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 Illusionist Doug Henning |
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| Born | Douglas James Henning May 3, 1947 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Died | February 7, 2000 (aged 52) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Liver cancer |
| Children | none |
Douglas James Henning (May 3, 1947 – February 7, 2000) was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician. Henning died aged 52[1] in February 2000 in Los Angeles five months after being diagnosed with liver cancer.[1]
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Henning was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and grew up in Oakville, Ontario.
He performed his first show at the age of 14 at the birthday party of a friend and was inspired by his audience's spellbound reaction. Within a few months of placing an ad in a local newspaper, Henning launched a series of performances on local television in Toronto, and as an entertainer at parties.
He was a student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and studied psychology.[1]
Shortly after university, Henning was awarded a Canada Council for the Arts grant.[2] The terms of the grant required Henning to study magic. He did so, travelling to view first hand the talents of such magic greats as Slydini and Dai Vernon.
With the intention of returning magic to its “glory days”, Henning worked to perfect his craft. Garnering financial support, he developed a live theatrical show, Spellbound, directed by Ivan Reitman, with music by Howard Shore and co-starring actress Jennifer Dale, a musical that combined an intense storyline and Henning's magic tricks. The show opened in Toronto and broke box office ticket records in that city. Henning reworked the show after catching the attention of New York producers, and took it to Broadway as The Magic Show, with songs composed by Stephen Schwartz. Debuting in 1974, the show ran for four and a half years earning Henning a Tony Award nomination.
Following his Broadway success, Henning was approached by NBC to produce a television special. He spent the next eight months reworking his act for television. Debuting in December 1975, Doug Henning's World of Magic captured the attention of more than 50 million viewers. For the following seven years, Henning continued his once-a-year broadcasts,[3] ultimately receiving seven Emmy nominations. Henning's signature parting words from The World of Magic were: "Anything the mind can conceive is possible. Nothing is impossible. All you have to do is look within and you can realize your fondest dreams. I would like to wish each one of you all of life's wonders and a joyful age of enlightenment."
Henning relocated to Los Angeles, California in 1976, and created his own production company. He created stage effects for music videos and concerts performed by musicians such as Earth, Wind and Fire and Michael Jackson.
His "Zig Zag" illusion is housed at the American Museum of Magic.
In 1983, Henning was the producer and star of the Broadway musical, Merlin.[1]
In 1984 Henning began a solo show on Broadway called Doug Henning and His World of Magic.[1]
Henning co-wrote a biography of Harry Houdini, Houdini: His Legend and His Magic.[4]
Henning divorced Barbara DeAngelis in 1981, and married Debby Douillard in Fairfield, Iowa in December of that year.[5]
In the mid 1980s Henning retired from the stage and had an increasing interest in Transcendental Meditation.[1]
In 1992, Henning was the Natural Law Party candidate in England’s general election, representing a residential section of Lancashire.[6] He was Senior Vice President of the Natural Law Party of Canada ("NLPC"), and ran as the party's candidate for the former Toronto riding of Rosedale in the 1993 federal election, finishing sixth out of ten candidates.[6][7][8]
In 1992, Henning and Transcendental Meditation founder, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi drafted plans for a $1.5 billion-dollar project called Maharishi Veda Land near Niagara Falls, Ontario[1] that would "combine astonishing, unique visual and sensory effects, state-of-the-art 3D imagery, and ultra high-tech entertainment technology with his best and most original magic illusion secrets".[9] Maharishi Veda Land was conceived as a magical Himalayan setting where visitors would be wowed with theatrical presentations of ancient Vedic stories and “the deepest secrets of the universe", while ingesting organic vegetarian burgers and snacks. Attractions were to include a building suspended above water and a journey into the heart of a rose.[1] At present the project's status is uncertain.[1]
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Douglas James Henning (1947-2000) was a Canadian magician, illusionist and escape artist. He helped to re-popularize magic shows, during his heyday in the 1970s.
Henning's approach to magic and performing was different from earlier magicians. While magicians usually performed in black formal wear, Henning wore colorful clothes. He also studied psychology in college, to know how the human mind works.
Henning is credited by many for the resurgence of the public's interest in magic, thanks to his breakthroug Broadway show, The Magic Show, which opened in 1974 and ran for almost five years. This was followed by eight television specials on NBC (the first of which remains the most watched magic television special in history, with over fifty million viewers). In 1982, he appeared in another Broadway show, Merlin, which ran for seven months. Though the magic in Merlin was met with accolades, critics trounced the show's book and music.
Henning was a spokesperson for Polaroid, TWA, Minolta and Chrysler.
He was a student of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and used transcendental meditation to help him focus and to relax. He tried to help the Maharishi open a theme park, called Vedaland. Henning also ran for public office in Canada, but lost the election.
Henning died in 2000 of liver cancer. Instead of normal medical treatments, he tried to cure himself through natural remedies and diet, but this did not work. After his death, Henning's widow kept the Vedaland campaign going.
The first and only written biography of Doug Henning, Spellbound: The Wonder-filled Life of Doug Henning was published in 2009 (John Harrison, BoxOffice Books, New York.)
   | Doug Henning's Obituary in the National Post, U.K. - Thinking man's magician flirted with political career |
| | Notes of a Fringe-Watcher:Doug Henning and the Giggling Guru by Martin Gardner - Doug Henning and the Giggling Guru; Notes of a Fringe-Watcher (Skeptical Inquirer / May 1995) |
| | "Biography for Doug Henning (I)" - Doug Henning (I) - Biography |
| | Doug Henning's "Official Website" - Doug Henning :: Relive the wonder... May 3, 2006 |
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