Siegfried & Roy

Siegfried & Roy
Roy (left) and Siegfried with their white lion
Born Siegfried Fischbacher
(1939-06-13) June 13, 1939 Rosenheim, Bavaria, Germany
Uwe Ludwig Horn
(1944-10-03) October 3, 1944 Nordenham, Lower Saxony, Germany
Nationality German
Other names Siegfried & Roy
Masters of the Impossible
Citizenship United States
Occupation Magicians, entertainers
Website http://www.siegfriedandroy.com/

Siegfried & Roy are a German-American duo of magicians and entertainers, who became known for their appearances with white lions and white tigers.

From 1990, until Roy's career ending tiger injury on October 3, 2003, the duo formed Siegfried & Roy at the Mirage Resort and Casino, which was regarded as the most visited show in Las Vegas, Nevada. From 2004 to 2005, Siegfried and Roy were executive producers of Father of the Pride.

Early life

Siegfried Tyrone Fischbacher (born June 13, 1939)[1] and Roy Horn (born Uwe Ludwig Horn on October 3, 1944) were born and raised in Germany. They immigrated to the United States and became naturalized citizens.

Siegfried

Siegfried Fischbacher was born in Rosenheim, Germany on June 13, 1939 to Maria and Martin Fischbacher.[1] His mother was a housewife and his father was a professional painter who was imprisoned by the Soviets during World War II. Siegfried purchased a magic book as a child and began practicing tricks. Siegfried moved to Italy in 1956, and began working at a hotel.[2]

He eventually found work performing magic on the ship the TS Bremen under the stage name Delmare. Siegfried and Roy met while Siegfried was performing aboard the ship, and asked Roy to assist him during a show.[3] Siegfried and Roy were fired from the TS Bremen for bringing a live cheetah onto the ship, but were scouted by a New York based cruise line, and began performing together as a duo.[4]

Roy

Roy Horn was born Uwe Ludwig Horn on October 3, 1944 in Nordenham, in the midst of bomb attacks, to Johanna Horn. His biological father fought on the Russian front, and his father and mother divorced after the war ended. Roy's mother remarried a construction worker, and later began work in a factory. Roy had three brothers: Manfred, Alfred, and Werner. Roy became interested in animals at a very young age, and cared for his childhood dog, named Hexe.

Roy's mother's friend's husband, Emil, was founder of the Bremen zoo, which gave Roy access to exotic animals from the age of 10.[5] Roy visited the United States briefly when his ship wrecked and was towed to New York City. He returned home to Bremen before returning to the sea as a waiter, where he met Siegfried and launched his performance career.[3][4]

Career

The owner of the Astoria Theatre in Bremen, Germany saw Siegfried and Roy's act aboard a Caribbean cruise ship and recruited the duo to perform at her nightclub. This launched a career on the European nightclub circuit, and the duo began to perform with tigers. They were discovered performing in Paris by Tony Azzie, who asked them to come to Las Vegas in 1967. They spent some time in Puerto Rico, and may have purchased property there.[6]

In 1981, Ken Feld of Irvin & Kenneth Feld Productions started the Beyond Belief show with Siegfried & Roy at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino.[7][8] A revamped version of the show was taken on a world tour in the third quarter of 1988.[8]

On October 3, 2003, during a show at the Mirage, Roy Horn was bitten on the neck and dragged by a seven year old male white tiger named Montecore.[9] Crew members separated Horn from the tiger and rushed him to the only Level I trauma center in Nevada, University Medical Center. Horn was critically injured and sustained severe blood loss.[10]

While being taken to the hospital, Horn said, "Montecore is a great cat. Make sure no harm comes to Montecore."[11] Horn told People Magazine in 2004 that Montecore "saved his life" by attempting to drag him to safety after he suffered a stroke.[12] The injury to Horn prompted the Mirage to close the show, and 267 cast and crew members were laid off.[13]

By March 2006, Horn was talking and walking, with assistance from Fischbacher, and appeared on Pat O'Brien's television news program The Insider to discuss his daily rehabilitation.[14]

In 2004, their act became the basis for the short lived television series Father of the Pride. Right before its release, the series was almost cancelled until Siegfried & Roy urged NBC to continue production after Roy's injury from October 2003 improved. In February 2009, the duo staged a final appearance with Montecore as a benefit for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute. Their performance was recorded for broadcast on ABC television's 20/20 program.[15] Montecore died in March 2014 after a brief illness.[16]

Siegfried and Roy in 2012

On April 23, 2010, Siegfried & Roy retired from show business. "The last time we closed, we didn't have a lot of warning," said longtime manager Bernie Yuman. "This is farewell. This is the dot at the end of the sentence."[17]

In 2016 it was announced that Siegfried & Roy would be producing a biopic film, documenting their lives. [18]

Filmography

Television

References

  1. 1 2 "Today in history". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 13, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  2. ↑ Mydlach, Jim; Lavery, Jimmy; Mydlach, Louis (June 1, 2008). The Secret Life of Siegfried and Roy: How the Tiger Kings Tamed Las Vegas. Phoenix Books. pp. 12–23. ISBN 1597775606.
  3. 1 2 Mydlach, Jim; Lavery, Jimmy; Mydlach, Louis (June 1, 2008). The Secret Life of Siegfried and Roy: How the Tiger Kings Tamed Las Vegas. Phoenix Books. pp. 33–38. ISBN 1597775606.
  4. 1 2 Katsilometes, John (October 3, 2013). "The Weekly Interview: Siegfried & Roy, 10 Years Later". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  5. ↑ Mydlach, Jim; Lavery, Jimmy; Mydlach, Louis (June 1, 2008). The Secret Life of Siegfried and Roy: How the Tiger Kings Tamed Las Vegas. Phoenix Books. pp. 25–31. ISBN 1597775606.
  6. ↑ Mydlach, Jim; Lavery, Jimmy; Mydlach, Louis (June 1, 2008). The Secret Life of Siegfried and Roy: How the Tiger Kings Tamed Las Vegas. Phoenix Books. p. 51. ISBN 1597775606.
  7. ↑ Grove, Lloyd (August 28, 2008). "The World According to Kenneth Feld". Upstart Business Journal. American City Business Journals. p. 5,18. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Disney Ice Extravaganza Opens". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. July 1, 1988. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Mauled magician 'critical but stable'". BBC News. 2003-10-05. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  10. ↑ "Roy of Siegfried and Roy critical after mauling". CNN. 2003-10-04. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  11. ↑ "CNN.com". CNN.
  12. ↑ "Roy Horn: Tiger 'Saved My Life'". People.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Magic show in doubt after mauling". BBC News. 2003-10-06. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  14. ↑ "The INSIDER Online: Celeb Central: Roy Horn Walks". Web.archive.org. 6 March 2006. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  15. ↑ "Siegfried and Roy and tiger share final performance". CBC News. Associated Press. 2009-03-01. Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
  16. ↑ "Montecore, the tiger that injured Roy Horn, has died". 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  17. ↑ "Siegfried & Roy Farewell Appearance". Associated Press. 2010-04-23. Archived from the original on 2010-09-05. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  18. ↑ "Siegfried & Roy to Get Biopic Treatment". Hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  19. ↑ "The Legend of Sarmoti: Siegfried & Roy". IMDb.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
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