Tim Ellis
Encyclopedia
Tim Ellis is an Australian performer, author and lecturer in the world of magic
and illusion.
at the age of 9 after his grandfather gave him a magic set as a gift. At the age of 14 he was the youngest magician ever admitted to The Magic Circle of Victoria and two years later won four out of their five annual awards. In 1980 he won the title 'Best Under 18 Magician of Australia'.
In 1986 he created and produced 'National Magic Week', a ten day festival of the magical arts which was presented annually for the next nine years.
Ellis produced and edited 'Australian Magic Monthly', a national publication for magicians which came out monthly for 100 issues, while writing a regular column on the Australian magic scene for the international Genii
.
Ellis created 'MagicSports' a form of improvised magic games based on Keith Johnstone's 'Theatre Sports'.
In 1992 he bought Australia's oldest magic shop, 'Bernard's' which he owned for several years.
In 1994 he was awarded second place in 'Micro Magic' at the FISM World Magic Championship in Yokohama, Japan. This followed the 'Special Prize of the Jury' he was awarded at the 1991 FISM in Lausanne, Switzerland for his 'Six Card Rap'.
Ellis married Sue-Anne Webster
in 1998. Ellis performed as a guest artist at the FISM World Championship of Magic, performing in the Close Up Gala in 2000 and the Stage Gala in 2003. In 2001 Ellis and Webster were voted 'Most Valuable Performers' by their peers at the close up magic convention 'Fechter's Finger Flicking Frolic' in Batavia, New York.
Ellis sat on the jury at the FISM World Championship of Magic in 2003 at Den Haag, in 2006 at Stockholm, and 2009 in Beijing. In 2004 Ellis and Webster produced three magic teaching DVDs, and together with a team of Melbourne magicians they set a new Guinness World Record for the world's longest magic show by performing non-stop for 75 hours at Luna Park, Melbourne
, Australia. The previous record was 24 hours. In the same year Ellis produced the 29th Australian Convention of Magicians.
In 2007 Ellis was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.
After the 2007 show Poker in the Face, Ellis presented two shows for the 2008 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Illusionarium with Ellis & Webster and Something About Needles & Razorblades. Later that year he performed The Wizards of Aus at The Melbourne Magic Festival. The 2009 Festival saw his new shows AspyCadabra, and Ellis in Wonderland performed with Sue-Anne Webster. The 2010 Festival saw two new shows Escape From Reality and Illusionarium 2010 and in 2011 they premiered Once Upon A Time...
He has performed on television programs including Midday
, Good Morning Australia
, The Daryl Somers Show, Young Talent Time
, Hey Hey It's Saturday
, Sunrise
, and The Today Show
. He also appears in Nadia Tass's feature film Matching Jack
(2010).
Ellis works in the Australian corporate entertainment field.
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
and illusion.
Biography
Ellis began performing magicMagic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
at the age of 9 after his grandfather gave him a magic set as a gift. At the age of 14 he was the youngest magician ever admitted to The Magic Circle of Victoria and two years later won four out of their five annual awards. In 1980 he won the title 'Best Under 18 Magician of Australia'.
In 1986 he created and produced 'National Magic Week', a ten day festival of the magical arts which was presented annually for the next nine years.
Ellis produced and edited 'Australian Magic Monthly', a national publication for magicians which came out monthly for 100 issues, while writing a regular column on the Australian magic scene for the international Genii
Genii (magazine)
Genii, The Conjurors' Magazine is the longest-running independent magazine devoted to magic and magicians in the history of the art. It was founded by William Larsen, Sr. in 1936, and run by his descendents until 1998, when it was sold to The Genii Corporation, headed by well-known magic author...
.
Ellis created 'MagicSports' a form of improvised magic games based on Keith Johnstone's 'Theatre Sports'.
In 1992 he bought Australia's oldest magic shop, 'Bernard's' which he owned for several years.
In 1994 he was awarded second place in 'Micro Magic' at the FISM World Magic Championship in Yokohama, Japan. This followed the 'Special Prize of the Jury' he was awarded at the 1991 FISM in Lausanne, Switzerland for his 'Six Card Rap'.
Ellis married Sue-Anne Webster
Sue-Anne Webster
Sue-Anne Webster is an Australian magician, actor and writer who has been recognised internationally for her contributions to the art of magic.-Biography:...
in 1998. Ellis performed as a guest artist at the FISM World Championship of Magic, performing in the Close Up Gala in 2000 and the Stage Gala in 2003. In 2001 Ellis and Webster were voted 'Most Valuable Performers' by their peers at the close up magic convention 'Fechter's Finger Flicking Frolic' in Batavia, New York.
Ellis sat on the jury at the FISM World Championship of Magic in 2003 at Den Haag, in 2006 at Stockholm, and 2009 in Beijing. In 2004 Ellis and Webster produced three magic teaching DVDs, and together with a team of Melbourne magicians they set a new Guinness World Record for the world's longest magic show by performing non-stop for 75 hours at Luna Park, Melbourne
Luna Park, Melbourne
For other amusement parks of the same name, see Luna Park; for other uses of the phrase, see Luna Park Melbourne's Luna Park is a historic amusement park located on the foreshore of Port Phillip Bay in St Kilda, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Australia...
, Australia. The previous record was 24 hours. In the same year Ellis produced the 29th Australian Convention of Magicians.
In 2007 Ellis was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.
After the 2007 show Poker in the Face, Ellis presented two shows for the 2008 Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks in April typically opening on or around April Fool's Day...
Illusionarium with Ellis & Webster and Something About Needles & Razorblades. Later that year he performed The Wizards of Aus at The Melbourne Magic Festival. The 2009 Festival saw his new shows AspyCadabra, and Ellis in Wonderland performed with Sue-Anne Webster. The 2010 Festival saw two new shows Escape From Reality and Illusionarium 2010 and in 2011 they premiered Once Upon A Time...
He has performed on television programs including Midday
Midday
Midday is a television show that aired on Australia's Nine Network from 1985-1998. The show aired, like its title suggests, at noon on every weekday and was a 90 minute variety programme with international and local guests. It featured interviews, musical performances and comedy spots...
, Good Morning Australia
Good Morning Australia
Good Morning Australia from Network Ten was the name of two different programs. This article is for Bert Newton's morning program, not to be confused with the breakfast news program of the same name....
, The Daryl Somers Show, Young Talent Time
Young Talent Time
Young Talent Time is an Australian television variety program screened on Network Ten, running from 1971 until 1988. The series features a core group of young performers in the vein of The Mickey Mouse Club, and a weekly junior talent quest. The "Young Talent Team" regularly performed popular...
, Hey Hey It's Saturday
Hey Hey It's Saturday
Hey Hey It's Saturday was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 27 years , debuting on the Nine Network on 9 October 1971 and broadcasting its last episode on 20 November 1999. Its host throughout its entire run was Daryl Somers, who would later...
, Sunrise
Sunrise
Sunrise is the instant at which the upper edge of the Sun appears above the horizon in the east. Sunrise should not be confused with dawn, which is the point at which the sky begins to lighten, some time before the sun itself appears, ending twilight...
, and The Today Show
The Today Show
Today is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
. He also appears in Nadia Tass's feature film Matching Jack
Matching Jack
Matching Jack is a 2010 Australian drama film directed by Nadia Tass from a screenplay by Lynne Renew and David Parker, based on an unfilmed script by Renew entitled Love and Mortar. The film stars Jacinda Barrett as a mother who begins a lengthy search for a bone marrow donor to help her son , who...
(2010).
Ellis works in the Australian corporate entertainment field.
Awards & Honours
- Nominated Lecturers of the Year (with Sue-Anne Webster) - The Magic Castle, Hollywood (2005)
- Guinness World Record (with team of Melbourne magicians) - World's Longest Magic Show, 75 hours (2004)
- Most Valuable Participants (with Sue-Anne Webster) - Fechter's Finger Flicking Frolic, New York (2001)
- Second Place, Close Up Magic - FISM World Magic Championships - Yokohama, Japan (1994)
- Special Prize of the Jury - FISM World Magic Championships - Lausanne, Switzerland (1991)
- Best Stage Magic in Australia - National Australian Magic Convention (1990)
- Best Trick - National Australian Magic Convention (1986 & 1990)
- Best Close Up Magician in Australia - National Australian Magic Convention (1986)
- Best Close Up Magician - Ballarat, Newcastle, and Adelaide Magic Conventions (1989)
- Best Card Magician - Adelaide Magic Conventions (1989)
- Teenage Champion Magician of Australia - National Australian Magic Convention (1980)
- Harmony Trophy - Magic Circle of Victoria (1978, 1979)
- Ron Kreyt's Shield for Close Up Magic - Magic Circle of Victoria (1979)
- Improver's Trophy - Magic Circle of Victoria (1979)
- Librarian's Trophy - Magic Circle of Victoria (1979)
Published works
- Australian Magic Monthly - Monthly National Magazine, Editor and publisher (1989–1998)
- The Magic Circular - Monthly publication of 'The Magic Circle of Victoria', Editor (from 1992)
- The Secret Diary of Tim Ellis - Lecture Notes (1992)
- AMM 2000 - Monthly National Magazine, Co Editor with Sue-Anne Webster (2000)
- Ellis in Wonderland - Lecture Notes (2000)
- 24 Years of Living Next Door to Ellis (2001)
- Runaround Sue - Lecture Notes (2001)
- The Tim Card Poker Deal (2005)
- Timeless Magic - Hardcover Book (2011)
Videos & DVDs
- Cunning Stunts (1993)
- Bernard's Teaching Video Series - 18 Volumes (Producer) (1993–1995)
- Ellis in Wonderland (2004)
- 24 Years of Living Next Door to Ellis (2004)
- Runaround Sue (2004)
- Ellis & Webster's Cunning Stunts (2006)
- Ellis & Webster's Most Amazing Magic Volume 1
- Ellis & Webster's Most Amazing Magic Volume 2