unreleased) ... Himself
- Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair (1996) ... Himself
- Borderlands 3 (2019) ... Pain (Voice/Appearance)
- Penn & Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary & Underhanded (2019) ... Himself
Music Videos
- Ramones – "Something to Believe In" (1986)
- Run–D.M.C. – "It's Tricky" (1987)
- Too Much Joy – "Donna Everywhere" (1992)
- Katy Perry – "Waking Up in Vegas" (2009)
- Rascal Flatts – "Why Wait" (2010)
- Penn Jillette – "Clay Aiken" (2012)
Music Albums
- Ralph Records 10th Anniversary Radio Special! (1982) by Various / Penn Jillette
- Captain Howdy, a band with Penn Jillette and Mark Kramer, released:
- The Best Song Ever Written (single, 1993)
- Tattoo of Blood (album, 1994)
- Money Feeds My Music Machine (album, 1997)
- Bongos, Bass and Bob, a band with Penn Jillette, Rob Elk and Dean J. Seal, released:
- Never Mind the Sex Pistols, Here's Bongos Bass and Bob! (What on Earth Were They Thinking?) (album, 1988)
- The Horse You Rode In On by Pigface
- The Show Before the Show, a live jazz album by Penn Jillette and pianist Mike Jones (2018)
- Are You Sure You Three Guys Know What You’re Doing? with Mike Jones and Jeff Hamilton on Capri Records (album, 2023)
See also
In Spanish: Penn Jillette para niños
