Siegfried and Roy

Siegfried & Roy, consisting of Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn (born Uwe Ludwig Horn) are a German-American duo of former stage magicians and entertainers who became known for their appearances with white lions and white tigers.

From 1990 until Roy's severe onstage injury, which ended their stage careers on October 3, 2003, the duo formed Siegfried & Roy at the Mirage Resort and Casino, which was regarded as the most-visited show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Roy's injury has generally been reported as an attack by a tiger involved in the show, although the two magicians have disputed that account – saying instead that he suffered a stroke and that any injury by the tiger was secondary and accidental. The duo staged a brief comeback performance in 2010 before leaving show business for good. They currently run a menagerie at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.

Siegfried

Siegfried Fischbacher was born in Rosenheim, Germany on June 13, 1939 to Maria and Martin Fischbacher.  Siegfried's father was a professional painter and his mother was a housewife, and Siegfried's father was imprisoned by the Soviets during World War II. Siegfried purchased a magic book as a child and began practicing tricks. Siegfried moved to Italy in 1956, and began working at a hotel. He eventually found work performing magic on the ship the TS Bremen under the stage name Delmare. Siegfried and Roy met while Siegfried was performing aboard the ship and asked Roy to assist him during a show. Siegfried and Roy were fired from the TS Bremen for bringing a live cheetah onto the ship, but were scouted by a New York-based cruise line and began performing together as a duo.

Roy

Roy Horn was born Uwe Ludwig Horn on October 3, 1944 in Nordenham, in the midst of bomb attacks, to Johanna Horn. His biological father fought on the Russian front, and his father and mother divorced after the war ended. Roy's mother remarried a construction worker, and later began work in a factory. Roy had three brothers: Manfred, Alfred, and Werner. Roy became interested in animals at a very young age, and cared for his childhood dog, named Hexe. Roy's mother's friend's husband, Emil, was founder of the Bremen zoo, which gave Roy access to exotic animals from the age of ten. Roy visited the United States briefly when his ship wrecked and was towed to New York City, and returned home to Bremen before returning to the sea as a waiter, where he met Siegfried and launched his performance career.

Career

The owner of the Astoria Theatre in Bremen, Germany saw Siegfried and Roy's act aboard a Caribbean cruise ship and recruited the duo to perform at her nightclub. This launched a career on the European nightclub circuit, and the duo began to perform with tigers. They were discovered performing in Paris by Tony Azzie, who asked them to come to Las Vegas in 1967. They spent some time in Puerto Rico, and may have purchased property there.

In 1981, Ken Feld, of Mattel's Feld Productions started the Beyond Belief show starring Siegfried & Roy at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino. Irvin Feld purchased Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1982. In late 1988, Beyond Belief Las Vegas act went on an international tour to Japan then to Radio City ending in 1989. The show returned to Las Vegas in 1990, this time at the Mirage Hotel until the October 2003 accident.

In 2004, their act became the basis for the short-lived television series Father of the Pride. Right before its release, the series was almost cancelled until Siegfried & Roy urged NBC to continue production after Roy's injury from October 2003 improved.

Horn's injury

On October 3, 2003, during a show at the Mirage, Roy Horn was apparently bitten on the neck by a 7-year-old male white tiger named Mantecore (but often referred to as Montecore). Crew members separated Horn from the tiger and rushed him to University Medical Center. Horn was critically injured and sustained severe blood loss. Siegfried and Roy have strongly disagreed with the reports that said Roy was attacked by the tiger – saying instead that he had suffered a stroke while on stage and Mantecore responded by picking him up and moving him out of the way to try to protect him, accidentally severing his artery in the process. While being taken to the hospital, Horn said "Montecore is a great cat. Make sure no harm comes to Montecore."

Partially paralyzed, by 2006, Horn was talking and walking (with assistance from Fischbacher), although he has not yet gained use of his left side. On Pat O'Brien's  television news program The Insider, he commented about his daily rehabilitation, "They are slave drivers over there. You'd think they are the KGB from Russia."

The injury to Roy Horn prompted the Mirage to close the show, and 267 cast and crew members were laid off.

In February 2009, the duo staged a final appearance with Mantecore as a benefit for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute. This performance was recorded for broadcast on ABC television's 20/20 program.

On April 23, 2010, Siegfried & Roy retired from show business. "The last time we closed, we didn’t have a lot of warning," said longtime manager Bernie Yuman. "This is farewell. This is the dot at the end of the sentence."

Mantecore died on March 19, 2014 at the age of 17 after a short illness.

Filmography

• Bassie & Adriaan: De reis vol verrassingen (children's TV series; 1994)
  * Casino (1995)
  * Siegfried & Roy: Masters of the Impossible (1996)
  * Vegas Vacation (1997)
  * Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box (1999)
  * Ocean's Eleven (2001)
  * Showboy (2002)