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| birth_year                = 1934
| birth_year                = 1934
| birth_place              = Chicago, Illinois
| birth_place              = Chicago, Illinois
| death_day                = March 29,
| death_day                = March 9,
| death_year                =  2019
| death_year                =  2019
| death_place              = Las Vegas
| death_place              = Las Vegas
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'''Johnny Thompson''' (July 27, 1934 - March 9, 2019) was a Las Vegas illusionist who performed under the stage name "The Great Tomsoni."<ref>[[Genii_1976_November]]</ref>
'''Johnny Thompson''' (b.1934-d.2019) was a Las Vegas illusionist who performed under the stage name "The Great Tomsoni."<ref>[[Genii_1976_November]]</ref>


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Along with his wife Pamela Hayes, he performs a comic magical act [[The Great Tomsoni & Company]] in which he plays the role of a dapper but buffoonish vaudeville gentleman. One of his trademarks is producing pure white doves on stage, which are trained to play along with the act once they have appeared.<ref>Vaudeville, old and new By Frank Cullen, Florence Hackman, Donald McNeilly (2007)</ref>
Along with his wife Pamela Hayes, he performed a comic magical act [[The Great Tomsoni & Company]] in which he played the role of a dapper but buffoonish vaudeville gentleman. One of his trademarks was producing pure white doves on stage, which were trained to play along with the act once they appeared.<ref>Vaudeville, old and new By Frank Cullen, Florence Hackman, Donald McNeilly (2007)</ref>


He's widely known as a mentor and teacher of magic, and has worked behind the scenes to develop tricks with [[Penn & Teller]], [[Lance Burton]], and [[Criss Angel]], among others.
He was widely known as a mentor and teacher of magic, and had worked behind the scenes to develop tricks with [[Penn & Teller]], [[Lance Burton]], and [[Criss Angel]], among others.


He has been featured on many episodes of "Criss Angel's Mindfreak", the "Hair" episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit!, and the film "The Aristocrats".
He was featured on many episodes of "Criss Angel's Mindfreak", the "Hair" episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit!, and the film "The Aristocrats".


He is also a bass harmonica player.<ref>http://www.johnnythompson.com/</ref>
He was also a bass harmonica player.<ref>http://www.johnnythompson.com/</ref>


==Videos==
==Videos==
* Commercial Classics of Magic Vol. 1-4 (1999)  
* Commercial Classics of Magic Vol. 1-4 (1999)  
* Vernon's Variant  
* Vernon's Variant (2000)


{{References}}
{{References}}
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[[Category:Biographies]]
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Latest revision as of 20:55, 29 March 2025

Johnny Thompson

Cover of Genii (1976)
BornJohn Max Thompson
July 27, 1934
Chicago, Illinois
DiedMarch 9, 2019 (age 84)
Las Vegas
Known forThe Great Tomsoni

Johnny Thompson (b.1934-d.2019) was a Las Vegas illusionist who performed under the stage name "The Great Tomsoni."[1]

Biography

Along with his wife Pamela Hayes, he performed a comic magical act The Great Tomsoni & Company in which he played the role of a dapper but buffoonish vaudeville gentleman. One of his trademarks was producing pure white doves on stage, which were trained to play along with the act once they appeared.[2]

He was widely known as a mentor and teacher of magic, and had worked behind the scenes to develop tricks with Penn & Teller, Lance Burton, and Criss Angel, among others.

He was featured on many episodes of "Criss Angel's Mindfreak", the "Hair" episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit!, and the film "The Aristocrats".

He was also a bass harmonica player.[3]

Videos

  • Commercial Classics of Magic Vol. 1-4 (1999)
  • Vernon's Variant (2000)

References

  1. Genii_1976_November
  2. Vaudeville, old and new By Frank Cullen, Florence Hackman, Donald McNeilly (2007)
  3. http://www.johnnythompson.com/
Wikipedia-logo.png This page incorporated content from Johnny Thompson,

a page hosted on Wikipedia. Please consult the history of the original page to see a list of its authors. Therefor, this article is also available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

  • M-U-M, Vol. 66, No. 7, December 1976, JOHN THOMPSON magician-of-the-month by Roy Snyder, page 9
  • Genii, Vol. 50, No. 3, September 1986, The Great Tomsoni & Company Issue, Max Maven Interviews John Thompson, page 220
  • The Linking Ring, Vol. 73, No. 10, October 1993, Memoirs of a Magician's Ghost by John Booth, THE GREAT TOMSONI & COMPANY, page 80
  • Genii, Vol. 70, No. 12, December 2007, The Company of Tomsoni, An Interview with Johnny Thompson by DAVID REGAL, page 54