Who is my favourite magician?

A question i am often asked is who is my favourite magician and which magician most influenced the creation of the Professor Palmermoff magic show.
Well there’s a lot of magicians out there to chose from and there are many many greats past and present but i do have my favourites.
In fact i admire many magicians out there many of whom have all contributed to the evolvement of the art by developing and passing down their skills but i will name two to particularly inspired me when i was learning.
One is an American magician called David Williamson who was just incredibly skilled and incredibly funny, a devastating combination. I think every magician needs to be a comedian as well these days, you have to present your magic with gags and get laughs as well as gasps. Well he does both, he presents his magic in a way that makes me laugh out loud and his style certainly inspired and encouraged me to do the same when developing my show..
The other is the very famous Tommy Cooper. The thing with Tommy is that he used magic as a vehicle for his humour. He was quite a good magician technically but an absolutely great showman and comedian and that is what made him the legend he was. It is important to be a skilled magician but it is probably more important to deliver a fantastic bit of entertainment, one mustn’t get too wrapped up in technique, you must also think about the panache of the show and thats we he was all about.
There are many great magicians out there but these two probably influenced my style more than any one else i could mention. I do recommend that anyone seeking to learn does study other magicians and their work. Its never been easier than today with the internet to see all the great work all the magicians have done over the years. The names are too many to mention but have a look at Cardini for a start for a genius at work.