Siegfried and Roy

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Siegfried (right) and Roy with a white lion, before Roy's accident in 2003

Siegfried Fischbacher (born June 13, 1939 in Rosenheim ; † January 13, 2021 in Las Vegas , Nevada ) and Roy Horn (born October 3, 1944 in Nordenham as Uwe Ludwig Horn ; † May 8, 2020 in Las Vegas , Nevada ) German-American magicians and trainers , who are known as Siegfried & Roy through their appearances with white tigers and lionsbecame world famous. From 1990 to the end of their stage career on October 3, 2003, when Roy Horn was injured, the duo designed the show Siegfried & Roy at The Mirage , which was considered the most popular show in Las Vegas. Both artists were inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Society of American Magicians ; in 2004 she was honored by the Magic Circle of Germany as Magician of the Century .

Life

Siegfried and Roy at the anniversary of the magic circle in Munich, 2012

Siegfried

Fischbacher came from Rosenheim, where he grew up in the Kastenau district. He had a brother, Marinus; his sister Margot (* 1942), as sister Dolore, is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Mallersdorfer Community in the St. Boniface convent in Munich- Schwabing .

Fischbacher started doing magic tricks at the age of eight. This enabled him to get the attention of his father, who, having returned from a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp , had become an alcoholic . After finishing school, Fischbacher learned the trade of weaver ; In 1956 he moved to Lake Garda . There he worked as a waiter and performed as a magician. In 1959 he was hired as a steward on the passenger ship Bremen and was soon entertaining the passengers there as an entertainer with magic tricks.

In January 2021 it was announced that Fischbacher due to illness of pancreatic cancer at an advanced stage surgery was. He died in Las Vegas on January 13, 2021 at the age of 81.

Roy

Uwe Horn attended elementary school in the Blexen district of Nordenham . He dropped out of school at the age of 13, started as a page on the passenger ship Bremen and met Siegfried there.

In the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas Horn had into it celebrated its 59th anniversary on October 3 of 2003. A few hours later, Horn's white tiger Montecore attacked the tamer on a show and seriously injured him. After severe blood loss, strokes and brain surgery, he never fully recovered, remained paralyzed on one side and dependent on a wheelchair.

Horn died on May 8, 2020 of the consequences of a COVID-19 disease triggered by SARS-CoV-2 .

Joint career

Breakthrough and Success

Fischbacher and Horn met in 1960 on the passenger steamer Bremen , where both worked as waiters and occasionally entertained the passengers with magic tricks until they performed together as magicians on the instructions of the captain. The trademark of their show was the cheetah Chico , which came from the animal dealer George Monroe. Horn, who was related to a founder of the Bremen Zoo , managed to bring the animal on board and, although the captain had reservations at first, to include him in the magic show.

In 1963 both appeared together in the traditional Hamburg Hansa-Varieté-Theater . In 1964 the two ended their ship engagements and made their debut at the Astoria Theater in Germany. They then made a tour of Europe, which also took them to Monte Carlo , where they appeared in a charity show for the Red Cross in front of Princess Gracia Patricia in 1966 . This appearance is considered to be her international breakthrough. The tour then continued to the Lido in Paris , the Tropicana Las Vegas and Puerto Rico . In 1970 they returned to Las Vegas. With the support of Frank Rosenthal, they got an engagement in the Stardust and appeared in the show Lido de Paris . In 1972 they were first awarded the prize for the best show of the year.

After a year-long engagement in the Americana in Puerto Rico, they appeared in the show "Hallelujah Hollywood" at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas from 1974 . In 1976 they were awarded the title of Magician of the Year by the American Academy of Magical Arts , and Cary Grant gave the speech and presented the award. From 1978 to 1981 they appeared again with a 33-minute performance on the Lido de Paris show at Stardust, this time the show was advertised on the billboard with their names . With their (renewed) involvement in Stardust, Siegfried and Roy became the best-paid artists in the history of Las Vegas to date.

From 1981 to 1988 they were at the New Frontier in Las Vegas with their 100-minute show Beyond Belief . With Beyond Belief , they were the first magicians with their own show of this magnitude and the first to offer a show for the whole family, as they did without topless dancers. In total, they appeared in the New Frontier 3,538 times. Every performance was sold out. More than 3 million viewers saw the shows. In 1988/89 the magicians could be seen with their show in Japan for ten months . Afterwards they had an engagement at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City . From 1981 to 1989, the King Charles Troupe was part of the shows.

In 1976 and 1988 Siegfried and Roy were voted the best magicians of the year by the Magic Circle of Germany . In 1992, she was from the Academy of Magical Arts as a magician of the decade award. For Michael Jackson's Bad World Tour , the duo created some illusions. In 1996 Siegfried and Roy celebrated their 15,000. Appearance in Las Vegas. During their 30-year stage presence in Las Vegas, over 25 million people have seen their shows. At the beginning of their careers, the two appeared as Siegfried and Partner . Siegfried and Roy had their last joint stage appearance on February 28, 2009. The tiger Montecore, who injured Roy, also took part in the ten-minute performance, which was held for the benefit of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The two artists did not speak a word during the performance and said goodbye to their audience as a magician duo.

On October 27, 2009, Siegfried & Roy appeared as guests of honor at the reopening premiere of the Hamburg Hansa-Varieté-Theater , where their artistic career began 46 years ago.

Siegfried and Roy in the Mirage

Billboard for the Siegfried and Roy show at the Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, 1990

In October 1988, Siegfried and Roy signed a five-year contract with the Mirage Hotel, which guaranteed them a sum of 57.5 million dollars, at the time the most lucrative contract in the history of live entertainment. Since the hotel was still under construction at the time, the show didn't start until 1990. On February 2, 1990, the two opened their Siegfried and Roy at the Mirage Hotel and Resort Show in the Mirage in Las Vegas. Steve Wynn built a theater named after them with 1,504 seats, Michael Jackson composed and sang the song Mind Is The Magic for the show in return for the collaboration on the Bad World Tour . The 100-minute Siegfried and Roy Show was a mixture of magic, Broadway show and grand opera, and with a budget of $ 25 million, according to Stern over $ 50 million in production costs, the most expensive stage show ever staged. More than 60 people and 27 white tigers took part in the show. It became the most successful show in the United States of America . The Time Magazine called the Siegfried and Roy show at the Mirage as Show of the Century (show of the century) .

White tiger from the show, 1990

In 1997 the two of them opened a “Secret Garden” in the Mirage hotel complex , an exotic outdoor enclosure with “white tigers”, “snow tigers” (all white), white lions, black panthers , snow leopards and llamas . In 2001 the two were awarded a lifetime contract with the Mirage.

On his 59th birthday - October 3, 2003 - Horn suffered a minor stroke while on the show . In a later interview he described that the white tiger Montecore sensed that something was wrong and then grabbed his neck to get him off the stage to safety. Horn was seriously injured and has been partially paralyzed since then. However, doctors think it is more likely that the stroke was first caused by the tiger's bite. Because of this incident, the two artists ended their active stage careers. The tiger Montecore died of natural causes on March 19, 2014 at the age of 17. In total they gave 5750 performances in the Mirage, which were seen by 10.5 million viewers. The MGM Mirage Hotel took the show more than 1.5 billion US dollars a.

Further and after the career

Siegfried and Roy had been breeding so-called "White King Tigers" since 1982 and had made it their business to preserve the white tigers and lions from Timbavati ( Kruger National Park , South Africa ) for posterity. In cooperation with amusement parks ( Zoo Safaripark Stukenbrock , North Rhine-Westphalia) they bred the animals. For their 20th birthday they gave the Phantasialand in Brühl near Cologne two white tiger cubs, who later performed there too.

In some episodes of The Simpsons , the characters Gunter and Ernst appear, a magical duo that is based on Siegfried and Roy.

In 1999 they received a star on the legendary Walk of Fame in Hollywood . They were also immortalized this year in the Madame Tussauds wax museum in Las Vegas. They were also named the best magicians of the century in 2000. The magic word of the duo was "Sarmoti" ( S iegfried A nd R oy, M asters O f t he I mpossible).

The entertainer duo Siegfried & Roy accompanied the well-known director Leni Riefenstahl on the occasion of her 100th birthday on the evening of August 22, 2002 in the Hotel Kaiserin Elisabeth in Feldafing , where she celebrated with 160 invited guests.

On October 22, 2003, Siegfried and Roy received the World Entertainment Award . Siegfried traveled alone to Hamburg and accepted the award - on behalf of Roy - from Mikhail Gorbachev .

2004 was published in the US-inspired Siegfried and Roy computer animation series with white lions in the lead roles: Father of the Pride (dt .: A Lion in Las Vegas ), the two were co-executive producer of the series. The life story of the two illusionists was filmed under the title Siegfried & Roy - The Masters of Illusion in IMAX 3D format.

In 2007, Siegfried and Roy spoke publicly about their long-known homosexuality in an interview on the occasion of their biography Magier of the Century . In private, Fischbacher and Horn were a couple until 1998 and remained friends afterwards.

In the Las Vegas episode from the movie Men and Women from 2012, Siegfried and Roy are alluded to when, after the homosexual act in the hotel, it is said that Fred and Greg will later become famous magicians and tiger owners in Vegas.

In Las Vegas Siegfried advised the German magician Jan Rouven on his performances and also provided him with original props from the duo for the shows.

Shows

  • Las Vegas: Tropicana - Folies Bergère (3 months) (1967)
  • Paris: Lido (1967 to 1969)
  • Puerto Rico: Americano Hotel (3 months) (1969)
  • Las Vegas: Stardust - Lido de Paris (20-minute show, 1970 to 1973)
  • Puerto Rico: Americano Hotel (1973)
  • Las Vegas: MGM - Hallelujah Hollywood (20-minute show, 1974 to 1977)
  • Las Vegas: Stardust - Lido de Paris (33-minute show, 1978-1981)
  • Las Vegas: New Frontier - Beyond Belief (100-minute show, 1981 to 1988, 3,538 performances, over 3 million viewers)
  • Japan tour 1988/89 (October 1988 to September 1989, Tokyo and Osaka ) (1.5 million viewers)
  • New York City: Radio City Music Hall (September 22 to October 15, 1989)
  • Las Vegas: Mirage - Siegfried and Roy at the Mirage Hotel and Resort (100-minute show, February 1990 to October 3, 2003, 5,750 performances, 10.5 million viewers)

Publications (selection)

Fonts

  • Siegfried & Roy - magicians of the century. BMG-Ariola-Media, Munich 2004. (autobiography).
  • Siegfried and Roy. Master of Illusion. The story of a world success. ECON-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1995. ISBN 978-3-612-26144-1 (autobiography).

TV / documentaries / films

  • Siegfried and Roy, Lido Paris, for the 80th time by Maurice Chevalier , first appearance on French television, 1968
  • TV Special with Gunther Gable Williams, USA 1977
  • Hocus Pocus, It's Magic , USA 1978
  • Siegfried & Roy - Superstars of Magic - Las Vegas 1980, USA, TV Special 50 minutes
  • Mensch Meier: Siegfried & Roy are star guests in the Alfred Biolek show on June 11, 1987
  • Boulevard Bio : Siegfried & Roy are guests on Alfred Biolek's talk show on September 29, 1992
  • "Siegfried & Roy" special . Full evening documentary by Gabor Harrach with Frauke Ludowig , Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Uwe Horn. First broadcast on RTL Television - Easter 1995.
  • Siegfried & Roy: Masters of Illusion - The Show, 60 min. By Irvin and Kenneth Feld Productions Inc. and RTL Television Merchandising / Licensing. Worldwide distribution by EuroVideo, USA-D-1995
  • Siegfried & Roy: Masters of the Impossible, animated film, USA 1996
  • “Illusions for Millions - The Magical Career of Siegfried & Roy” - 45-minute film by Alois Schwoim, BONN-TV production. First broadcast on Deutsche Welle (DWtv) - Christmas 1996
  • Siegfried & Roy: The Art of Magic , 150 minutes, documentary, USA 1998
  • Siegfried & Roy - The Masters of Illusion in 3D, 50 minutes, 1999.
  • Heroes of Magic - Documentary, USA 2000
  • A Lion in Las Vegas - 13-part animated series, USA 2004–2005
  • Siegfried & Roy: The Miracle, documentary, USA 2004
  • The Siegfried and Roy story - told by Thomas Gottschalk , documentary, first broadcast on VOX - October 3, 2013

cinemamovies

Honors

  • The Siegfried and Roy Golden Lion Award is dedicated to magicians and is one of the most important awards in the field of sorcery and magic.
  • Siegfried and Roy both have a place in the Hall of Fame of the Society of American Magicians .
  • Production of the year Award (1972 to 1976, 5 times in a row)
  • Siegfried and Roy received a star together on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (stage category) in 1999 (7060 Hollywood Boulevard).
  • Siegfried and Roy bronze statue at the Mirage Hotel
  • Siegfried and Roy Theater at the Mirage
  • Golden Camera (1984)
  • Kalanag rings No. 4 and 5 for extraordinary achievements in the art of magic, highest award of the Magic Circle of Germany (April 1993)
  • World Entertainment Award (2003)
  • Bambi for the Show of the Decade (2004)
  • Liberace Legend Award
  • Federal Cross of Merit
  • On Roy's death, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak had all flags raised at half-mast on public buildings and squares in Las Vegas, and the army flew an honor formation in Roy's memory.

Web links

Commons : Siegfried & Roy  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Timo Kühnemuth: Roy still omnipresent. (No longer available online.) In: Kreiszeitung Wesermarsch. October 2, 2013, archived from the original on October 23, 2013 ; accessed on May 9, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Magician: Roy Horn died of Covid 19 disease. In: Spiegel Online . May 9, 2020, accessed May 9, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Carmen Krippl: Siegfried celebrates a special family festival. In: rosenheim24.de. December 6, 2012, accessed October 4, 2013 .
  4. ^ "Sister of partner Siegfried is a Franciscan. Religious: Magician Roy Horn was not afraid of death " on kathisch.de from May 11, 2020, accessed on May 13, 2020
  5. ^ "Siegfried celebrates a special family festival" on rosenheim24.de from December 6, 2012, accessed on May 13, 2020
  6. ^ Siegfried and Roy ( Memento of March 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) at glbtq.com (2002, as of November 19, 2003)
  7. ↑ a b Magical: Siegfried is celebrating his 70th birthday. In: rosenheim24.de. June 13, 2009, accessed October 4, 2013 .
  8. ^ Siegfried Fischbacher suffers from cancer. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , January 11, 2021. Accessed January 11, 2021.
  9. ↑ Magician Siegfried is dead. In: t-online.de . January 14, 2021, accessed January 14, 2021 .
  10. ↑ Augsburger Allgemeine: Tiger, Tricks, Tragik: Roy Horn has died. Retrieved May 11, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Consequences of Covid 19 disease: Magician Roy Horn has died. In: tagesschau.de. Retrieved May 9, 2020 .
  12. ↑ How time flies with… Siegfried and Roy. In: Spiegel Online. October 2, 2013, accessed November 8, 2019 .
  13. ↑ Associated Press: Siegfried and Roy End 6 1/2 Year Run at Frontier . June 27, 1988.
  14. ^ Siegfried and Roy: Landmark Show Dates - Siegfried and Roy .
  15. ↑ The Michael Jackson Bad Years Era Album Tour Moonwalker . Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  16. ↑ Alex Gernandt, By Erik Eggers, By Christoph Gunkel, By Christoph Gunkel, By Philine Gebhardt, Katja Iken, By Christoph Sator, Jochen Leffers, et al .: one day - SPIEGEL ONLINE .
  17. ↑ Back on stage: Siegfried and Roy are planning a comeback . February 12, 2008.
  18. ↑ Farewell to Tiger: Siegfried and Roy give their last show in Las Vegas . March 1, 2009.
  19. ↑ Breathtaking artistry in a jewelry box . In: Hamburger Abendblatt
  20. ↑ A love in Las Vegas . May 9, 2005.
  21. ^ Siegfried & Roy - The Show .
  22. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from October 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  23. ^ Siegfried & Roy - WHO'S WHO biography .
  24. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung from 30./31. March 2019
  25. ↑ Alex Gernandt, By Erik Eggers, By Christoph Gunkel, By Christoph Gunkel, By Philine Gebhardt, Katja Iken, By Christoph Sator, Jochen Leffers, et al .: one day - SPIEGEL ONLINE .
  26. ↑ bild.de: White Tiger Montecore is dead (with a remarkable spelling of the tiger name)
  27. ↑ A tiger, no words . February 7, 2018.
  28. ↑ Las Vegas: Magician Roy critically injured after a tiger attack . October 5, 2003.
  29. ↑ Tiger tamer in Phantasialand . In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger , November 4, 2009
  30. ↑ 160 guests at Lake Starnberg: Riefenstahl celebrates its 100th birthday . ( handelsblatt.com [accessed October 15, 2017]).
  31. ↑ Wow! Siegfried and Roy are gay! In: queer.de , August 17, 2007
  32. ↑ Axel Schock, Karen-Susan Fessel: OUT! Querverlag, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-89656-111-1
  33. ↑ The Legend of Sarmoti: Siegfried & Roy .
  34. ^ Heroes of Magic . December 24, 2000.
  35. ^ Magician James Cielen - Gold Lion Award .
  36. ↑ http://www.mzvd.de/ring_kalanag.html
  37. ↑ "I need time for me now": This is how Siegfried Fischbacher feels after the death of Roy Horn