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Fay Presto

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Fay Presto (born 17 May 1948[1]) is the stage name of Letitia Winter,[2] a British magician and member of The Inner Magic Circle known for her close-up magic.

Career

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Winter's first job was as a lab assistant at an atomic energy research company, and she tried returning to study and working in sales before developing an interest in performing magic in her late thirties.[3] She joined The Magic Circle, but was asked to leave when she began to transition.[4] When The Magic Circle voted to allow women members in 1991, she was one of the first women to join.[5]

As Presto, Winter specialises in close-up magic, and had held a residency at London's Langan's Brasserie since the start of her magic career.[6] She is known for her "bottle through the table" trick, which was ranked as the 37th greatest magic trick of all time by Channel 4's 50 Greatest Magic Tricks.[citation needed]

Presto was part of the UK touring show Champions of Magic from 2014 to 2017, alongside fellow magicians Edward Hilsum, Alex McLear and Young & Strange.[7]

She was profiled in the BBC documentary series 40 Minutes in 1994 in the episode "Fay Presto: Illusions of Grandeur" directed by Sally George. In 2017, Presto was the subject of the documentary Fay Presto, the Queen of Close-up.[8]

Television appearances

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Winter has appeared in a number of documentaries and played herself in cameo roles.[9]

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Fay Presto: Illusions of Grandeur Herself
1995 The Car's The Star Herself Guest
1995 Paul Daniels' Secrets Herself
1995 The Late Late Show Herself Guest
2000 Heroes of Magic Herself
2001 Emmerdale Herself Cameo
2002 The Daily Show Herself Guest
2002 50 Greatest Magic Tricks Herself
2006 The Story of Light Entertainment Herself
2016 When Magic Goes Horribly Wrong Herself
2017 Fay Presto, Queen of Close-up Herself

Awards and accolades

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In 1998 Winter was voted "Party Entertainer of the Year" by Tatler Magazine.[10]

In 2012 Winter won the title of The Magic Circle Close-up Magician of the Year 2012.[11]

Personal life and charity work

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Winter is a transgender woman, and regularly organises and performs in benefits to support the rights of women, children and the LGBT community. Before her transition, she performed in character as a female magician. She is an ambassador for Action for Children.[12]

References

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  1. ^ All About Magicians: Fay Presto[usurped] last accessed: 24 June 2011
  2. ^ George Sally (dir). Illusions of Grandeur. BBC TV 40 mins 1994
  3. ^ "Fay Presto - Celebrity Close-up & Cabaret Magician". faypresto.com. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  4. ^ Fitzsimons, Carmel (23 August 2014). "From the Observer archive, 24 August 1986: Fay Presto squares up to the Magic Circle". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  5. ^ Stanbridge, Nicola (7 October 2016). "Is magic's glass ceiling vanishing?". Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Fay Presto - Celebrity Close-up & Cabaret Magician". faypresto.com. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  7. ^ BWW News Desk. "Champions of Magic to Tour for a 4th Year in 2017". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Fay Presto - Queen of Close-up". FilmFreeway. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Fay Presto". IMDb. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Fay Presto - Celebrity Close-up & Cabaret Magician". faypresto.com. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  11. ^ "The slick new face of Magic - The Independent 7-4-2013". themagiccircle.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Fundraising News: Why I Give – Fay Prestro, the magician". www.thirdsector.co.uk. 10 September 2003. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
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