Charles Reynolds, Master of Magic, Passes

Charles Reynolds, a master of magic who advised some of the most renowned illusionists of modern times, died November 4, 2010, in New York City. He was 78.

According to news reports, the cause was liver cancer.

Reynolds, a native of Toledo, Ohio, embraced magic as a child when, at age seven, he saw a performance by the magician Harry Blackstone.

After studying theater at the University of Michigan, Reynolds worked as a cameraman for CBS and as a photographer. 

Throughout that time, he continued to indulge his passion for magic, collecting illusions, props and rare magic books.

While on a magazine assignment to cover the illusionist Doug Henning, Reynolds impressed Henning with his knowledge, which led to a job with Henning as a consultant.

At the time, Henning already had a Tony-winning Broadway show and had been approached by NBC about creating a special for television. Doug Henning’s World of Magic premiered in 1975 and drew 50 million viewers. The special aired annually for the next seven years.

In one of his most famous illusions, created for Henning’s 1983 Broadway musical Merlin, Reynolds helped Henning make a live horse and rider disappear onstage.

He also worked with Henning on 1985’s Doug Henning and His Sleight of Hand, the 1989 Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods and the 1986 musical Big.

In addition Henning, Reynolds assisted such magic greats as Harry Blackstone, Jr., and Siegfried and Roy. He also consulted on illusions for rock concerts, feature films and television shows, including Saturday Night Live.

He also produced a BBC documentary about the history of magic, authored books on the subject and kept a valuable collection of magic-related memorabilia in his Greenwich Village home.

In 2004, a group of his peers named Reynolds Magician of the Year, and Magic magazine declared him one of the most influential figures in 20th century magic.

He won a Drama Desk Award for special effects in 1983.

Survivors include his wife, Regina.