Siegfried & Roy
Siegfried & Roy | |
|---|---|
Roy Horn (left) and Siegfried Fischbacher (right) with their white lion | |
| Nationality |
|
| Other names | Masters of the Impossible SARMOTI (Siegfried & Roy Masters of the Impossible) |
| Occupation(s) | Magicians Entertainers Performers |
| Known for | Stage acts involving big cats |
| Siegfried Fischbacher | |
| Born | June 13, 1939 Rosenheim, Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria, Germany |
| Died | January 13, 2021 (aged 81) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Roy Horn | |
| Birth name | Uwe Ludwig Horn |
| Born | October 3, 1944 Nordenham, Gau Weser-Ems, Germany |
| Died | May 8, 2020 (aged 75) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
Siegfried Fischbacher (born Siegfried Tyron Fischbacher; June 13, 1939 – January 13, 2021) and Roy Horn (born Uwe Ludwig Horn; October 3, 1944 – May 8, 2020) were German-American entertainers who performed an animal-based magic show together as Siegfried & Roy. The duo, who were also romantically involved, were best known for their flamboyant, Liberace-style costumes and use of white lions and white tigers in their acts; Siegfried was the magician, Roy was the animal trainer.
The pair met in 1959 while both were working on a cruise ship. They then began to perform together on ships and in European clubs and theaters. In 1967, they were invited to begin performing in Las Vegas. Starting in 1990, they headlined a show at The Mirage. By 1999, the show had grossed $500 million and they were the highest-paid entertainers in Las Vegas. After 5,750 performances, their performing career ended in 2003 when Horn was critically injured by a tiger during a performance. Horn died in 2020 from COVID-19 and Fischbacher died in 2021 from pancreatic cancer.
Although the duo promoted animal conservation and rehabilitation of endangered species, they were criticized for using animals "as props" and the unnatural environment in which they were kept.