Siegfried and Roy
(Siegfried Fischbacher, 1939-2021, b. Rosenheim, Germany; and Roy Uwe Ludwig
Horn, 1944-2020, b. Nordenham, Germany), noted German-American animal
trainers and performers. Famed performers who enjoyed a three-decade run in
Las Vegas with their trained tiger act, Siegfried and Roy wed the excitement
of magic and animals with a healthy dose of glitz and glamour. After meeting
while performing on a cruise ship, the duo began touring Europe in the
mid-‘60s. They first appeared in Las Vegas in 1967, settling there in
the early ‘70s with an exclusive contract at the MGM Grand (until
1981), and then signing with the Frontier Hotel. In 1987, Steve Wynn signed
them to a five-year contract valued at $57.5 million for his soon-to-open
Mirage hotel, which Variety hailed as the largest amount
ever paid for a performing act. In addition to building them a specially
equipped theater, Wynn invested $18 million in a jungle-like habitat to
house their animals, which by then had grown to include a full bestiary of
exotic creatures. They celebrated their 10,000th Las Vegas appearance on
their opening night at the Mirage in 1990. Wynn signed the duo to a lifetime
contract in 2001. However, on October 3, 2003, Horn was mauled during one of
their live performances by a 400-pound white tiger. They officially retired
from performing in 2010.
See studies by S. Fischbacher (1992), J. Mydlach and J. Lavery (2008);
Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Box (1999, IMAX film).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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