Harry August Jansen (Dante the Magician) was born on October 3, 1883 in Hovedstaden, Denmark. At age 6, Harry's family immigrated to the United States and settled in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Harry's magic career began as a prop builder, then at 16 he began performing on stage as "Great Jansen", under the Charles Wagner. Soon his solo career began to grow.
Jensen would eventually perform his art of magic in almost every form of entertainment, vaudeville, burlesque, theatre, broadway, motion pictures and television.
In 1922 Jansen was hired by Howard Thurston, the most famous magician of the day. It was Thurston who gave Harry the stage name of "Dante".
In 1936 he became a member of "Royal Dynasty of Magic", when the "Magic Mantle" pass from Howard Thurston to Dante.
During Dante's career he performed all major cities in the U.S. and most of the capitals of the world including: Rome, Moscow, Leningrad, Sydney, Melbourne, Vienna, Buenos Aires, Prague, Paris, Oslo, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Brussels, The Hague, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, Montevideo, Shanghai, Tokyo, Osaka, Shenyang, Peking and Manila.
Harry August Jansen (Dante the Magician) died of a heart attack June 16, 1955 in Northridge, California. |
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Photo Credit: www.kingofmagicians.com |
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