The Incomparable Ricky Jay
I think I first encountered Ricky Jay in David Mamet's House of Games with Joe Mantegna and Lindsay Crouse. He would pop up now and again over the years in films and TV episodes, including the final season of Sneaky Pete, his last on-screen work. I enjoyed his crafty, cynical, world-weary con men wherever they made an appearance.
Jay spent even more Hollywood time off-camera, serving as a technical consultant regarding illusions and con games on dozens of productions. Gary Sinise's wheelchair in Forrest Gump was designed by Jay. In 2006 he was the magic consultant for both The Prestige (Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman) and The Illusionist (Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti).
But Jay's greatest gift to the world was in the realm of magic, where he was considered one of the world's greatest sleight-of-hand artists. He did a variety of seemingly impossible things with a deck of cards, soundtracked with his sarcastic sense of humor ("A feat so impressive... I am forced to mention it myself.") and a desire to educate the audience on the history of his craft and its greatest practitioners. You didn't just witness a series of Ricky Jay magic tricks. You laughed out loud, you were genuinely astonished, and you also learned a little about his idols and mentors.
Ricky appeared as a guest on numerous TV shows in the 70s, 80s, and 90s and there are no doubt clips of these moments available on YouTube. But there are at least two longer productions to be found.
In 1996 David Mamet produced the 1-hour one-man show Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants. I caught it as an HBO special around that time but Jay's fans have found it difficult to find a quality recording of the show. However, a pretty good copy can now be found on the Internet Archive.
A 90-minute documentary entitled Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay, was produced in 2012 and I highly recommend it. I don't see it streaming currently but it is available on DVD from Kino Lorber.
If you enjoy magic, especially sleight-of-hand artistry, do yourself a favor and check out Ricky Jay's work.