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Name:
Lee Grabel Lifetime: 1919 - present |
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Lee Grabel was born in Portland, Oregon on March 12, 1919.
Like his peers, Grabel's first encounter with magic came at an early age while witnessing a performance of a remarkable conjuror. The aura of fantasy created by Professor Turtle instantly inspired Grabel to learn more and fueled him on his way to becoming a master magician. During the depression years of the late 1920's and 1930's, Grabel performed for the sole purpose of making money, holding five shows a week at $5.00 a show. Although $25.00 a week does not seem like much today, it was good pay for the time, topping even his father's salary, born of sixty hour work weeks, of $18.00.
Lee presented his first hour-long program sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America in 1931 and quickly boosted his reputation as an accomplished magician. As the successes built on one another, Grabel earned some coveted positions including a performer-lecturer employment with the University of California and a billing as a feature attraction at the San Francisco World's Fair on Treasure Island.
When World War II called him to duty, Grabel was quickly recognized as having special talents and was drafted into the Military Special Services to tour the world performing for his fellow troops. During his journey's, Grabel met his future wife, who would become his personal assistant, and married her in 1944. Following the war, Grabel began building his stage show into the legend it would become.
He garnered respect from all of his magician peers and, in 1954, was chosen as the successor to Dante in the Royal Dynasty of Magicians. He also gained recognition from his peers who bestowed upon him a gold medallion proclaiming Grabel as "America's Greatest Magician." Grabel retired from magic in 1959 to raise his family and has since been involved in managing his investments made from his career as an illusionist. Constantly on the lookout for a successor to the Royal Dynasty's lineage, Grabel finally recognized Lance Burton as his legitimate successor in 1994, almost 34 years after retiring from magic himself.
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