Christopher Hart (actor)
| Christopher Hart | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1961 (age 53–54) Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada |
Christopher Hart (born 1961) is a Canadian actor and magician, famous for playing Thing, the disembodied hand, in the 1991, 1993, and 1998 movies, The Addams Family, Addams Family Values, and Addams Family Reunion.
Early life and career
Christopher was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia to an English mother and Canadian father, was raised and educated in Catholic schools in Los Angeles.
At the age of 8 he became intrigued after discovering a magic book at the local library. It was at this same time that the television series "The Magician" starring Bill Bixby was on the air and further fueled his passion for magic.
At sixteen, after an extensive audition and interview process, Christopher was accepted into the Magic Castle’s elite junior program. As a teenager, Hart earned extra money working in a cemetery as a grave digger and was nicknamed Lurch due to his tall, lanky frame. Soon realizing that it was a dead-end job, Christopher accepted a position demonstrating tricks at Hollywood Magic, the largest West Coast magic shop.
Working in Hollywood gave Christopher the opportunity to meet and perform before the likes of Michael Jackson, Johnny Carson, Muhammad Ali, and Harry Anderson. As Christopher’s reputation grew he soon came to the attention of David Copperfield. In fact, Hart’s first introduction to Las Vegas came before he was old enough to gamble, when he went to work for Copperfield as a Magic Roadie. Impressed with Hart’s knowledge and expertise in the field of magic, Copperfield continued to use Christopher on several more live and television shows including the Great Wall of China special.
Filmography and awards
Christopher Hart's talented hands have found him work in several movies and TV spots. They include:
- Idle Hands, The 1999-2001 horror spoof, appearing alongside Devon Sawa and Seth Green.
- Angel episode "I Fall to Pieces" (Season 1, Episode 4), 1999, He played the hands.
- Quicksilver Highway, 1997, Played the character Lefty.
- One Hand, Left, 1998.
- Columbo Goes to the Guillotine, 1989, he played a magician and warrior.
His sleight-of-hand magic has also been featured in national television commercials for McDonald's, Honda, RCA, and others. He has twice been awarded "Stage Magician of the Year" by Hollywood's Magic Castle, and Princess Stephanie of Monaco personally awarded him the top prize at the "Grand Prix Magique" held in Monte Carlo.
Current projects
Christopher is currently performing in "TV's Magic Stars" at the Golden Cabaret at the Horizon Casino Resort in Lake Tahoe, NV.