Teller (magician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Teller
Teller in 2023
Born	Raymond Joseph Teller (1948-02-14) February 14, 1948 (age 77) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	Amherst College (BA)
Occupation	Magician
Years active	1974–present

Teller (born Raymond Joseph Teller on February 14, 1948) is a famous American magician. He is best known as one half of the magic duo Penn & Teller, along with his partner Penn Jillette.

A unique part of Teller's act is that he almost never speaks during performances. Besides being a magician, Teller is also a fellow at the Cato Institute, a public policy research group.

Early Life and Education

Teller was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents, Irene and Joseph Teller, were both artists who met in art school. His father was from a Russian-Jewish family, and his mother was from a farming family in Delaware. Teller grew up with a Methodist background.

He went to Philadelphia's Central High School and graduated in 1965. He then attended Amherst College, where he earned a degree in Classics in 1969. Before becoming a full-time magician, he worked as a high-school Latin teacher.

Sometime after college, he legally changed his name to just "Teller." He wanted to be known by a single name, which is called a mononym.

Health

Teller has had a few health challenges. He had three back surgeries between 2018 and 2019. In 2022, he also had heart surgery. He has since recovered and returned to performing.

Career in Magic

Becoming Penn & Teller

Penn & Teller in 2012

Teller's first performing group was with his friend Weir Chrisemer. They called themselves The Othmar Schoeck Memorial Society for the Preservation of Unusual and Disgusting Music.

In 1974, Teller met Penn Jillette. The three of them formed a group called the Asparagus Valley Cultural Society. They performed in San Francisco and at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.

By 1981, Penn and Teller decided to perform as a duo. They have been working together as Penn & Teller ever since. Their act is a mix of comedy and amazing magic tricks. In 2013, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their work in live performance.

Why Doesn't Teller Talk?

Many people wonder why Teller is always silent on stage. He does speak in real life, like in interviews. His silent act started when he was young and performed magic at college parties.

He discovered that if he stayed quiet, the audience paid more attention to his magic. They also stopped heckling him or throwing things. The silence became his trademark and a key part of his stage character.

Writing and Directing

Books and Articles

Teller has co-written three magic books with Penn Jillette. He also wrote a book about his father called "When I'm Dead All This Will Be Yours!": Joe Teller – A Portrait by His Kid. The book is a biography that includes his father's paintings and cartoons.

Teller also helped write a scientific article about how magic tricks use attention and awareness. The article was published in a science journal called Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

Theater and Film

Teller is also a talented director. In 2008, he co-directed a version of the play Macbeth by Shakespeare. He used stage magic to create special effects for the scenes with the three witches. He later co-directed another Shakespeare play, The Tempest, which is about a magician.

In 2014, Teller directed a documentary film called Tim's Vermeer. The film explores how the famous painter Johannes Vermeer might have created his realistic paintings.

Film and Television Appearances