Tommy Wonder (magician)

Tommy Wonder ( born November 29, 1953 in Lisse, † 26 June 2006) was a Dutch magician. His real name was Jacobus Maria " Jos " Bemelman.

Career

Even with 10 years of Tommy Wonder began to conjure up, so he was already 18 years old professional. After Tommy Wonder had three years studying acting, dancing and singing at the Academie voor Podiumvorming in The Hague, he toured for two years with De Haagsche Comedie. At this time he came on in the talent competition Plankenkans, for the first time in hölländischen television, where he obtained the first place (1977). The jury of the show sat the then already three times the magic world champion and his lifetime legendary Fred Kaps. That was Tommy Wonder's enthusiastic demonstration, but they learned, despite mutual admiration never know close. Tommy Wonder mentioned that Fred Kaps "had A Certain quality, to give [ magic], importance, . A Certain class Sometimes, When I am working on a problem, I think, ' What would Kaps have done? ' - And then Usually it 's quite Obvious ".

At the World Championships of Magic 1979 ( in Brussels) and 1988 ( in The Hague) Wonder gained each 2nd place ( first in the category of micro magic, then in General Magic). In 1998 he was awarded the Performer Fellowship Award from the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood. Wonder was among other things to Las Vegas and Monte Carlo working.

Work and impact

Moreover, Wonder was extensively engaged as a valued inventor and author in the field of magic theory. In this sense, he published two milestones of Magic: First, the two-volume The Books of Wonder ( Hermetic Press, 1996 ), as well as the DVD series Visions of Wonder 1-3, on which he analyzed together with Max Maven his art pieces. His dedication to the Books of Wonder is already characteristic of his philosophical, yet pragmatic, style: ". Dedicated to Those magicians who place magic above comfort and reward "

The renowned American publisher of magic L & L Publishing commented Wonders DVDs as follows: " Tommy Wonder is a living legend in magic The routines, philosophy, creative process, and thinking detailed on Visions of Wonder are why he is hailed by his peers as one of the. top performers and thinkers in magic and why many Consider him one of the most important magicians of our time. "

Tommy Wonder is still regarded as one of the most innovative artists of sorcery. His developments and new ideas have shaped the magic term. He is above all due to his flair for timing, audience interaction, drama and technology among colleagues in highest honor. His devotion to the magic and his flair for detail is virtually unparalleled. In an interview with the magical world, praised David Copperfield Wonders " incredibly good ideas " "and said: ". Tommy was really a genius. He was obviously brilliant. He has the magic been many new ideas and contributed to its change. I just made a video of him again looked and observed the disappearance of his bird cage. An incredible work. He was very clever. "

When asked what motivates him to his work, Wonder said, " The psychology of magic I find very fascinating - how you can deceive someone, how you can put pictures in a person 's at least it's a world in Itself, where the impossible is true. "

In June 2006, Tommy Wonder passed away after a short battle with lung cancer. His homepage is at the moment for the collection of obituaries. On August 5, 2006, he posthumously received the Theory & Philosophy Award at the FISM Magic World Championships in Stockholm. Cited during the summer of 2013, the Magic world a chapter from Books of Wonder.