Max Malini

October 3, 1875 – October 3, 1942)

Max Katz is my favorite character in magic; a gruff man who performed for Kings, Queens, and Presidents. He migrated from the border of Poland and Austria to the US in 1888.

He started busking in saloons at an early age, performing juggling and magic for tips. Max was an amazing sleight of hand artist despite his notoriously small hands. A man with impeccable timing, technique, and a master at misdirection. Everything he did looked impromptu, but he would go to great lengths with advanced preparation to create astonishing wonders.

He had an ability to create magic at the perfect moment, leaving his audience mystified in disbelief with these impossible miracles out of nowhere. 

Malini would be with a group of people in a bar playing little guessing games and quick tricks of surprises, borrow a gentleman’s derby, flip a coin, cover it with the derby and ask if the coin was heads or tails when the derby was lifted, in place of the coin was a large block of ice.

He was a master of publicity, getting into the newspapers and having everyone talking about him. Wherever he visited, the news would spread, and the bookings would always be there for him, allowing Max to travel the world and perform for kings, queens, presidents, generals, heads of state, famous people, and society audiences where ever he went. Malini lived by the motto, “ You’ve got to go with people who have money if you want to make money.”

He died in Honolulu on October 3, 1942.