John Henry Anderson (1814â€"1874) was a Scottish professional
magician. Anderson is credited with helping bring the art of magic
from street performances into theatres and presenting magic
performances to entertain and delight the audience.Anderson was born
in The Mearns, Scotland. Orphaned at the age of ten, he started his
career appearing on the stage with a travelling dramatic company in
1830. At seventeen, he began performing magic and in 1837, at the age
of twenty-three, he performed at the castle of Lord Panmure, whose
endorsement of Anderson inspired him to put a touring show together
which lasted for three years. In 1840, Anderson settled in London,
opening the New Strand Theatre. Sir Walter Scott is said to have given
him the stage name, The Great Wizard of the North.Anderson's success
came from his extensive use of advertising and popular shows which
captivated his audience. The Wizard was committed to philanthropy and
expert showmanship, making him one of the earliest magicians to attain
a high level of world renown. Anderson declared: "It is the duty of
all magicians to give entertainment," and he was not content to
perform an illusion to simply demonstrate that he could accomplish
something that the audience could not explain. If the effect was not
enthusiastically received, Anderson would remove it from his act.
Anderson is famous for a lifetime of successful performances of the
bullet catch illusion. Although he did not invent the trick, he made
it widely popular and several of his rivals copied Anderson's version
in their own shows. Anderson is also credited to be the first magician
to pull a rabbit out of a tophat. The trick had existed before in
different forms, yet, Anderson was the first magician that performed
this classic trick on stage. John Henry Anderson Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter