Sunday, October 12, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

SIEGFRIED & ROY TIMELINE

A young Siegfried poses in lederhosen in this undated photo. REVIEW-JOURNAL FILE PHOTO Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn are sworn in with their assistant, Lynette Chappell, as U.S. citizens in 1988. REVIEW-JOURNAL FILE PHOTO They hold their Merlin statuettes after being named Magicians of the Century by the International Magicians Society between shows at The Mirage in February 2000. REVIEW-JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

June 13, 1939 -- Siegfried Fischbacher is born in Bavaria, Germany.

Oct. 3, 1944 -- Roy Uwe Ludwig Horn is born in Nordenham, Germany, at his aunt's house during an Allied bombing raid.

1947 -- Siegfried buys his first book on magic at the village bookstore after he finds five marks in the gutter.

Also in his early years, Siegfried attends his first magic show in Munich, Germany, to watch the German illusionist Kalanag.

1951 -- Roy's dog Hexe saves his life after he becomes trapped in a bog while playing in the countryside. Hexe, a half-wolf, attracts the attention of farmers, who pull Roy to safety.

1953 -- Siegfried finishes school and works at a carpet factory. His first attempt at magic, performing for a goat farmers' club, is a hilarious disaster when he can't make a goat disappear.

1955 -- Seeking escape from postwar poverty and depression, Roy begins to frequent the zoo in Bremen, Germany, where he gains regular access through a close family friend. He befriends a 2-year-old cheetah named Chico, the initial inspiration for his love of exotic cats.

1956 -- Siegfried finds work at a resort in Lago di Garda, Italy, starting as a dishwasher. He moves up to bartending and begins performing small, informal magic shows.

1957 -- Roy leaves school and finds a job as a bellboy in first class on the ocean liner TS Bremen, which sails between Bremerhaven, Germany, and New York.

1959 -- Siegfried signs on as a steward on the TS Bremen. He is eventually promoted to ship entertainer. He befriends Roy, who is now a steward who has a cabin across the hall, and asks him to help set up the show. Roy, seeking a way to get the zoo-liberated cheetah Chico on board the ship, asks, "If you can make a rabbit and doves appear and disappear, could you do the same thing with a cheetah?" Roy becomes Siegfried's assistant.

1964 -- Siegfried and Roy leave the ship to perform at the Astoria Theatre in Bremen, Germany. During the next few years they refine their act in small clubs and stageless venues throughout Europe. An engagement at the famous Hansa Theater in Hamburg, Germany, leads to other work in Switzerland. They then tour Monte Carlo, Madrid and Paris. They officially adopt the name Siegfried & Roy for their act.

1967 -- Siegfried & Roy arrive in Las Vegas with Chico, a second cheetah, Simba, and flamingos. They debut at the Tropicana as a 12-minute specialty act in "Folies Bergere."

1970 -- They begin a three-month engagement in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They acquire a jaguar, Jahmal, but find another home for it, because the animal is unmanageable. Siegfried & Roy return to Las Vegas for a three-year run in the Stardust's "Lido," this time with a 15-minute spot. They acquire a female Siberian tiger named Sahra for their act.

1973 -- Siegfried & Roy go back to Puerto Rico for a yearlong engagement at the Americana Hotel with Sahra; a Sumatran tiger, Radscha; a black panther, Sabu; and a leopard, Sasha.

Famed producer Donn Arden informs Siegfried & Roy of negotiations with the under-construction MGM Grand for a stage spectacular.

1974 -- Siegfried & Roy return to Las Vegas where they appear in the MGM Grand's "Hallelujah Hollywood." They add an African lion, Leo, as a tribute to the MGM studio mascot.

1976 -- Siegfried & Roy receive Magicians of the Year award from the Academy of Magical Arts in Los Angeles.

1977 -- Siegfried & Roy meet their future manager, Bernie Yuman, whom they call their "five-star general."

1978 -- Feb. 17 is declared Las Vegas Siegfried & Roy Day. They agree to leave the MGM revue to prop up the struggling "Lido de Paris" as the 30-minute closing act, and receive star billing as The Superstars of Magic. Negotiating through the 27-year-old Yuman, Siegfried & Roy become the highest-paid specialty act in the history of Las Vegas. They add two new friends and personal assistants to the show: showgirl Lynette Chappell and performer Tony Mitchell.

On the night of the Stardust premiere, Siegfried is bitten on his hand and arm by the African lion, who is not adjusted to the new venue. He receives 38 stitches backstage and performs the second show. Afterward, Cary Grant comes back to congratulate him.

1981 -- Circus impresarios father and son Irvin and Kenneth Feld take the duo beyond a specialty act with "Beyond Belief," a full-length showcase at the Frontier that becomes the first ongoing magic show in Las Vegas. It racks up 3,500 performances for more than 3 million showgoers.

1982 -- Siegfried & Roy work with the commissioner of Indian wildlife to acquire two white tiger cubs from the Cincinnati Zoo. Each from different litters, Roy names the male cub Neva and the female cub Shasadee. Roy also is allowed to take a third, completely white, female cub he names Sitarra. Eventually, Neva and Sitarra become Roy's first breeding pair of white tigers.

1985 -- Siegfried & Roy perform for the Magician's Benefit for U.S.A. for Africa.

1986 -- The first Nevada offspring are born to white tigers Sitarra and Neva.

1988 -- After a seven-year run at the Frontier, Siegfried & Roy sign a $57.5 million deal with casino developer Steve Wynn and decide to bide their time with a 38-week run in a custom venue in the Ginza District of Tokyo, while The Mirage is under construction.

Oct. 3, 1988 -- Siegfried & Roy are sworn in as United States citizens, along with their assistant, Lynette Chappell, in Las Vegas.

1989 -- Siegfried & Roy play three weeks at Radio City Music Hall.

1990 -- Siegfried & Roy debut at The Mirage in a 1,500-seat custom venue. The Broadway-meets-rock-concert spectacle designed by John Napier of "Cats" and "Les Miserables" fame also sets a then-record Las Vegas ticket price of $60.80.

1992 -- Siegfried & Roy receive the Magicians of the Decade Award from the Academy of Magical Arts in Los Angeles.

1993 -- "Siegfried & Roy: Masters of the Impossible," a Saturday morning cartoon, premieres on television.

1995 -- Siegfried & Roy introduce the first white lions to the United States.

1996 -- The entertainers celebrate their 15,000th Las Vegas performance. Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden opens at The Mirage. The entertainers are inducted into the Las Vegas Gaming Hall of Fame. The white lioness, Prosperity, is born.

1998 -- Production begins on Siegfried & Roy's Imax 3-D biography "The Magic Box."

1999 -- Prosperity is named the U.S. Senate's mascot. Siegfried & Roy are awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "The Magic Box" premieres nationally in more than 160 Imax venues, but doesn't show in Las Vegas.

2000 -- Siegfried & Roy are honored as Magicians of the Century by the International Magicians Society.

2001 -- Siegfried & Roy celebrate a "lifetime contract" with The Mirage, which guarantees them at least another four years, more if they choose.

Oct. 3, 2003 -- During a sold-out 7:30 p.m. performance at The Mirage, Roy is critically mauled by a 7-year-old white tiger named Montecore. Roy is rushed to University Medical Center.

Oct. 4, 2003 -- The Mirage announces the show is indefinitely canceled. The show's employees are told to start pursuing other career options.

Oct. 6, 2003 -- Producers confirm the show is closing after 5,750 performances.

Oct. 7, 2003 -- Siegfried and Yuman appear on "Larry King Live," where Siegfried tells King that Montecore was trying to protect Roy. Montecore remains in quarantine.

COMPILED BY MIKE JOHNSON/REVIEW-JOURNAL

SOURCES: News reports, Review-Journal library,

siegfriedandroy.com, "Siegfried & Roy: Mastering the Impossible" with Annette Tapert