Magic Museum
Max Malini
The Magician Who Fooled the World
October 3, 1875 – October 3, 1942. Max Katz — known to the world as Max Malini — was a gruff, brilliant sleight-of-hand artist who performed for kings, queens, and presidents, producing miracles out of thin air with nothing but his bare hands and impeccable timing.
From Saloons to Royalty
Malini migrated from the border of Poland and Austria to the United States in 1888. He started busking in saloons at an early age, performing juggling and magic for tips. Despite his notoriously small hands, Max was an amazing sleight-of-hand artist — a man with impeccable timing, technique, and a master of misdirection.
Everything he did looked impromptu, but he would go to great lengths with advanced preparation to create astonishing wonders. He had an ability to create magic at the perfect moment, leaving his audience mystified in disbelief with impossible miracles out of nowhere.
Miracles Out of Nowhere
Malini would be with a group of people in a bar playing little guessing games and quick tricks of surprises. He'd borrow a gentleman's derby, flip a coin, cover it with the derby and ask if the coin was heads or tails — when the derby was lifted, in place of the coin was a large block of ice.
He performed at the Hotel Leamington for the Oakland Magic Circle in 1932, leaving seasoned magicians as baffled as civilian audiences. No one could figure out how he did it.
A Master of Publicity
Malini was a master of publicity, getting into the newspapers and having everyone talking about him. Wherever he visited, the news would spread, and the bookings would always be there for him — allowing Max to travel the world and perform for kings, queens, presidents, generals, heads of state, and society audiences wherever he went.
"You've got to go with people who have money if you want to make money."— Max Malini
He died in Honolulu on October 3, 1942 — his 67th birthday — leaving behind a legacy as one of the most remarkable close-up magicians who ever lived.
Gallery
Rare photographs and press clippings from the life and career of Max Malini.
Experience the Spirit of Malini
The tradition of intimate, close-up magic that Malini pioneered lives on at the San Francisco Magic Theater. See it for yourself.
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