James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; 7 August 1928 – 20 October 2020), known professionally as "The Amazing Randi," was a Canadian-American stage magician, author, and scientific skeptic who spent much of his later career investigating and publicly challenging paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. He was a co-founder of CSICOP and founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF).[1]
Early life and magic career
Randi grew up in Toronto, developing an early fascination with magic after seeing performer Harry Blackstone Sr. live. He dropped out of school as a teenager to join a carnival roadshow, working as a conjurer and mentalist at local nightclubs, and began performing professionally as a magician in 1946.[2] He built a career as an escape artist, freeing himself from straitjackets, jail cells, safes, and a sealed coffin submerged underwater during a televised stunt.[3]
Turn to skeptical investigation
Randi became a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, where he exposed televangelist Peter Popoff's use of a concealed radio receiver, through which Popoff's wife fed him information about congregation members she had gathered from prayer request cards, allowing him to appear to receive divine knowledge of their ailments.[4]
Randi's most prolonged public confrontation was with self-described psychic Uri Geller, whose claimed ability to bend spoons using telepathy Randi argued was achievable by any competent stage magician using ordinary sleight of hand. In a 1973 appearance on The Tonight Show, Randi advised the production staff to supply Geller with their own props rather than his usual pre-prepared items; unable to manipulate the unfamiliar objects, Geller was unable to perform his claimed feats on air.[3] Randi documented his long-running case against Geller in his book The Truth About Uri Geller.[1]
CSICOP and the JREF
Randi was a founding member of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) in 1976, alongside Ray Hyman, Martin Gardner, and Paul Kurtz — now the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI).[5] In 1996, he founded the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF), a non-profit dedicated to promoting critical thinking and investigating paranormal claims. The foundation went on to sponsor the "One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge," offering $1 million to anyone able to demonstrate a paranormal, supernatural, or occult ability under mutually agreed scientific test conditions. More than 1,000 people applied over the challenge's history; none succeeded, and it was formally retired in 2015 when Randi retired from the JREF at age 87.[2] From 2003, the JREF also ran an annual conference for skeptics, "The Amaz!ng Meeting" (TAM).[6]
Although frequently described as a "debunker," Randi said he disliked the term's implications and preferred to describe himself as an "investigator."[5]
Writing
Beyond The Truth About Uri Geller, Randi's books include Flim-Flam! and The Faith Healers, alongside a biography of Nostradamus and further reference works on major paranormal claims and figures.[1] He was portrayed in the 2014 documentary An Honest Liar, which chronicled his life and career.[7]
Personal life
Randi was openly gay, coming out publicly in 2010 at age 81, and married his partner, José Alvarez, in 2013.[4]
Death and legacy
Randi died on 20 October 2020, aged 92, in Plantation, Florida.[3] He received a MacArthur "Genius" Grant and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry over the course of his career.[7] Randi remains one of the most cited figures in the history of the skeptical movement, and his work directly shaped the investigative methods used by later skeptics documented across The Vault, including Ray Hyman and Susan Gerbic.
See also
- Skepticism
- Ray Hyman
- Susan Gerbic
- Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
- Uri Geller
- Cold Reading
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "James Randi."HandWiki.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "James 'The Amazing' Randi, magician and noted paranormal skeptic, dies at 92."Syfy.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "James Randi, Famed Magician and Paranormal Skeptic, Dead at 92."Rolling Stone.22 October 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "James Randi."Open Doubt.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "James Randi (Author of Flim-Flam!)."Goodreads.
- ↑ "James Randi: The Unforgettable Legacy Of The Skeptic's Magician."Futurafeed.31 March 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "James Randi: A Magical Life of Debunking and Skepticism."Magician Masterclass.