Richard Jay Potash (June 26, 1946 – November 24, 2018) was an American stage magician, actor, and writer. In a 1993 profile for The New Yorker, Mark Singer called Jay "perhaps the most gifted sleight of hand artist alive". In addition to sleight of hand, he was known for his card tricks, card throwing, memory feats, and stage patter. He also wrote extensively on magic and its history. His acting credits include The Prestige, The Spanish Prisoner, Mystery Men, Heist, Boogie Nights, Tomorrow Never Dies, Heartbreakers, State and Main, House of Games, Magnolia, Deadwood and Sneaky Pete. In 2015, he was the subject of an episode of PBS's American Masters, the only magician ever profiled in the series.
Known For
Credits
Cast Credits
Sneaky Pete (2015)
Guest starring as T.H. Vignetti
(7 episodes)
- Episode 3x08: The Sunshine Switcheroo (May 10, 2019)
- Episode 3x07: The Little Sister (May 10, 2019)
- Episode 3x06: The California Split (May 10, 2019)
- Episode 3x05: The Invisible Man (May 10, 2019)
- Episode 3x04: The Vermont Victim & The Bakersfield Hustle (May 10, 2019)
- Episode 3x03: The Stamford Trust Fall (May 10, 2019)
- Episode 3x02: The Huckleberry Jones (May 10, 2019)
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014)
Guest starring as Ricky Jay
- Episode 2014-03-31: Chris Evans, Ricky Jay (Mar 31, 2014)
FlashForward (2009)
Guest starring as Ted Flosso
(3 episodes)
- Episode 1x12: Revelation Zero (2) (Mar 18, 2010)
- Episode 1x11: Revelation Zero (1) (Mar 18, 2010)
- Episode 1x08: Playing Cards with Coyote (Nov 12, 2009)
The Unit (2006)
Guest starring as CIA Agent Kern
(4 episodes)
- Episode 4x12: Bad Beat (Jan 4, 2009)
- Episode 3x02: Pandemonium, Part 2 (Oct 2, 2007)
- Episode 2x23: Paradise Lost (May 8, 2007)
- Episode 2x21: Bedfellows (Apr 24, 2007)
The X-Files (1993)
Guest starring as The Amazing Maleeni
- Episode 7x08: The Amazing Maleeni (Jan 16, 2000)
The Late Show with David Letterman (1993)
Guest starring as Ricky Jay
- Episode 1994-02-22: Marv Albert, Sinead O'Connor, Ricky Jay (Feb 22, 1994)