Rooklyn, Maurice, 1905

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The magician and illusionist Maurice Rooklyn (1905 - 1992) used the stage name 'The Amazing Mr Rooklyn', and was also described as an 'internationally famous mentalist'. He was born in England and came to Australia when he was five years old, and by the age of 15 he was performing in a tent show. In his twenties he opened a magic section in Anthony Horden's department store in Sydney, and by 1928 he had developed his own show. Rooklyn was shot in 1934 while performing a bullet-catching act at the Tivoli Theatre in Sydney, and thereafter concentrated on his prize-winning billiard ball manipulation act. Accompanied by his wife Ettie, he toured England from 1936 to 1940 with great success, and upon returning to Australia performed on the Tivoli circuit. In the mid-1940s Maurice Rooklyn created an illusion and hypnotism show which he toured through Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Japan until 1954. His memoir Spherical Sorcery and Recollections of a 'Pro', published in 1973, has become a classic of billiard ball manipulation. After experiencing ill health in his latter years, Rooklyn died in Sydney in 1992. (information from Magicpedia) Link to catalogue record.

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