Ottawa Comedy Magician Elliott Smith was recently honoured by the National Comedy Hall of Fame Museum in Holiday, Florida by having his name added to the ‘Wall of The Great Touring Comedians’.
The museum Founder and President, Tony Belmont presented Elliott with ‘a place on the wall’ surrounded by other famous comedians including the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Craig Ferguson, Mike MacDonald and many more. "Elliott is as talented as a comedian as he is a magician. We are proud to add Elliott Smith to our roster of wonderful comedians deserving of this recognition on the National Comedy Hall of Fame Museum Wall of Great Touring Comedians." said Belmont.
Smith is a comedy magician who has entertained audiences across Canada, the United States, Europe and the Caribbean for over 43 years. A member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and the distinguished Order of Merlin Shield, Elliott has performed for Prime Ministers of Canada, International Ambassadors, Jay Leno, and the late Liberace. Elliott was hired by former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau to perform at his private events and even performed a magic show for Canada's present Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sixth birthday.
"If you love comedy and want to go on a really fun trip down memory lane of comedy history, the National Comedy Hall of Fame Museum is a wonderful place to visit not only for locals but also snowbirds and other tourists while on their travels in Florida. It is truly an honour to know that I am part of that journey by representing both Canada and comedy magicians on the museum’s Wall of Great Touring Comedians and that Ottawa and other Canadian visitors can find me there", said Smith.
Smith started learning his craft at the age of six while living on Somerset Street in Ottawa. He asked his parents for a magic set, practiced every day after school and this newfound skill followed him throughout his life until it became a full-time profession. He completed a Bachelor of Arts at Carleton University, worked in the government for Indian Affairs (Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada), managed and did public relations/marketing for Mother's Pizza Parlor and IP Looney's restaurant, and worked in advertising and sales for a period. But his true passion was always doing magic shows.
Smith was inducted into the Order of Merlin by the International Brotherhood of Magicians, in 1999, and then inducted into the Order of Merlin Shield, in 2009. In 2015, he became the first Canadian comedy magician to perform at the historic Friars Club in New York City, one of the most prestigious and oldest private clubs in the United States. The 111-year-old venue is home to some of the greatest comedians in the world along with a who's who of well-known politicians, actors, musicians and other entertainment professionals.
Smith was named as one of Ottawa's top 50 influential people by Ottawa Life Magazine in 2003 when he was nominated for Small Business of the year by the Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority. He is the co-Author of the internationally acclaimed book Highway to Success: The Entertainer's Roadmap to Business – a unique book designed to help performers, entrepreneurs, home-based businesses and indeed, anyone who is following their dream to develop business savvy and become successful at what they do.
