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Ricky Jay Biography

Richard Jay Potash (born 1948), known professionally as Ricky Jay, is an American stage magician, actor, and writer. In a profile for the New Yorker, Mark Singer called Jay "perhaps the most gifted sleight of hand artist alive". In addition to sleight of hand, Jay is known for his card tricks, card throwing, memory feats, and stage patter. He has also written extensively on magic and its history. His acting credits include the films The Prestige, The Spanish Prisoner, Mystery Men, Heist, Boogie Nights, Tomorrow Never Dies, House of Games, and Magnolia, and the HBO series Deadwood.

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Ricky Jay Quotes

Writing is the only thing in my life that doesn't get easier. It just doesn't.

Easier, Life, Thing, Writing

I never talk much about my family, but my grandfather was friendly with these guys, with magicians and ventriloquists on the highest levels, and I was just interested.

Friendly, Grandfather, Guy, Highest

I love amazing people. I love dazzling them. That's why I think performing magic is one of the greatest things a person can do.

Amazing, Love, Magic, People, Think, Thinking

It probably is harder to fool people when they know they're going to be fooled.

Fool, Fooled, Harder, People, Probably

I certainly was performing before my writing was published, because I was performing when I was very young. And the thing is I'm very comfortable on stage, so a large portion of my act did come from ad-libs.

Act, Performing, Portion, Stage, Writing, Young

The pain is bad magicians ripping off good ones, doing magic badly, and making a mockery of the art.

Art, Bad, Magic, Making, Pain

Once you get into the era of the printed book, it gets a little easier. After years and years, you make a serious survey of that literature, and then you make it more specific depending on what kind of case appears. I never set out to collect material on cheating at bowling, but I found out that after 20 years, I had a lot of material on cheating at bowling.

Appears, Book, Bowling, Cheating, Era, Literature

Maybe the the luxury of not having acting be my only profession is that I can be more selective about what I choose to be in. I've been really lucky in terms of film projects with people, terrific actors and also writers and directors that I really respect.

Acting, Having, Lucky, Luxury, People, Selective

Unlike other Jewish families, we didn't go out for Chinese food on Sundays, but we spent our time in a world of baking powder biscuits and the best shrimp cocktails that ever were.

Chinese, Jewish, Shrimp, Sunday

Every acting gig isn't the same, every writing job isn't the same, every live performance isn't the same - the challenge is the level of difficulty or ease, and that may vary.

Acting, Challenges, Jobs, Live, Writing

That's one of the ways language evolved, by some very obscure form becoming common usage. And I must say that I'm very intrigued by use of language and slang, and criminal underground terms.

Becoming, Common, Criminals, Usage, Use, Way

I started doing radio pieces with no clear, preconceived idea, except that I have a tendency to be theatrical.

Ideas, Pieces, Radio, Theatrical, Except, Preconceived

I grew up like Athena—covered with playing cards instead of armor—and, at the age of seven, materialized on a TV show, doing magic.

Age, Cards, Magic, Show, Tv Shows

I wouldn't want to try to make a living as an actor. I think actors. . . I give them a lot of credit for what they go through, but putting myself on the line like that would make me crazy.

Crazy, Giving, Make, Think, Thinking

In the winters, I enrolled in the hotel management program at Cornell University. I naively thought that I knew something about sleight-of-hand, entertainment and food, and that would be all I needed.

Enrolled, Hands, Management, Winter, Winters, Would Be

The book says we may be through with the past but the past ain't through with us.

Book, May, Past, Says

I know absolutely nothing about the 20th Century.

20Th Century, Absolutely Nothing, Century, Know, Nothing

I always read what I write out loud, and I did that long before any radio thing. My editor finds that unusual.

Editors, Finds, Long, Read, Writing

My father was the Formica King of Long Island, and my mother was the daughter of a Bengal Lancer in India.

Daughter, Formica, Island, Kings, Lancer, Mother

Theft annoys me more than anything else. The purloining of effects from another magician. Some people think it's massive to steal the secrets of nuclear reactors, but to steal a card move is trivial. They're wrong.

Card, Massive, Moving, People, Secrets, Thinking

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