Franz Harary American illusionist and inventor Country: USA

Biography of Franz Harary

Franz Harary, an American illusionist and inventor, gained popularity after appearing in several television shows, including the first episode of "The World's Greatest Magic," where he demonstrated the disappearance of a space shuttle. Born in 1962 in Ann Arbor, MI, Harary studied music at Eastern Michigan University while pursuing his passion for illusions. His hobby eventually took center stage when he convinced the band leader of the university orchestra to allow him to perform. Between 1982 and 1984, Harary's team, "Odyssey In Illusion," developed and executed concert shows for ballet troupes, ice shows, marching bands, and symphony orchestras. One of Harary's spectacular shows was featured live on ABC-TV during the Thanksgiving Day parade in 1983. In late 1983, Harary sent a video recording of his team's best projects to Michael Jackson. Approximately a week later, he received an invitation to join Jackson's "Victory Tour" in 1984. Harary devised a levitation and disappearance act for the pop singer, where Jackson would vanish on one part of the stage and reappear with his brothers on another. In 1990, at the World Championship Wrestling, a masked wrestler known as the Black Scorpion used "magic" to antagonize the popular Sting. Some websites claim that the person behind the mask was none other than Franz Harary. In addition to his collaboration with Jackson, Harary designed illusions for boy band 'N Sync, Cher, Queen Latifah, Tina Turner, Missy Elliott, Reba McEntire, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and others. In 1996, Harary participated in the staging of illusion acts for the Broadway musical "Ragtime," where one of the main roles was dedicated to the character of Houdini. Touring with his own shows worldwide, Harary gained special popularity in Asia and the Far East. In the USA, he frequently performs in Atlantic City. More recently, Franz served as a technical advisor on the third and fifth seasons of the dance reality show "America's Best Dance Crew." In 2010, Harary was the head judge on the Indian reality show "India's Magic Star" on STAR One. In addition to his judging role and "magic guru" status, Harary devised over 90 new acts for participants of "India's Magic Star" and performed them himself. In 2011, the illusionist returned to India, performing at the Kingdom of Dreams in Gurgaon from January 21 to April 21.