Ricky Jay.

Ricky Jay (born 1948) is an American professional sleight-of-hand artist, actor, and author. He is considered an expert on the history of magic and entertainment.

He was born Richard Jay Potash to a Jewish-American family, and is now well-known for his signature card tricks, card throwing, memory feats, and inimitable stage patter. At least two of his shows, ‘Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants’ and ‘On the Stem’, were directed by David Mamet, who has also cast Jay in a number of his films. Jay has also appeared in productions by other directors, notably as Henry Gupta in Tomorrow Never Dies.

Until recently, Ricky Jay was listed in the Guinness Book of Records for throwing a playing card 190 ft at 90 miles per hour (the current record is 216 ft, by Rick Smith, Jr.). Ricky Jay can throw a playing card into a watermelon rind (which he refers to as the “thick, pachydermatous outer melon layer” of “the most prodigious of household fruits”) from ten paces.