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{{Short description|American magician (born 1948)}}
{{Infobox Person
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}<!--]-->
| name = Teller
{{Infobox person
| image = Teller Rio.jpg
| image_size = | name = Teller
| image = Teller at CSIcon 2023 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Teller - after the ''Penn & Teller'' show at the ] in ], August 5, 2007.
| birth_name = Raymond Joseph Teller | caption = Teller in 2023
| birth_name = Raymond Joseph Teller
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|2|14|mf=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|2|14|mf=y}}
| birth_place = ], ]
| birth_place = ], Pennsylvania, U.S.
| residence = ], ]
| education = ] (])
| nationality = ]
| years_active = 1974–present
| other_names =
| occupation = Magician
| known_for = Half of the comedy magic duo known as '']''
| website = {{url|pennandteller.com}}
| education =
| employer = | footnotes =
{{Listen
| occupation = ], ], ], ], ]
| filename = Teller_voice_recording.ogg
| title =
| salary = | title = Voice of Teller
| networth = | embed = yes
| height = 5'9" (1.75 m.) | pos = center
}}
| weight =
| term =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| party = ]
| boards =
| religion = ]
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}} }}
'''Teller''' (born February 14, 1948) is an ] ], ], ], ], and the silent half of the ] magic duo known as ], along with ]. He is known for his advocacy of ], ], ] economics, and ]. He legally ] from '''Raymond Joseph Teller''' to just "Teller". He possesses one of the few ] issued in a single name.<ref></ref>


'''Teller''' (born '''Raymond Joseph Teller'''; February 14, 1948)<!-- There is consensus for Teller's birth name to remain here. Please see the talk page for more information. --> is an American ]. He is half of the comedy magic duo ], along with ], and usually does not speak during performances. Teller is a ] Fellow at the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cato.org/people/-teller |website=www.cato.org|title=Teller – Cato Institute}}</ref>
==Biography==
Raymond Joseph Teller was born in ], ]. His parents were of ] and ] descent. Teller only learned of his Jewish ancestry when he was 50 years old.<ref>{{cite episode | title = Reparations | episodelink = List of Bullshit! episodes | series = Penn & Teller: Bullshit! | serieslink = Penn & Teller: Bullshit! | network = ] | airdate = 2006-05-15 | season = 4 | number = 7 }}</ref> He attended ] and ] and taught ] and ] at ] in ].<ref></ref> He was selected to be a member of the Central High School Hall of Fame in 2001.


==Early life==
Teller is an accomplished ] artist and is considered an expert on the history of magic. He is also a gifted ]. He is an ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/298349651.html?dids=298349651:298349651&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Mar+02%2C+2003&author=MARK+OPPENHEIMER%3B++SPECIAL+TO+THE+COURANT&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=PULLING+THE+WOOL+OFF+YOUR+EYES+%3B+PENN+%26+TELLER+DECLARE+WAR+ON+MAGICIANS'+BULL&pqatl=google|title=Pulling The Wool Off Your Eyes; Penn & Teller Declare War On Magicians' Bull|accessdate=2009-01-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1181836811.html?dids=1181836811:1181836811&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Dec+17%2C+2006&author=Dan+Neil&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=800+Words%3B+Atheist+Chic&pqatl=google|title=Atheist Chic|accessdate=2009-01-07}}</ref> ], ], and Fellow of the ] (a ] think-tank organization which also lists his partner ] as a Fellow). The Cato Institute association is featured prominently in the Penn and Teller ] TV series '']''
Teller was born in ], Pennsylvania,<ref>{{cite web |title=Penn and Teller |access-date=October 20, 2014 |website=The Advocates |url=http://www.theadvocates.org/libertarianism-101/libertarian-celebrities/penn-and-teller/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221213624/http://www.theadvocates.org/libertarianism-101/libertarian-celebrities/Penn-and-Teller/ |archive-date=December 21, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Teller |access-date=October 20, 2014 |website=Encyclopedia.com |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Teller.aspx}}</ref><ref name=pennstate>{{cite web | url = http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Teller__Raymond_Joseph.html | title = Teller | first = Kathleen | last = Morrow | date =Summer 2007 | publisher = ], Pennsylvania Center for the Book | access-date = October 8, 2013 | archive-date = May 15, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130515190338/http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Teller__Raymond_Joseph.html | url-status = dead }} Biography based on sources including "Email correspondence with Teller. 12–14 August 2007".</ref> the son of Irene B. (''née'' Derrickson) and Israel Max "Joseph" Teller (1913–2004).<ref name="SSDI">{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/ns/obitfinder/ssdi-search.aspx?daterange=2000-2009&firstname=joseph&lastname=teller&countryid=1&stateid=43&affiliateid=-1|title= Obituaries: Newspaper and Funeral Home Obituaries and Death Notices from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand|work=legacy.com}}</ref><ref name=pubweekly /> His father, who was of ] descent, was born in ], New York, and grew up in Philadelphia. His mother was from a ] farming family. They met as painters attending art school at ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/the_ticket/item/the_exorcist_at_the_geffen_no_green_vomit_but_plenty_of_evil_20120627|title='The Exorcist' at the Geffen: No green vomit, but plenty of evil – The Ticket|work=Jewish Journal|date=June 27, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/2004-07-28/news/25372082_1_penn-teller-paintings-abstract-works|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116134521/http://articles.philly.com/2004-07-28/news/25372082_1_penn-teller-paintings-abstract-works|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 16, 2014|title=Joseph Teller, artist, father of magician|work=philly-archives}}</ref> His mother was ], and Teller was raised as "a sort of half-assed Methodist".<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Hollywood_Now_The_Monuments_Men_Teller_Directs_Jason_Biggs.shtml| title= Hollywood Now: ''The Monuments Men'', Teller Directs, Jason B| work= interfaithfamily.com| access-date= February 6, 2014| archive-date= October 6, 2017| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171006012821/http://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Hollywood_Now_The_Monuments_Men_Teller_Directs_Jason_Biggs.shtml| url-status= dead}}</ref> He graduated from Philadelphia's ] in 1965, and in 1969 graduated from ] with a Bachelor of Arts in ]. He became a high-school ] teacher.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/01/what-classrooms-can-learn-from-magic/425100/|title=Education Is Performance Art|last=Lahey|first=Jessica|work=The Atlantic|access-date=February 1, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>


At some point, Teller legally ] his name to the ] "Teller", his family surname.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/home/2007-11-15-teller-at-home_N.htm|title=At home: Teller's magical Vegas retreat speaks volumes|publisher=]|last=della Cava |first= Marco R.|date=November 16, 2007|access-date=June 27, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tmz.com/2012/04/12/penn-and-teller-gerard-bakardy-rose-shadows-trick/|title=Penn & Teller: Rogue Magician Is EXPOSING Our Secrets!!!|publisher=]|date=April 12, 2012|access-date=June 27, 2012}}</ref> He had reportedly been using the mononym professionally since, at least, some time before the 1975 formation of the Asparagus Valley Cultural Society.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Trillin |first=Calvin |date=May 15, 1989 |title=A Couple Of Eccentric Guys |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1989/05/15/a-couple-of-eccentric-guys |magazine=New Yorker |access-date=March 25, 2023}}</ref> By December 2000, he reported that his own parents were calling him Teller.<ref>{{cite web |title= Dec. 7, 2000: Teller of "Penn & Teller" |url=http://www.lasvegas.com/events/chat/120700teller.html |website=lasvegas.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010417130755/http://www.lasvegas.com/events/chat/120700teller.html |access-date=March 24, 2023|archive-date=April 17, 2001 }}</ref>
He collaborated with Jillette on three magic books, and he is also the author of ''"When I'm Dead All This Will Be Yours!": Joe Teller - A Portrait by His Kid'' (2000), a biography/memoir of his father. The book features his father's paintings and cartoons which were strongly influenced by ]'s '']''. The book was favorably reviewed by '']'':
:When Teller, the quiet half of the Penn and Teller showbiz team, made one of his monthly Philadelphia visits to see his parents, Joe and Irene ("Pad" and "Mam"), he was shown 100 unpublished cartoons his father drew in 1939. These "wryly observed scenes of Philadelphia street life," as Teller describes them, are in a loose, sketchy style imitative of the great George Lichty (1905-1983), famed for his long-run syndicated "Grin and Bear It." Teller and his father's "memories began to pump and the stories flowed" after they opened boxes of old letters that Teller read out loud (learning for the first time about a period in his parents' lives that he knew nothing about, such as the fact that his father's name is really Israel Max Teller). Joe's ]-era hobo adventures led to travels throughout the U.S., ] and ], and by 1933, he returned to Philadelphia for art study. After Joe and Irene met during evening art classes, they married, and Joe worked half-days as a ''Philadelphia Inquirer'' copy boy. When the ''Inquirer'' rejected his cartoons, he moved into advertising art just as ] began. Employing excerpts from letters and postcards, Teller successfully re-creates the world of his parents in a relaxed writing style of light humor and easy (yet highly effective) transitions between the past and present.


]
Teller does not speak while performing although there are occasional exceptions, usually when the audience is not aware of it. For example, he did the voice of "Mofo the psychic gorilla" in their early Broadway show with the help of a radio mike cupped in his hand. Teller's trademark silence originated during his youth, when he earned a living performing magic at college ] parties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070425/ENTERTAINMENT/70425059 |title='Silent' Teller to magically make 'Macbeth’ a 'horror thriller’ |accessdate=2007-05-21 |author=Lynn Elber|date=2007-04-25}}</ref> He found that if he maintained silence throughout his act, spectators refrained from throwing beer and heckling him and focused more on his performance.


Teller ] ] and ] at ] in ].<ref>{{Citation|title=Penn & Teller on Broadway {{!}} Talks At Google|date=August 4, 2015|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5siSa4A9M_Q&t=210|access-date=August 12, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode | title = Reparations | episode-link = List of Bullshit! episodes | series = Penn & Teller: Bullshit! | series-link = Penn & Teller: Bullshit! | network = ] | airdate = May 15, 2006 | season = 4 | number = 7 }}</ref><ref name="The Atlantic 2016-01-21">{{cite news |last=Lahey |first=Jessica |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/01/what-classrooms-can-learn-from-magic/425100/ |title=Teaching: Just Like Performing Magic |work=] |date=January 21, 2016 |access-date=January 24, 2016 |quote=Teller taught high school Latin for six years before he left to pursue a career in magic with Penn... }}</ref> In 2001, he was inducted into the Central High School Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The CHS Alumni Hall of Fame |url=https://centralhighalumni.com/the-chs-alumni-hall-of-fame/ |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=AACHS |language=en-US}}</ref>
Teller began performing with friend ] as ''The Ottmar Scheckt Society for the Preservation of Weird and Disgusting Music''. Teller met ] in 1975, where they joined a three-person act called ''Asparagus Valley Cultural Society'', which played in San Francisco. In 1981 they began performing exclusively together as "Penn & Teller", an act that continues to this day.


===Health===
Teller is a coauthor of the Nature Reviews Neuroscience paper "Attention and awareness in stage magic: turning tricks into research" from the November 2008 issue.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Macknik SL, King M, Randi J, ''et al'' |title=Attention and awareness in stage magic: turning tricks into research |journal=Nat. Rev. Neurosci. |volume=9 |issue=11 |pages=871–9 |year=2008 |month=November |pmid=18949833 |doi= |url=}}</ref>
In 2018–2019, Teller had three back surgeries over 18 months. In late September 2022, he underwent quadruple-bypass heart surgery.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/kats/as-teller-recovers-its-the-penn-michael-show-at-the-rio-2666234/|title=As Teller recovers, it's the Penn & Michael show at the Rio|date=October 28, 2022}}</ref>


==Teller speaks== ==Career==
===Performing===
{{prose|section|date=December 2009}}
{{main|Penn & Teller}}
Despite his trademark of pantomime on stage, Teller has spoken in a number of films and television shows, as well as in numerous radio, television interviews, and whispered to audience members during the show in Las Vegas.
]
Teller began performing with his friend Weir Chrisemer as The ] Memorial Society for the Preservation of Unusual and Disgusting Music. He met ] in 1974, and, with Chrisemer, they became a three-person act called Asparagus Valley Cultural Society, which started at the ] and subsequently played in San Francisco. In 1981, Jillette and Teller began performing exclusively together as Penn & Teller, an act that continues to this day. On April 5, 2013, Penn and Teller were honored with a star on the ] in the live performance category.<ref name="WalkofFame">{{cite web | url=http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/04/05/magicians-penn-teller-set-for-walk-of-fame-star/ | title=Magicians Penn & Teller Get Star on Walk of Fame | publisher=CBS Los Angeles | date=April 5, 2013 | access-date=April 7, 2013}}</ref> The following day, they were recognized by the ] with the Magicians of the Year award.<ref name=WalkofFame />


Teller rarely speaks while performing but regularly speaks in other contexts, such as interviews.<ref>{{cite web |title=Teller Explained Why He Remains Silent on Stage During an Interview in 2015 |publisher=Heavy, Inc. |date=May 18, 2020 |url =https://heavy.com/entertainment/2020/05/magician-teller-talking-voice-speaking/ |access-date=March 17, 2020 }}</ref> Teller's trademark silence originated during his youth, when he earned a living performing magic at college ] parties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070425/ENTERTAINMENT/70425059 |title='Silent' Teller to magically make 'Macbeth' a 'horror thriller' |access-date=May 21, 2007 |first=Lynn |last=Elber |date=April 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155800/http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20070425%2FENTERTAINMENT%2F70425059 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He found that if he maintained silence throughout his act, spectators refrained from throwing beer and heckling him and paid more attention to his performance.<ref>{{cite web |title=For Penn & Teller's Magical Partnership, The Trick Is Telling The Truth |publisher=National Public Radio |date=August 1, 2015 |url =https://www.npr.org/2015/08/01/428169268/for-penn-tellers-magical-partnership-the-trick-is-telling-the-truth |access-date=August 1, 2015 }}</ref>
*Teller plays an ] cat, Mr. Boots, on an episode of '']''.<ref></ref> He also plays Mortimer in the 2000 film adaptation of the musical '']'' (nearly all his dialogue was cut from the finished film since the character is a mute). He also speaks in a guest starring role on the "Like a Hurricane" episode of '']'' in 1987.
*In the 1987 movie ''Long Gone'', Teller played the son of ] (whom he strongly resembles) and deliberately imitated the strong Southern accent Gibson used in the film. Gibson and Teller are both originally from Philadelphia.
* Teller also speaks several lines at the end of '']'', after playing his usual silent role for nearly the entire movie. Only the last of these lines was spoken in his normal voice. He also appears (and speaks) in ''Mysteries of Magic, Volume 3'', and speaks occasionally in the ] series '']'', but tends to let Penn speak on his behalf. In one exception, Teller describes an encounter with an Egyptian magician and how he was fooled by the ] trick.
* During Penn & Teller's 1991 "]", Penn quips on stage, "Teller never talks", to which Teller comments in a normal speaking voice, "That's right, Penn."
* During an episode of ''The Unpleasant World of Penn and Teller'', Teller screams and says "Oh God" while pretending to cut off his thumb. In the final episode Teller speaks while posing as a dummy of himself.
* Penn & Teller guest-starred on '']'' in the episode "]". They played ], a pair of visiting comedians, the shorter of whom speaks only through a machine. Rebo (Penn) says that, in all their years acting, Zooty has only ever said one word to him: "Why?" Teller's character is shown to whisper in ] ear during the denouement, pointing at the machine, saying "Because it tells me to".
* Teller speaks extensively in the ] special ''Houdini: Unlocking the Mystery'', though he is shot with a ] to hide his face in ].
* He also speaks off-camera in the ] television series '']'' (usually in the form of profanity).
* In an episode of ], during a fight with ], Teller is fed up by Penn mistreating him and tells him off before killing him.
* On a celebrity episode of '']'', Teller briefly breaks his silence by quietly exclaiming "Yes!" During "Off the Deep End," Teller screams whilst going down a water slide.
* When Penn & Teller were interviewed on '']'', one of ]'s "Five Questions" was "Teller! Say something!" In response, Teller covered his mouth, uttering "Fuck you, Craig", thus compelling the censors to bleep it or render it silent. A similar incident occurred on '']''
* After most of their performances (including at their current showplace, the ] in ]) the duo mingles with the crowd in the lobby for photos and autographs. Teller speaks to all comers, which was not always the case.<ref></ref>
* Teller also contributed an audio review of the book ''The Glorious Deception'', by illusion designer ], on ] in July 2005.<ref></ref>
* The January 31, 2007 episode of '']'' has a six-minute interview with Teller.<ref></ref>
* In the special ''Penn and Teller's Invisible Thread'', a scuffle with some military officers in an airport hangar after a conversation with an alien prompts Teller to shout his partner's name into a megaphone.
* In an appearance on '']'', Teller (portraying a dummy version of himself) speaks to David Letterman as a demonstration of how the dummy can talk, and later screams in pain.
* In an episode of '']'' entitled "", Teller sets himself on fire and screams a profanity. Similarly, in an episode on the 2012 hoax, Teller is costumed as ], and he emits hoarse, condor-like screams.
* In the beginning of another episode of '']'' entitled "", Penn stands in the foreground with Teller, heating up a cattle branding iron with the word "Bullshit!" on it while a live bull (whom Penn has named "Dave") stands in the background. Penn brands Teller with the iron, to which Teller exclaims "Mother Fucker! Ohh!" Penn laughs and says to the bull, "Hey cool, Dave, he ''can'' talk!".
* In the August 20, 2007 episode of the New York Times' "Science Times" podcast, Teller is interviewed.<ref>http://podcasts.nytimes.com/podcasts/2007/08/20/21scienceupdate.mp3</ref>
* In the December 24, 2007 show '']'' Teller spoke at length about his stageplay version of ].<ref></ref>
* Teller did the voice of the character Octum in the English language version of the animated movie '']'' (1988).
* Penn and Teller have a cameo as themselves on an episode of '']'', titled ], where he accidentally breaks character and verbally berates Homer, who expresses surprise in his ability to speak. Teller then expresses great anxiety, saying "Oh no, now Penn's gonna beat me!"
*"]" <ref>{{imdb title|1316573|& Teller}}</ref>(2008), a short film about Teller dealing with a zombie apocalypse won a contest and was included on the DVD of ] ].
*"]" <ref>{{imdb title|1316574|& Teller 2}}</ref>(2008), the sequel to "& Teller" where Teller records his encounters with the undead in a video diary.
* Teller explains a coin trick in terms of human cognition at the in Las Vegas, an event of the ].
* During the Broadway Revival of "The Rocky Horror Show", when Penn and Teller jointly played the part of the narrator, Teller was known to shout the signature Rocky Horror audience callbacks, albeit with his hand over his mouth.


==Bibliography== ===Writing===
Teller collaborated with Jillette on three magic books, and is also the author of ''"When I'm Dead All This Will Be Yours!": Joe Teller – A Portrait by His Kid'' (2000), a biography/memoir of his father. The book features his father's paintings and 100 unpublished cartoons which were strongly influenced by ]'s '']''. The book was favorably reviewed by '']''. Teller's father's "wryly observed scenes of Philadelphia street life" were created in 1939. Teller and his father's "memories began to pump and the stories flowed" after they opened boxes of old letters that Teller read out loud (learning for the first time about a period in his parents' lives that he knew nothing about, such as the fact that his father's name is really Israel Max Teller). Joe's Depression-era hobo adventures led to travels throughout the U.S., Canada and Alaska, and by 1933, he returned to Philadelphia for art study. After Joe and Irene met during evening art classes, they married, and Joe worked half-days as a ''Philadelphia Inquirer'' copy boy. When the ''Inquirer'' rejected his cartoons, he moved into advertising art just as World War II began.<ref name=pubweekly>"Forecasts", ''Publishers Weekly'', August 15, 2000.</ref>
*{{cite book | author=Jillette, Penn; and Teller | title=Penn and Teller's Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends | location=New York | publisher=Villard | year=1989 | isbn=0-394-75351-8 }}
*{{cite book | author=Jillette, Penn; and Teller | title=Penn and Teller's How to Play with Your Food | location=New York | publisher=Villard | year=1992 | isbn=0-679-74311-1 }}
*{{cite book | author=Jillette, Penn; and Teller | title=Penn and Teller's How to Play in Traffic | location= New York | publisher=Berkley Trade | year=1997 | isbn=1-57297-293-9 }}
*{{cite book | author=Teller; and Joe Teller | title="When I'm Dead All This Will Be Yours!": Joe Teller -- A Portrait by His Kid | location=New York | publisher=Blast Books | year=2000 | pages=128 | isbn=0-922233-22-5 }}
*{{cite book | author=Teller; Karr, Todd; and Abbott, David P. | title=House of Mystery: The Magic Science of David P. Abbott | location=Marina del Rey, California | publisher=Miracle Factory | year=2005 }}


Teller is a co-author of the paper "Attention and Awareness in Stage Magic: Turning Tricks into Research", published in ''Nature Reviews Neuroscience'' (November 2008).<ref>{{cite journal |author=Macknik, S.L. |title=Attention and Awareness in Stage Magic: Turning Tricks into Research |journal=Nat. Rev. Neurosci. |volume=9 |issue=11 |pages=871–9 |date=November 2008 |pmid=18949833 |doi= 10.1038/nrn2473|name-list-style=vanc|author2=King M |author3=Randi J |display-authors=3 |last4=Robbins |first4=Apollo |last5=Teller |last6=Thompson |first6=John |last7=Martinez-Conde |first7=Susana|s2cid=1826552 }}</ref>
==See also==

*]
In 2010, Teller wrote '']'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.PlayDeadNYC.com |title=Play Dead |publisher=Playdeadnyc.com |access-date=August 2, 2011}}</ref> a "throwback to the spook shows of the 1930s and '40s" that ran September 12–24 in Las Vegas before opening ] in New York. The show starred sideshow performer and magician ].<ref>{{Cite news | title=Teller's Las Vegas-born Play Dead is headed to off-Broadway | date=September 16, 2010 | access-date=September 27, 2010 | url=http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/blogs/luxe-life/2010/sep/16/tellers-las-vegas-born-emplay-deadem-headed--broad/ | newspaper=] | author=Chareunsy, Don | archive-date=June 7, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607002955/http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/blogs/luxe-life/2010/sep/16/tellers-las-vegas-born-emplay-deadem-headed--broad/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>
*]

*]
===Directing===
*]
In 2008, Teller and ] co-directed a version of '']'' which incorporated stage magic techniques in the scenes with the ].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB119974596269973169?mod=googlenews_wsj | work=The Wall Street Journal | first=Joanne | last=Kaufman | title=The Magician Not Only Speaks, But Chooses to Utter 'Macbeth'! |location= New York| date=January 8, 2008 |access-date= July 23, 2015}}</ref> In 2014, Teller and Posner co-directed a version of '']'', which again made use of stage magic; in an interview Teller stated that "] wrote one play that's about a magician, and it seemed like about time to realize that with all the capabilities of modern magic in the theater."<ref>{{cite news |title=The Silent Man Speaks: Teller Re-Imagines 'The Tempest' With Magic |url=http://artery.wbur.org/2014/05/14/tell-the-tempest-cambridge-art |first=Andrea |last=Shea |date=May 14, 2014 |work=WBUR.org |publisher=WBUR |access-date=June 10, 2014 |location=Boston}}</ref> In 2018, Teller and Posner co-conceived and directed a brand new production of '']'' at ] in Chicago, Illinois.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatermania.com/chicago-theater/news/chicago-shakespeare-theater-2017-18-season_80709.html|title=Teller and Aaron Posner to Create New Macbeth for Chicago Shakespeare Theater|date=April 13, 2017 |access-date=November 2, 2018}}</ref> In 2022, the Round House Theater staged Teller and Posner's adaptation of '']'' and made a video recording of it temporarily available for purchase, to stream.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mdtheatreguide.com/2023/01/news-round-house-theatre-announces-virtual-streaming-of-the-tempest/|title=News: Round House Theatre Announces Virtual Streaming of 'The Tempest'|last=Desk|date=January 16, 2023}}</ref>

Teller directed a feature film documentary, '']'', which was released in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=107126|title=Sony Pictures Classics Unlocks Tim's Vermeer|work=ComingSoon.net|date=July 29, 2013|access-date=September 5, 2013|archive-date=July 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715215230/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=107126|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/penn-teller-tims-vermeer-johannes-vermeer-1200569213/ |work=Variety |title=Teller's 'Tim's Vermeer' Bought By Sony Classics |access-date=June 4, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/a-documentary-by-teller-explores-the-magic-of-vermeer/?_r=0 | work=The New York Times | first=Dave | last=Itzkoff | title=A Documentary by Teller Explores the Magic of Vermeer | date=July 29, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://realscreen.com/2013/07/29/sony-pictures-classics-picks-up-tims-vermeer/|title=Sony Pictures Classics picks up "Tim's Vermeer"|work=realscreen.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/telluride-film-review-tims-vermeer-1200596123/ |work=Variety |title=Telluride Film Review: 'Tim's Vermeer' |access-date=June 4, 2014}}</ref> He and Jillette served as executive producers, with distribution by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://twit.tv/show/triangulation/118|title=Triangulation 118|work=TWiT.tv}}</ref>

==Books==
* {{cite book | last1=Jillette |first1=Penn |author-link1=Penn Jillette |author2=Teller | title=Penn and Teller's Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends | location=New York | publisher=Villard | year=1989 | isbn=0-394-75351-8|url= https://archive.org/details/penntellerscruel0000jill}}
* {{cite book | last1=Jillette | first1=Penn |author2=Teller | title=Penn and Teller's How to Play with Your Food | location=New York | publisher=Villard | year=1992 | isbn=0-679-74311-1 | url=https://archive.org/details/penntellershowto00penn }}
* {{cite book | last1=Jillette | first1=Penn |author2=Teller | title=Penn and Teller's How to Play in Traffic | location=New York | publisher=Berkley Trade | year=1997 | isbn=1-57297-293-9 | url=https://archive.org/details/penntellershowto00jill }}
* {{cite book | author1=Teller |last2=Teller |first2=Joe | title="When I'm Dead All This Will Be Yours!": Joe Teller – A Portrait by His Kid | location=New York | publisher=] | year=2000 | isbn=0-922233-22-5}}
* {{cite book |author1=Teller |last2=Karr |first2=Todd |last3=Abbott |first3=David P. |author-link3=David Abbott (magician) |title=House of Mystery: The Magic Science of David P. Abbott |location=Marina del Rey, California |publisher=Miracle Factory |year=2005 |url=http://miraclefactory.net/zenstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=116 |access-date=April 4, 2013 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195214/http://miraclefactory.net/zenstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=116 |url-status=dead }}

==Film and television==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year!! Title!! Role!! Notes
|-
|1986
|'']''
|Abdul
|
|-
| 1987 ||'' ]'' || Ralph Fisher || Season 4 episode 8: "]"
|-
| 1987 ||'']'' || Hale Buchman Jr. ||
|-
| 1989 || '']'' || Self ||
|-
| 1995 || '']'' || Mortimer ||
|-
| 1995;<br>1997 || '']'' || Geller || Season 1 episode 6: "]"<br>Season 2 episode 17: "]"
|-
| 1997 ||'' ]'' || Skippy || Season 1 episode 1: "Pilot"<br>Season 1 episode 13: "Jenny's Non-Dream"
|-
| rowspan=2| 1998 ||'' ]'' || Mr. Boots || Season 1 episode 20: "The Cat's Out of the Bag"
|-
| ''] '' || Zooty || Season 5 episode 8: "]"
|-
| 1999;<br>2011 || '']'' || Self || Season 11 episode 6: "]"<br>Season 22 episode 18: "]"
|-
| 2000 || '']''
| ||
|-
| 2003–2010 || '']''
| ||
|-
|2004
|'']''
|Self
|Season 6 episode 8: "]"
|-
| 2011;<br>2015–present || '']''
| ||
|-
|2012
|'']''
|Laughlin
|
|-
| 2016 ||'']''|| Rudy Nelson||
|-
| 2018 || '']'' || ] || 3 episodes

|-
|2021|| ''History’s Greatest Mysteries- Season 2'' || Self || Episode 2 “Houdini’s Lost Diaries”
|-
|2022|| ''Young Sheldon''|| Pus || 1 episode
|-
|2023|| '']'' || Magic consultant ||
|}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist|2}} {{reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{cc}}
*
* * {{Official website|http://www.pennandteller.com/|Penn & Teller's official website}}
* {{IBDB name}}
*
* {{IMDb name|854418}}
*

*{{ibdb name|id=16319|name=Teller}}
*{{imdb name|id=0854418|name= Teller}}
* - ''Las Vegas Weekly''
{{Penn & Teller}} {{Penn & Teller}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Portal bar|Comedy|United States|}}


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Latest revision as of 04:40, 30 December 2024

American magician (born 1948)

Teller
Teller in 2023
BornRaymond Joseph Teller
(1948-02-14) February 14, 1948 (age 76)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationAmherst College (BA)
OccupationMagician
Years active1974–present
Websitepennandteller.com
Notes
Voice of Teller

Teller (born Raymond Joseph Teller; February 14, 1948) is an American magician. He is half of the comedy magic duo Penn & Teller, along with Penn Jillette, and usually does not speak during performances. Teller is a H.L. Mencken Fellow at the Cato Institute.

Early life

Teller was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Irene B. (née Derrickson) and Israel Max "Joseph" Teller (1913–2004). His father, who was of Russian-Jewish descent, was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Philadelphia. His mother was from a Delaware farming family. They met as painters attending art school at Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial. His mother was Methodist, and Teller was raised as "a sort of half-assed Methodist". He graduated from Philadelphia's Central High School in 1965, and in 1969 graduated from Amherst College with a Bachelor of Arts in Classics. He became a high-school Latin teacher.

At some point, Teller legally changed his name to the mononym "Teller", his family surname. He had reportedly been using the mononym professionally since, at least, some time before the 1975 formation of the Asparagus Valley Cultural Society. By December 2000, he reported that his own parents were calling him Teller.

Teller poses for a photo for his dad hanging from a tree in Love Park

Teller taught Greek and Latin at Lawrence High School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. In 2001, he was inducted into the Central High School Hall of Fame.

Health

In 2018–2019, Teller had three back surgeries over 18 months. In late September 2022, he underwent quadruple-bypass heart surgery.

Career

Performing

Main article: Penn & Teller
Penn & Teller in 2012

Teller began performing with his friend Weir Chrisemer as The Othmar Schoeck Memorial Society for the Preservation of Unusual and Disgusting Music. He met Penn Jillette in 1974, and, with Chrisemer, they became a three-person act called Asparagus Valley Cultural Society, which started at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival and subsequently played in San Francisco. In 1981, Jillette and Teller began performing exclusively together as Penn & Teller, an act that continues to this day. On April 5, 2013, Penn and Teller were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the live performance category. The following day, they were recognized by the Magic Castle with the Magicians of the Year award.

Teller rarely speaks while performing but regularly speaks in other contexts, such as interviews. Teller's trademark silence originated during his youth, when he earned a living performing magic at college fraternity parties. He found that if he maintained silence throughout his act, spectators refrained from throwing beer and heckling him and paid more attention to his performance.

Writing

Teller collaborated with Jillette on three magic books, and is also the author of "When I'm Dead All This Will Be Yours!": Joe Teller – A Portrait by His Kid (2000), a biography/memoir of his father. The book features his father's paintings and 100 unpublished cartoons which were strongly influenced by George Lichty's Grin and Bear It. The book was favorably reviewed by Publishers Weekly. Teller's father's "wryly observed scenes of Philadelphia street life" were created in 1939. Teller and his father's "memories began to pump and the stories flowed" after they opened boxes of old letters that Teller read out loud (learning for the first time about a period in his parents' lives that he knew nothing about, such as the fact that his father's name is really Israel Max Teller). Joe's Depression-era hobo adventures led to travels throughout the U.S., Canada and Alaska, and by 1933, he returned to Philadelphia for art study. After Joe and Irene met during evening art classes, they married, and Joe worked half-days as a Philadelphia Inquirer copy boy. When the Inquirer rejected his cartoons, he moved into advertising art just as World War II began.

Teller is a co-author of the paper "Attention and Awareness in Stage Magic: Turning Tricks into Research", published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience (November 2008).

In 2010, Teller wrote Play Dead, a "throwback to the spook shows of the 1930s and '40s" that ran September 12–24 in Las Vegas before opening Off Broadway in New York. The show starred sideshow performer and magician Todd Robbins.

Directing

In 2008, Teller and Aaron Posner co-directed a version of Macbeth which incorporated stage magic techniques in the scenes with the Three Witches. In 2014, Teller and Posner co-directed a version of The Tempest, which again made use of stage magic; in an interview Teller stated that "Shakespeare wrote one play that's about a magician, and it seemed like about time to realize that with all the capabilities of modern magic in the theater." In 2018, Teller and Posner co-conceived and directed a brand new production of Macbeth at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in Chicago, Illinois. In 2022, the Round House Theater staged Teller and Posner's adaptation of The Tempest and made a video recording of it temporarily available for purchase, to stream.

Teller directed a feature film documentary, Tim's Vermeer, which was released in 2014. He and Jillette served as executive producers, with distribution by Sony Pictures Classics.

Books

Film and television

Year Title Role Notes
1986 My Chauffeur Abdul
1987 Miami Vice Ralph Fisher Season 4 episode 8: "Like a Hurricane"
1987 Long Gone Hale Buchman Jr.
1989 Penn & Teller Get Killed Self
1995 The Fantasticks Mortimer
1995;
1997		 The Drew Carey Show Geller Season 1 episode 6: "Drew Meets Lawyers"
Season 2 episode 17: "See Drew Run"
1997 Sabrina the Teenage Witch Skippy Season 1 episode 1: "Pilot"
Season 1 episode 13: "Jenny's Non-Dream"
1998 Dharma & Greg Mr. Boots Season 1 episode 20: "The Cat's Out of the Bag"
Babylon 5 Zooty Season 5 episode 8: "Day of the Dead"
1999;
2011		 The Simpsons Self Season 11 episode 6: "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder"
Season 22 episode 18: "The Great Simpsina"
2000 Fantasia 2000
2003–2010 Penn & Teller: Bullshit!
2004 The West Wing Self Season 6 episode 8: "In the Room"
2011;
2015–present		 Penn & Teller: Fool Us
2012 Atlas Shrugged: Part II Laughlin
2016 Director's Cut Rudy Nelson
2018 The Big Bang Theory Larry Fowler 3 episodes
2021 History’s Greatest Mysteries- Season 2 Self Episode 2 “Houdini’s Lost Diaries”
2022 Young Sheldon Pus 1 episode
2023 Mrs. Davis Magic consultant

References

  1. "Teller – Cato Institute". www.cato.org.
  2. "Penn and Teller". The Advocates. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  3. "Teller". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  4. Morrow, Kathleen (Summer 2007). "Teller". Penn State University, Pennsylvania Center for the Book. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013. Biography based on sources including "Email correspondence with Teller. 12–14 August 2007".
  5. "Obituaries: Newspaper and Funeral Home Obituaries and Death Notices from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand". legacy.com.
  6. ^ "Forecasts", Publishers Weekly, August 15, 2000.
  7. "'The Exorcist' at the Geffen: No green vomit, but plenty of evil – The Ticket". Jewish Journal. June 27, 2012.
  8. "Joseph Teller, artist, father of magician". philly-archives. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014.
  9. "Hollywood Now: The Monuments Men, Teller Directs, Jason B". interfaithfamily.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  10. Lahey, Jessica. "Education Is Performance Art". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  11. della Cava, Marco R. (November 16, 2007). "At home: Teller's magical Vegas retreat speaks volumes". USA Today. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  12. "Penn & Teller: Rogue Magician Is EXPOSING Our Secrets!!!". TMZ.com. April 12, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  13. Trillin, Calvin (May 15, 1989). "A Couple Of Eccentric Guys". New Yorker. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  14. "Dec. 7, 2000: Teller of "Penn & Teller"". lasvegas.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  15. Penn & Teller on Broadway | Talks At Google, August 4, 2015, retrieved August 12, 2018
  16. "Reparations". Penn & Teller: Bullshit!. Season 4. Episode 7. May 15, 2006. Showtime (TV network).
  17. Lahey, Jessica (January 21, 2016). "Teaching: Just Like Performing Magic". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 24, 2016. Teller taught high school Latin for six years before he left to pursue a career in magic with Penn...
  18. "The CHS Alumni Hall of Fame". AACHS. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  19. "As Teller recovers, it's the Penn & Michael show at the Rio". October 28, 2022.
  20. ^ "Magicians Penn & Teller Get Star on Walk of Fame". CBS Los Angeles. April 5, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  21. "Teller Explained Why He Remains Silent on Stage During an Interview in 2015". Heavy, Inc. May 18, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  22. Elber, Lynn (April 25, 2007). "'Silent' Teller to magically make 'Macbeth' a 'horror thriller'". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 21, 2007.
  23. "For Penn & Teller's Magical Partnership, The Trick Is Telling The Truth". National Public Radio. August 1, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  24. Macknik, S.L., King M, Randi J, et al. (November 2008). "Attention and Awareness in Stage Magic: Turning Tricks into Research". Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 9 (11): 871–9. doi:10.1038/nrn2473. PMID 18949833. S2CID 1826552.
  25. "Play Dead". Playdeadnyc.com. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  26. Chareunsy, Don (September 16, 2010). "Teller's Las Vegas-born Play Dead is headed to off-Broadway". Las Vegas Weekly. Archived from the original on June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
  27. Kaufman, Joanne (January 8, 2008). "The Magician Not Only Speaks, But Chooses to Utter 'Macbeth'!". The Wall Street Journal. New York. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  28. Shea, Andrea (May 14, 2014). "The Silent Man Speaks: Teller Re-Imagines 'The Tempest' With Magic". WBUR.org. Boston: WBUR. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  29. "Teller and Aaron Posner to Create New Macbeth for Chicago Shakespeare Theater". April 13, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  30. Desk (January 16, 2023). "News: Round House Theatre Announces Virtual Streaming of 'The Tempest'". {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  31. "Sony Pictures Classics Unlocks Tim's Vermeer". ComingSoon.net. July 29, 2013. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  32. "Teller's 'Tim's Vermeer' Bought By Sony Classics". Variety. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  33. Itzkoff, Dave (July 29, 2013). "A Documentary by Teller Explores the Magic of Vermeer". The New York Times.
  34. "Sony Pictures Classics picks up "Tim's Vermeer"". realscreen.com.
  35. "Telluride Film Review: 'Tim's Vermeer'". Variety. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  36. "Triangulation 118". TWiT.tv.

External links

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