Born in 1959 and originally hailing from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Mac King was like many kids who got interested in magic tricks at a young age. But in his case, this was thanks to both of his grandfathers being keen amateur practitioners, which seems to have fostered a deeper love of prestidigitation in the young Mac.
He started out putting on little shows to entertain friends and family and got his first paid gig -- for which he earned the princely sum of $10 (and some cake) -- performing at a birthday party at the tender age of 10.
Fellow magician Lance Burton also hails from Kentucky and the two have been friends since those early days, when they'd hang out during summer vacations and cut their teeth with a two-man act performing three times a day, seven days a week, at a western-themed park in Cumberland Falls.
King went on to attend Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on a National Merit Scholarship and graduated with Highest Honors in 1981 with a double major in Anthropology and Magic, which we figure probably makes him a bona fide wizard. From there, he took his solo show on the road and one night met the woman who went on to become his wife, when she was an audience volunteer at one of his shows. Mac King and Jennifer Sils were married in Louisville in 1985 and remain husband and wife to this day.
Mac's particular brand of funny, family-friendly, and often visually based comedy magic has proven to be a strength over the years that's made him a popular hire for corporate events, not just in the U.S. but all over the world, since his act transcends language barriers. He's also landed multiple TV gigs, starting with shows like "An Evening at the IMPROV" and "Comic Strip Live" back in the '80s and graduating to big network specials, with King becoming a staple fixture on NBC's multiple "The Worlds Greatest Magic" and "The World's Wildest Magic" shows.
Parallel to his performing, Mac King also began establishing a reputation as a creative inventor of tricks and illusions, with David Copperfield and Penn & Teller ranking among some of his early clients. In '87 he and his wife had moved to Los Angeles, but the NBC tapings all took place at Caesars Palace, so the magician started to get noticed, and develop a rapport, with Las Vegas. He and Jennifer finally relocated here in 1997.
There followed a string of gigs for King as the magic act in Strip production shows, including Spellbound at Harrah's and The Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular at the Flamingo. He was the opening act for comedian Rita Rudner at the Desert Inn and was among the featured acts in Splash! at the Riviera.
Finally, in January 2000, King finally landed his own one-man gig, The Mac King Comedy Magic Show at Harrah's as a one-hour afternoon show at 1 and 3 p.m.
What started out as a two-year engagement at the center-Strip property is still going strong.
On the more personal front, Mac and Jennifer are active members of the Las Vegas community and he's an avid promoter of childhood literacy, via his annual Magical Literacy Tour. It's an annual drive to encourage donations of children's books, which King then delivers in person to kids in at-risk schools.
Mac is as funny and easy-going in real life as he appears to be on stage or television. And of course, he's long been a friend to LVA, which has had his show in our Top Ten since the very beginning.