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Channing Pollock (b.1926–d.2006) was an American magician and film actor born in Sacramento, California.
Biography
A charismatic practitioner of his craft and strikingly handsome with an enigmatic stage presence, he was best known for an act in which he would elegantly produce doves out of thin air and he was often billed as "the most beautiful man in the world". He first became interested in magic at the age of 21. He trained at the Chavez School of Magic in Los Angeles, graduating in 1952. Pollock's early work as a magician was on the nightclub circuit, where his talents were enhanced by his good looks.
He appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1954 and went on to make several appearances at the London Palladium. By the mid-1950s Pollock was unsurpassed in his field, and he had spawned a great many imitators. But his act was unique, and the excitement in his routine was so tied up with his own personality (he always made a point of never smiling until he was taking his final bow) that copyists were never as good. He appeared at cabaret venues and in special shows all over the world, performing for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Queen Elizabeth II and at the wedding of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly. At the height of his career, he was one of America's highest-paid entertainers.