Comic-magician and actor Carl Ballantine died 3 November 2009 of age-related causes. Born Meyer Kessler on 27 September 1917 in Chicago, Illinois, he first got into show business as a magician. But he soon decided he wouldn’t make it as a great magician, and instead took his act in a different direction. He changed his name, but was frequently billed as the Amazing Ballantine or Ballantine the Great, and developed a stand-up comedy act as an incompetent magician, who could never get his tricks right (or frequently, even finish them).
He moved to New York City early, and got roles on variety shows. Then he shifted coasts, and began acting in sitcoms, including a regular role in McHale’s Navy. Ballantine’s genre appearances include: Spider-Man (1996), Fantasy Island (1981), I Dream of Jeannie (1968), and Out of the Blue (1968).
Noting his death, comic actor Steve Martin said “Carl Ballantine influenced not only myself but a generation of magicians and comedians. His was also the most copied act by a host of amateurs and professionals.”
His first marriage ended in divorce. His second wife, singer and actress Ceil Cabot, died in 2000, after 46 years of marriage. Ballantine is survived by his sister and two daughters.