Norm Nielsen, Born February 17, 1934 in Kenosha, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

, is an American magician and business owner.

Early life and career

Nielsen's interest in magic started at a young age after watching his barber perform a few cigarette tricks. After seeing Neil Foster perform at a magic convention in White Water, Wisconsin, Nielsen enrolled at the Chavez School of Magic

Chavez School of Magic

The Chavez College of Magic was founded in 1941 by Ben Chavez, establishing for the first time a bona fide school of magic. In 1946 the course of study was approved by the California State Department of Education, the only school for magicians in America where veterans of World War II could study...

 in Los Angeles. He graduated in 1953.

Creation of magic tricks

One of his first ideas for a magic trick was to make a trumpet toot as it floated in thin air. He eventually rejected this idea as the audience would not be able to see the keys move. This led to the creation of the floating violin, whose moving bow was more readily seen. The prototype took nearly two years to develop, and the illusion itself took several more. This illusion is still in Nielsen's repertoire as his trademark trick.

Nielsen developed other aspects of his musical act, including a flute that disintegrates into silver dust and coins that are dropped melodically onto a vertical xylophone.

Magic career

Nielsen has worked in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Caracas, Santiago, Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, and Monte Carlo. He had a regular engagement at the Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, where he performed on and off for six years.

He is the owner of Nielsen Magic, founded 1956. In the early years, he learned how to make magic props from Theo Bamberg, also known as Okito. He was given permission by Okito to manufacture all items of his line, including the Okito Checker Cabinet. He is the manufacturer of the Nielsen line of products, which include among others, Vanishing Bottles, Rubber Doves and Manipulation Cards.

Awards

• Stage Magician of the Year - Magic Castle (1970)
• Magician of the Year - Magic Castle (1978)
• Jack Gwynne Award (1977, 1988)
• Chavez Award (1991)
• Golden Mandrake Award - Paris (1991)
• Performing Fellowship - Magic Castle (1994)
• Magician's Favorite Magician CBS-TV (1995)
• D.R.A.G.O.N Award (2005)