Chung Ling Soo

Born William Ellsworth Robinson in New York City on April 2, 1861, he became internationally known under the stage persona Chung Ling Soo. Britannica describes him as an American conjurer who found great fame in England by performing as a Chinese magician both onstage and off, carefully maintaining the illusion in public life as well.

Before adopting that identity, Robinson worked in professional magic for years and was known for technical skill, stagecraft, and inventive presentation. Accounts of his life note that his act drew heavily on the period's fascination with exotic spectacle, and his fame grew quickly in London and beyond.

He died in London in March 1918 after a failure during his bullet-catching trick, an accident that remains one of the most widely remembered incidents in stage magic. Today, he is remembered not only for his success as a performer, but also for the unusual double life he created around one of magic's most enduring personas.