Todd Robbins
Encyclopedia
Todd Robbins is an American magician, lecturer, actor, and author.
, the son of soap executive and a schoolteacher. In 1980 he moved to New York City
to pursue a career in theater. Instead he resurrected his interest in magic and carnivals and ended up working at Coney Island
.
He has been featured on more than 100 television shows, which include multiple appearances on David Letterman
, Jay Leno
and Conan O'Brien
; Masters of Illusion
; and the NBC special Extreme Variety. He was a featured guest on Criss Angel Mindfreak
and is also the main subject of the 2005 documentary American Carny: True Tales From The Circus Sideshow directed by Nick Basile
.
Todd Robbins is one of five partners in the longest running off-Broadway show, Monday Night Magic.
He starred in an off-Broadway show Carnival Knowledge which ran from 2002 to 2004 and featured Robbins eating light bulbs and swallowing swords.
In 2008 he toured as part of a stage show called Hoodwinked with Bob Arno
, Banachek
and Richard Turner
.
In 2009 Robbins was featured in a Ripley's Believe It or Not!
cartoon panel noting that he had "chewed and swallowed over 4,000 light bulbs."
In 2010 Robbins is starring in Play Dead
, written by Robbins and Teller of Penn & Teller
, a "throwback to the spook shows of the 1930s and ’40s" that ran September 12 - 24 in Las Vegas before opening Off Broadway in New York at The Players Theatre.
Todd Robbins has worked for Ripley's Believe It Or Not!
and was also a ringmaster at the Big Apple Circus
.
Biography
He was born in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, the son of soap executive and a schoolteacher. In 1980 he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to pursue a career in theater. Instead he resurrected his interest in magic and carnivals and ended up working at Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
.
He has been featured on more than 100 television shows, which include multiple appearances on David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
, Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
and Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
; Masters of Illusion
Masters of Illusion (TV show)
Masters of Illusion is a magic show broadcast on MNTV, debuting in spring 2009. The show derives its name from the profession's term Master of Illusion. The show performs on the grand stage at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California...
; and the NBC special Extreme Variety. He was a featured guest on Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
and is also the main subject of the 2005 documentary American Carny: True Tales From The Circus Sideshow directed by Nick Basile
Nick Basile
Nick Basile is an American film director, producer, actor and screenwriter. Films produced and directed by Basile include The Adventures of Captain Steel, Slasher Flick ; the futuristic thriller Beyond Dreams and the award-winning thriller/modern-day western "The Man Who Knew Belle Starr"...
.
Todd Robbins is one of five partners in the longest running off-Broadway show, Monday Night Magic.
He starred in an off-Broadway show Carnival Knowledge which ran from 2002 to 2004 and featured Robbins eating light bulbs and swallowing swords.
In 2008 he toured as part of a stage show called Hoodwinked with Bob Arno
Bob Arno
Bob Arno, is known primarily as a comedy pickpocket entertainer and more recently as a criminologist specializing in global street crime. He became a U.S. citizen in 1992.-Career:...
, Banachek
Banachek
Banachek is an American mentalist. Banachek has written books on mentalism, such as Psychological Subtleties, and invented various magic and mentalism effects, including the Penn & Teller bullet catch and the original "buried alive." Banachek is also the Director of the James Randi Educational...
and Richard Turner
Richard Turner (magician)
Richard Turner is an American playing card technician. Although an accomplished magician in his own right, Turner does not perform "magic tricks" in the true sense of the term - he has dedicated his life to mastering and demonstrating the moves used by cardsharps old and new to cheat the uninitiated...
.
In 2009 Robbins was featured in a Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
cartoon panel noting that he had "chewed and swallowed over 4,000 light bulbs."
In 2010 Robbins is starring in Play Dead
Play Dead (show)
Play Dead is an Off-Broadway show co-written by magicians Todd Robbins and Teller, the latter best known as the non-speaking half of the illusionist duo Penn & Teller...
, written by Robbins and Teller of Penn & Teller
Penn & Teller
Penn & Teller are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an amalgam of illusion and comedy. Penn Jillette is a raconteur; Teller generally uses mime while performing, although his voice can occasionally be heard during their performance...
, a "throwback to the spook shows of the 1930s and ’40s" that ran September 12 - 24 in Las Vegas before opening Off Broadway in New York at The Players Theatre.
Todd Robbins has worked for Ripley's Believe It Or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
and was also a ringmaster at the Big Apple Circus
Big Apple Circus
The Big Apple Circus is a circus that is based in New York City. Opened in 1977, it has become a tourist attraction as well. It has been highly influential towards the creation of Cirque du Soleil, tent-based circuses and smaller non-profit shows, such as Circus Flora.-The 1970s:The idea of...
.