Background
Mr. Anderson was born in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, on October 14, 1952.
Mr. Anderson was born in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, on October 14, 1952.
His first exposure to magic began when the Anderson family moved to Chicago. Mr. Anderson's father, who was a salesman, would occasionally take him to The Pump Room, the famous restaurant downstairs in the Ambassador East Hotel. There, Anderson discovered wise guys playing card games, hustling and occasionally performing magic tricks. The young Anderson became highly intrigued by the art of conjuring and wanted to learn more about the subject.
During his teen years, he had the opportunity to see legendary magician Harry Blackstone, Sr. perform. Anderson was fascinated by the performance and, in his after school time, would practice his magician skills. Anderson resided during high school in Orange County, California, and Hollywood. He attended Buena Park High School then North Hollywood High School, graduating in 1970 as class valedictorian.
At age 17, Anderson decided to move to San Francisco and worked the streets performing magic.
At different periods of time Mr. Anderson was known to be an actor, screenwriter, producer, and magician. He appeared numerous times on television, including Judge Harold T. Stone, Night Court (series), NBC-TV, 1984-92, and Dave Barry, Dave’s World (series), CBS-TV, 1993.
Tired of L.A.'s glaring spotlight, Mr. Anderson moved from Pasadena, California, to New Orleans in 2002. In the 1990s, he and his second wife Elizabeth opened a small shop in the French Quarter named "Sideshow" selling various "magic, curiosities, and apocrypha". In 2005, he opened a nightclub in the French Quarter called "Oswald's Speakeasy", located at 1331 Decatur Street at the corner of Esplanade Avenue. He performed a one-man show there called Wise Guy.
Harry Anderson appears in Hexing a Hurricane, a documentary about the first six months in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He and his wife Elizabeth sold Oswald's Speakeasy in October 2006. Anderson continues to present his evening show Wise Guy, which was originally developed for his theater in New Orleans. Popular Webcomic Homestuck makes several references to Anderson, including a fictional book by Anderson called Wise Guy.
Harry Anderson is best known for the role of Judge Harry Stone on the 1984–92 television series Night Court. In addition to eight appearances on Saturday Night Live between 1981 and 1985, Mr. Anderson had a recurring guest role as con man Harry "The Hat" Gittes on Cheers, toured extensively as a magician, and did several magic/comedy shows for broadcast, including Harry Anderson's Sideshow (1987).
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Mr. Anderson married Leslie Pollack (an actor and magician) in 1978. They had two children: Eva Fay, Dashiell William.
His expert sleight of hand technique and extensive knowledge, particularly with card tricks and close-up magic, garnered him respect among fellow magicians. His influence was considerable in the magic world of the 20th Century, and he was a mentor to numerous famous magicians. He lived out his last years at the Magic Castle, a nightclub in Hollywood, California.
