Paul Curry was the vice-president of the Blue Cross Insurance Company of New York, and a famous amateur magician

Magic (illusion)

Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...

 who became well-known in the magic community for
inventing highly-original card magic.

Many magicians have performed illusions and effects created by Curry. Doug Henning

Doug Henning

Douglas James Henning was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician.-Early life:...

 used Curry's "The Sliding Knot" in one of his TV specials. Curry's most famous creation is Out of This World

Out of This World (card trick)

Out of This World is a card trick created by magician Paul Curry in 1942. Many performers have devised their own variations of this trick. It is often billed as "the trick that fooled Winston Churchill" due to a story describing how it was performed for him during World War II...

, which he created in 1942, at the age of 25. Curry is the author of a number of books and manuscripts dealing with his many original magical creations.

On 12 March 1977, the Academy of Magical Arts at The Magic Castle

The Magic Castle

The Magic Castle, located at 7001 Franklin Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, is a nightclub for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It bills itself as "the most unusual private club in the world."-Nightclub:The Magic...

awarded Paul Curry a "Creative Fellowship" award.

Selected books

• Paul Curry's Worlds Beyond (2002) ISBN 0-945296-36-3
• Magician's Magic (2003) ISBN 0-486-43176-2