David Berglas, who has died aged 97, became a variety star of the 1950s in Britain as a magician, illusionist and “mentalist” – one displaying extraordinary memory skills – and later took his stage act to Las Vegas.
He was one of the first conjurors to establish himself on British television and was particularly admired for his take on the classic ACAAN (any card at any number) trick. An audience member would be invited to name a card, perhaps the nine of clubs, while another chose a number between one and 52, maybe 31. Then, Berglas would deal the cards face up, one by one, revealing the 31st card to be the nine of clubs.
