The Amazing Johnathan

John Edward Szeles (September 9, 1958 – February 22, 2022), better known by the stage name The Amazing Johnathan, was an American comedian and magician. His act was mostly composed of hijinks, interaction with one specific audience member, and a few legitimate magic tricks. From 2001 to 2014, he was a year-round headliner in Las Vegas. Self-described as the "Freddy Krueger of Comedy", Szeles performed wearing his ever-present headband, and his shows frequently used gore; for example, pretending to suck on his own hanging eyeball, cutting his wrists, and skewering his own tongue. He was also good friends with fellow performer Criss Angel, and helped Angel perform a variety of illusions, most notably during his three guest appearances on Mindfreak.

Early career

Szeles was born in Detroit, Michigan. In the 1970s, he relocated to the state of California, where he began his career performing in the streets of San Francisco. He first appeared on television in The 8th Annual Young Comedians Show in 1983 and later went on to become the host of the short-lived 1991 syndicated variety/game show Ruckus. He appeared on various talk and variety shows from the mid-80s to mid 2000s. His only credited performance as an actor was The Obligatory Holiday Episode of The Weird Al Show (playing the part of Uncle Johnathan). He has made several appearances on Late Night with David Letterman, a record 24 appearances on Fox's Comic Strip Live, and has had several specials on Comedy Central including Comedy Central Presents, Lounge Lizards and more recently his own one-hour special entitled Wrong on Every Level. He dedicated the special to his Uncle Eugene, who showed him his first card trick which "started this whole mess". He appeared in the 2005 documentary The Aristocrats.

Johnathan had success in Australia following appearances on Channel 9's Hey Hey It's Saturday.

Szeles has also authored a how-to book on practical jokes titled Every Trick in the Book, a compilation of both classic practical jokes and plain magic tricks, along with his own original material in both categories. Since 2014, he was finishing his memoirs entitled Drive It Like You Stole It.

Recent years

In 2008, Szeles combined two of his passions, classic-car collecting and drive-in movie theaters, to open the "Amazing Underground", a members-only indoor drive-in located within his warehouse facilities in Las Vegas.

In 2011, Szeles was performing regular shows in Las Vegas at the Harmon Theater while also taking select dates at venues across the United States and in Australia. 2011 marked Szeles' third year of performing at the Harmon Theatre and Szeles' 11th consecutive year as a full-time Las Vegas headliner. He has won "Best Comedian" award from Las Vegas Review Journal, Comedian of the Year from Nevada Magazine, Top Ten Acts in Vegas (LVRJ), and is the longest-running, most successful solo comic magician in US history.

In 2013, Szeles hosted an online talk show called Burn Unit.

In March 2007, it was reported that Szeles was diagnosed with "a serious heart condition". The performer's website identified the condition as cardiomyopathy and went on to assert that, due to a combination of weight loss and blood thinners, he was doing well.

In December 2012, Szeles ended his one-year contract with Bally's and ceased performing in Las Vegas. He had been performing in the town for 13 years. Szeles toured throughout 2013, playing The Improv comedy clubs. On June 7, 2014, he married Anastasia Synn.

However, his heart condition worsened, and Szeles announced that he would effectively retire, performing a final show in Toledo for the general public, and then for members of The Magic Castle on June 30 and July 1, 2014. On November 5, 2014, in front of a live audience on ENT Speaks, he stated that he had a year to live. However, Szeles defied his initial terminal prognosis. In 2017, he played several shows across the United States.

A documentary titled The Amazing Johnathan Documentary about his illness and return to the stage was released on Hulu in 2019.

Szeles died in his sleep at his home in Las Vegas on February 22, 2022, at the age of 63.