Mark Raffles

Mark Raffles
Born	Albert Taylor, Jr. January 22, 1922 Manchester, England
Died	September 18, 2022 (age 100)
Nationality	British

Mark Raffles was a renown pick pocket and magician. He was regarded as the oldest working magician in the world before his retirement in 2019, aged 97.

Biography

Mark Raffles was born in Manchester, UK on 22 January 1922. He came from a show business family and discovered he had a gift for magic from an early age. His first professional engagement was in 1938 at the Queen's Park Hippodrome in Manchester. He performed a silent magic act due to a debilitating stammer.

With the onset of World War Two, having failed his medical because of his stammer, Mark worked as a bricklayer building air raid shelters. He was also part of the Air Raid Precautions rescue squad during the Manchester blitz. before long he was directed to join ENSA where he entertained troops and war workers in the UK and later in France and Germany for the duration of the war. It was while with ENSA that he developed his now famous pickpocket act, having needed a second act for one of the larger ENSA shows he toured with.

After the war, Mark returned to playing the music halls. Although known for his pioneering work on pickpocketing, Mark performed a range of magic. He first appeared on television in 1949 and became a regular on British TV screens during the 60s, 70s and 80s.

In the 1980s, along with his wife Joan, he took over a well-known variety act called The Wychwoods. They had twelve live poodle dogs, which were seemingly produced from thin air. The act played during summer seasons, pantomime and television for twelve years.

Mark was regarded as the oldest working magician in the world before his retirement in 2019, aged 97. At the time of his retirement, he had performed professionally for 81 years.

He maintained an active interest in magic after retiring and attended the Blackpool Magicians Convention in 2020.

He also appeared under the stage name Ray St Clair.

Awards and Honors

• Member of the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star
• President and Honorary Life Vice-President of the Blackpool Magicians Club
• The Magic Circle Carlton Comedy Award
• Winner of the First Grand Prix Champion of Magic
• The Murray Award, Champion of General Magic
• Larry Spencer Pro of the Year Award, All Winners Magical Championships
• Best of British Performers
• Service to Magic Awards

Bibliography

Books

• The Pickpocket Secrets of Mark Raffles (1982)
• Magic All The Way – Diamond Jubilee Memoirs - 60 years in show business (1997)

Videos

• Mark Raffles, The Legacy, DVD

References

• The Magic Circular, Vol. 82, No. 887, July 1988, A Rich Cabinet, by Edwin A. Dawes - 145. No Business Like Show Business: The Mark Raffles Story. Part One, page 128
• The Magic Circular, Vol. 82, No. 888, August 1988, A Rich Cabinet, by Edwin A. Dawes - 146. The Formative Years and Emergence of Ray St. Clair: The Mark Raffles Story. Part Two, page 156
• The Magic Circular, Vol. 82, No. 889, September-October 1988, A Rich Cabinet, by Edwin A. Dawes - 147. Pickpocketing, Progeny and Poodles: The Mark Raffles Story. Part Three, page 184
• The Magic Circular, Vol. 92, No. 987, July 1998, This Is Your Life, Mark Raffles, by Peter Blanchard, page 200
• Cover, The Linking Ring, Vol. 86, No. 1, January 2006, OUR COVER, Mark Raffles, British Ring President, 2005-2006, page 31
• Cover, The Magic Circular, Vol. 102, No. 1102, May 2008, The Many Magic Faces of Mark Raffles, Interview by Matthew Field, page 140