Leon Mandrake
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Leon Mandrake (1911–1993) was a Canadian-born magician.
He began his magic career in 1922 performing a magic act in vaudeville, in New Westminster, British Columbia. He later joined the Ralph Richards touring Magic show in 1927. In the late 1930s, he toured extensively in the U.S. with his full-evening show, with great success. He was conjurer, illusionist, mentalist, manipulator, ventriloquist and sometimes fire eater. The title character in the comic strip, Mandrake the Magician, was said to be drawn to resemble him. Additionally the comic strip featured a character named Narda, the name of Leon's first wife. He toured Universities in his later career and received a Performing Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood in 1978, along with his wife and partner, Velvet.
