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…