Ricky Jay: Coolest of the cool

Michelle and I have been watching Deadwood recently. It is a great show and has a excellent cast. While I knew I recognized and liked the actor playing "Eddie Sawyer" I had no idea just how cool he is. Ricky Jay is both an actor and magician. He is a favorite of director David Mamet (he is awesome in "The Spanish Prisoner") but has been in countless other films, such as Boogie Nights and Magnolia. This on its own simply makes him a good actor, but aha! There's more. According to the wikipedia article on him (as well as his own site) "Ricky Jay is widely considered one of the most knowledgeable and skilled sleight-of-hand experts in the United States. He is now well-known for his signature card tricks, card throwing, memory feats, and inimitable stage patter.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." He is also an expert on the history of magic, and is was magic supervisor for "The Illusionist". Aperrently all the tricks in the illusionist are real and done by hand not CG. He also appears in the upcoming "The Prestige" (Which could really use a better website.) For more info on the awesome Ricky Jay. Link I particularly reccomend checking out his Deceptive Practices Business.