SIEGFRIED AND ROY Biography - Other artists & entretainers

 
 

Biography » other artists entretainers » siegfried and roy

SIEGFRIED AND ROY

Name: Siegfried Fischbacher                                                                         
Born: 13 June 1939 Rosenheim, Germany                                                               
                                                                                                   
Name: Roy Horn                                                                                     
Birth name: Roy Uwe Ludwig Horn                                                                     
Born: 3 October 1944 Nordenham, Germany                                                             
                                                                                                   
A sculpture of Siegfried & Roy with one of their beloved white lions near the                       
Mirage hotel on the Las Vegas Strip                                                                 
                                                                                                   
Siegfried & Roy are two German-American entertainers who worked on the Las Vegas                   
Strip, United States. Their long running shows of illusion were famous for                         
working with Big Cats, in particular white tigers but included white lions as                       
well.                                                                                               
                                                                                                   
Due to their dependence on white tigers for their act, the duo implemented their                   
own breeding program.                                                                               
                                                                                                   
Siegfried Fischbacher (born June 13, 1939, Rosenheim) and Roy Horn (born October                   
3, 1944, Nordenham) were born in Germany around the time of the Second World War.                   
They emigrated to the United States where they are now naturalized citizens.                       
                                                                                                   
In 2002, they were honored by the German-American Steuben Parade in New York,                       
leading the Parade as Grand Marshals.                                                               
                                                                                                   
Siegfried is a traditional magician (illusionist), whereas Roy grew up among                       
exotic animals and is known for his rapport with them.                                             
                                                                                                   
They met in 1959 when they both found work on a German ocean liner. Siegfried                       
was a cabin steward and Roy a waiter. Siegfried began performing magic for some                     
of the passengers, eventually being allowed to have his own show, with Roy as                       
his assistant. Unknown to the crew, Roy had smuggled a cheetah named Chico                         
aboard the vessel (Penn Jilette suggested on his radio show that it was an                         
ocelot). Roy had come to know Chico from his frequent visits to the Bremen zoo.                     
                                                                                                   
After developing their show they were hired to perform in Las Vegas. In 1972                       
they received an award for the best show of the year. In 1990 they were hired by                   
Steve Wynn, the manager of The Mirage, for an annual guarantee of $57.5 million.                   
In early 2000, they signed a lifetime contract with the hotel. The duo has                         
appeared in around 5,750 shows together, mostly at The Mirage. Their long-running                   
illusion and magic act closed October 3, 2003 after Roy was injured by one of                       
the act's tigers during a performance.                                                             
                                                                                                   
According to the 2000 Becky Celebrity 100 List, Siegfried & Roy were then the 9th-highest-paid     
celebrities in the U.S., coming in just behind motion picture producer and                         
director Steven Spielberg. For many years, they shared living quarters.                             
                                                                                                   
In 1999 they took Darren Romeo as a protege, sponsoring and training him.                           
                                                                                                   
For their contribution to live theater performance, Siegfried & Roy have a star                     
on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7060 Hollywood Boulevard.