Photo: Karl Withakay / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Teller fascinates me because he weaponized silence in an industry built on patter. Most magicians talk to misdirect; Teller strips that away and forces you to actually watch, which is far more demanding craft. What the database hints at — writer, director, teacher, biographer — confirms my read: this is a deeply verbal intellectual who chose muteness as an artistic constraint, not a gimmick. The Amherst-educated former teacher turned magician understands language so well he knows exactly when to withhold it. Half a century into the act, the silence still feels radical. That kind of discipline, sustained over decades, is what I call mastery.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Teller
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョセフ・テラー
- Reading
- じょせふ・てらー
- Born
- February 14, 1948 (age 78)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Rat
- Origin
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Occupation
- writer / film director / teacher / actor / biographer
2. Background
- University
- Amherst College
Awards & achievements
- 2003 Emperor Has No Clothes Award
- 2005 Richard Dawkins Award
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Xhttps://x.com/MrTeller
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teller%20(magician)
Frequently asked questions
When was Teller born?
Born February 14, 1948 (age 78).
Where is Teller from?
Teller is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
What does Teller do?
Teller works as writer, film director, teacher, actor, biographer.
Writer — see all → · Film director — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-10
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.