Willi Auerbach (born July 2, 1980, known professionally as MAGIC MAN) is a German stage illusionist, magician, and designer of magical illusions.

Willi Auerbach
Born (1980-07-02) July 2, 1980 (age 43)
Other namesMAGIC MAN
OccupationIllusionist
Websitewww.magic-man-show.com

Life edit

Auerbach was born and raised in Waldkirch, a town located in southwest Germany. At age 17 he first came into contact with magic. Soon after, he completed his industrial mechanic apprenticeship, followed by his media engineers studies (Dipl.-Ing. (FH)) at the university of Offenburg which he finished in 2009. Auerbach has since been working as a full-time magician.[1] He is a member of Germany's Magic Circle since 2002.[2]

Career edit

One of Auerbach's most spectacular effects so far is the flying illusion, where he seemingly is able to overcome gravity and float freely through the air.[3] His several TV appearances include "Tú Sí Que Vales" on Italian TV,[4] "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" on The CW network,[5] "Sag die Wahrheit"[6] on SWR television, "Superhitparade der Volksmusik"[7] with Caroline Reiber on ZDF and “Guten Abend RTL”, a news show in which he startled everyone with his prevision for the future for the Society for the Scientific Investigation of Parasciences (GWUP) under the supervision of Mark Benecke.[8] In 2012, Auerbach hosted the finals of the Pangea mathematics competition at the House of World Cultures in Berlin for the television station Ebru TV.[9] In May 2017, the magician became second at the German Magic Championships and in July 2018, he participated in the World Magic Championships in South Korea.[10] According to Penn & Teller's: Fool Us Wikipedia page, Auerbach was featured on the 7th season of this show on April 16, 2021.

He also regularly organizes charity events for "Menschen für Menschen" (“Humans for Humans”), a charity organization helping Ethiopian people in need, which was originally founded by the now deceased actor Karlheinz Böhm.[11] At a charity gala in June 2015, where amongst others, the Flying Steps were part of the performance show, 5,000 euros were donated to the foundation. In 2019 at the theatre of Freiburg 23,333 euros were collected.[12] Over the years, the artist was able to collect tens of thousands euros for the charity. On the occasion of the organizations 30th anniversary, the MAGIC MAN even performed his show on site in Ethiopia. Those celebrations were not only attended by Almaz Böhm and Karlheinz Böhm, but also by Germany's former Federal President Horst Köhler, Addis Abeba's mayor Kuma Demeska and the Ethiopian world record runner Haile Gebrselassie. Auerbach has been an ambassador of the Ethiopian Aid program since September 2017.[13]

In addition to his work as a magician, Auerbach is also an inventor and designer of magical illusions, apparatuses and theatrical special effects for other magicians.[14]

Television appearances edit

External links edit

References edit

  1. ^ Barbara Breitsprecher (2015-06-13). "Zeitung am Samstag" (PDF). No. 183. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-27.
  2. ^ "Profil Detailansicht". www.mzvd.de (in German). 2014-12-23. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  3. ^ ""The Magic Man" Willi Auerbach schwebte über die Bühne" (in German). Stuttgarter Nachrichten. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  4. ^ a b "Willi Auerbach: l'esibizione della sesta puntata - Tú Sí Que Vales Clip". Witty Tv (in Italian). 23 October 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  5. ^ a b No Gravity! 😳 Fool Us : Penn & Teller - FLYING ILLUSION by Willi Auerbach - Magician & Illusionist, retrieved 2021-12-11
  6. ^ a b Magician THE MAGIC MAN - German Illusionist - performs mirage table and dekolta chair in TV on YouTube
  7. ^ a b Zauberer Willi Auerbach alias MAGIC MAN bei Carolin Reiber im ZDF on YouTube
  8. ^ a b Zauberer THE MAGIC MAN im TV - Zukunft Vorhersage Illusion on Vimeo
  9. ^ a b "Pangea-Mathe-Wettbewerb in Berlin". dtj-online.de (in German). 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  10. ^ Kutkat, Gina. "700 Kilo für eine meisterliche Illusion" (in German). Badische Zeitung. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  11. ^ "Magier Willi Auerbach engagiert sich für die Äthiopien-Hilfe" (in German). Badische Zeitung. 2017-11-27. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  12. ^ "Varieté Benefiz Gala im Großen Haus des Theaters in Freiburg". regionimblick.de (in German). 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  13. ^ "THE MAGIC MAN ist Botschafter von "Menschen für Menschen"". Baden Online (in German). 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  14. ^ Zauberer MAGIC MAN im SWR Fernsehen - Portrait Willi Auerbach on YouTube