What happened to Milt Larsen?

Milt Larsen has been reported dead. According to his family, he died peacefully in his sleep on Monday, May 29, 2023. He was 92 years old. He was an American magician, actor, writer, and creator of the Magic Castle.

He grew up in a family of magicians with his brother Bill. Their father, William Larsen Sr., was a performing magician. When Larsen Sr. died in 1953, Milt decided to fulfill his dream of gathering magicians to perform in one place.

Larsen met Tom Glover in 1963, who was the owner of the hillside property which included the Hollywood restaurant The Yamashiro. He spoke to Glover about his father’s dream and they both agreed to transform the Lane mansion on Glover’s property below The Yamashiro into The Magic Castle – a nightclub for magicians and home of the Academy of Magical Arts.

The property was leased by Larsen and restored to the club. His brother, Bill, who was a CBS television staff producer of The Danny Kaye Show at the time, helped promote the club among his network show business connections and recruited other members.

The Magic Castle officially opened in 1963, with Bill on board as President of the Academy of Magical Arts and Sciences. It was later joined by Bill’s wife, Irene Larsen in the promotions department.

“Sad to share the news of the passing of my pal, Milt Larsen, founder of the Magic Castle. What many don’t know, is that Milt got his SAG card in an episode of Bewitched doing the tablecloth trick for Uncle Arthur, Paul Lynde. He was a magical gentleman and will be missed,” actress Erin Murphy wrote.