Roy Horn Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Roy Horn
OCCUPATION: Magician
BIRTH DATE: October 03, 1944 (Age: 67)
PLACE OF BIRTH: Nordenham, Germany
ZODIAC SIGN: Libra

Best Known For

Roy Horn is a German-American entertainer known for his fantastic performances with white lions and tigers.

Print Cite This

Roy Horn

APA Style

Roy Horn. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 07:30, May 23, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/roy-horn-10674326

Harvard Style

Roy Horn [Internet]. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/roy-horn-10674326, May 23

MLA Style

" Roy Horn." 2012. Biography.com 23 May 2012, 07:30 http://www.biography.com/people/roy-horn-10674326

MHRA Style

' Roy Horn', Biography.com,(2012) http://www.biography.com/people/roy-horn-10674326 [accessed May 23, 2012]

Chicago Style

" Roy Horn," Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/roy-horn-10674326 (accessed May 23, 2012).

CBE/CSE Style

Roy Horn [Internet]. Biography.com; 2012 [cited 2012 May 23]. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/roy-horn-10674326.

Bluebook Style

Roy Horn, http://www.biography.com/people/roy-horn-10674326 (last visited May 23, 2012).

AMA Style

Roy Horn, http://www.biography.com/people/roy-horn-10674326 (last visited May 23, 2012).

Synopsis

Roy Horn is a German entertainer known for his performances with live animals, specifically lions and tigers. In 1967, Horn and his partner Siegfried Fischbacher debuted in the U.S. as Siegfried & Roy. He also helped create a compound for the conservation of the animals. In 2003 a tiger attacked and partially paralyzed Horn, ending his career in show business.

Profile

Animal trainer, stage performer. Born October 3, 1944 in Nordenham, Germany. As a young boy, Horn spent much of his time with a beloved half-dog, half-wolf named Hexe, an animal whom Horn claimed once saved his life. During the war, Horn found solace at the Bremen Zoo, where he befriended a two-year-old cheetah. After months of communicating with the animal through its cage, he gained permission to feed him and take him for walks.

In 1957, while working as a waiter on an ocean liner, Horn met Siegfried Fischbacher, who was working as a steward while performing magic tricks on the side. Horn volunteered to be Siegfried's assistant and soon the pair was collaborating, upping the ante from making a rabbit disappear to vanishing a cheetah. For the next five years, they performed throughout Europe, playing for little money. They eventually received their big break while performing at a casino in Monte Carlo, where a scout spotted them and invited them to do their act in Las Vegas.

Siegfried and Roy have been combining magic tricks with tiger stunts in Las Vegas for more than 30 years, at first with shared billing and eventually as their own show. In addition to their hugely popular performances, they are active preservationists of rare white tigers and white lions. The duo has created a special compound outside of Las Vegas for the birthing, care and conservation of these animals.

In October 2003, the show was brought to its knees when a white tiger brutally attacked Horn during a performance, leaving the trainer in critical condition. The show was closed down indefinitely following the incident. A year later, Horn remained partially paralyzed, but continued to insist that the animal was not at fault. He claimed that he fainted on stage and that the 380-pound tiger was only trying to help him by dragging him off stage. By September 2005, Horn was walking on his own, a recovery many called miraculous.