Lance Burton

April 13, 2009 · 6:13 p.m.

Master magician Lance Burton performs at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino.

New hat, new rabbits: Thursday, June 20, 1996; David Renzi; It's just past 2 in the afternoon and Lance Burton, between calls on his cellular and pulls on a Marlboro, is making a plate of eggs Benedict disappear.

Burton making TV name for himself: Thursday, May 9, 1996; Burton also is featured on a PBS special paying tribute to his early idol in the field of magic, Channing Pollock. Burton and Pollock appear together on the program, which was taped in Las Vegas in April for showing later this year.

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Lance Burton

Occupation: Master Magician
Venue: Lance Burton Theatre at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino
Official Web page: www.lanceburton.com
Years performing: 1977 to present.
Birthday: March 10, 1960, Columbia, Ky.
Early career: He became interested in magic at the age of 5 and began putting on neighborhood shows as a boy. He entered his first competiton as a junior magicians at a convention in 1977 and took first prize.
Breakthrough: In 1980, at age 20, he was the first winner of the "Gold Medal for Excellence" from the International Brotherhood of Magicians. He then moved to Southern California and appeared on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson." Carson invited him back nine times.
Early career: Performed at the "Folies Bergere" at the Tropicana for for nine years. In 1991, he opened his own show at the Hacienda Hotel, which ran for five years.
Current: In 1994, he signed on to a contract with the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino and has been there ever since.
Notable: He has been awarded "Magician of the Year" twice by the Academy of Magical Arts. In 1982, he won the Grand Prix Award at the international Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques (FISM) competition in Lausanne, Switzerland. He also won the 1998 Blackstone Theatre Award. He has performed for Queen Elizabeth and for President Ronald Reagan. In 1994, he was given the honor of havine the "Mantle of Magic" passed to him from Master Magician Lee Grabel.
Tickets: Vegas.com

Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch

Lance Burton introduces his silent unsung hero Michael Goudeau

Michael Goudeau performs with Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo.

Updated August 14, 2009 (9:22 a.m.)

Michael has been my silent unsung hero since 1991. He gives me a break at halftime and entertains the audience while I prepare for the rest of the show.

Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch

Lance Burton to resume shows June 2 after surgery for broken bone

Lance Burton performs a magic trick with Pamela Anderson during a taping of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in Las Vegas, Tuesday, May 11, 2004.

Updated May 9, 2009 (5:20 p.m.)

The accident occurred 10 to 12 minutes into his show last night at the Monte Carlo, but he finished the performance, not knowing that it was a fracture in his right foot requiring surgery.

Culture and Entertainment

Lance Burton makes money reappear

Updated October 30, 2008 (2:14 p.m.) 2

Lance Burton, the "Master Magician" headlining at the Monte Carlo, saw his Friday and Saturday night shows vanish in a puff of smoke.

Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch

The official swimsuit photo of the Miss USA 2009 pageant

The Miss USA 2009 official swimsuit photo of all 51 contestants and reigning queen Crystle Stewart at Planet Hollywood.

Updated April 9, 2009 (4:38 p.m.)

Glamour photographers love to shoot at first light, and this morning, the 51 Miss USA 2009 contestants were up way before dawn busy with hair and makeup.