Biography for
Teller More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

14 February 1948, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Birth Name

Raymond Joseph Teller

Height

5' 9" (1.75 m)

Trade Mark

Never speaks

Trivia

With partner Penn Jillette, half of comedy-magic team Penn & Teller.

Teller taught Latin at a high school near Trenton, NJ. He graduated from Amherst College in Amherst, MA. He went to Central High School in Philadelphia, PA.

Driver's license reads "NFN Teller." "NFN" is short for "No First Name."

Changed his name to Teller legally, and has one of the few US passports issued with a single name.

Despite his trademark of never speaking, Teller has appeared in speaking roles in several films and television shows, including The Learning Channel's "Mysteries of Magic," in which he appeared for an interview, as himself, without stage partner Penn Jillette.

Extremely talented painter.

His green room at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino was redone by Penn Jillette and the crew from the show "While You Were Out" on TLC.

Plays the vibraphone.

Has had essays published in the New Yorker magazine.

Taught Latin at the same high school that Jon Stewart and Thom Bray attended.

Teller, like Penn Jillette, is a staunch atheist with a libertarian political philosophy.

He and stage partner Penn were contestants on an episode of celebrity "Fear Factor" (2001). Teller performed all of the stunts while Penn was left out of the action. In the end, the duo was beaten by Keshia Knight Pulliam.

Of Russian and Cuban descent.

On his guest appearance on "The Simpsons" he spoke five lines, a rarity for this usually silent actor.

Personal Quotes

Magic is the art of creating false (but funny or beautiful) cause-and-effect relationships. That's our area of expertise. When we do it on a stage, the audience is fooled, but only for the moment, only in the theater. They know they're watching a show. They know it's all tricks. They do not go home and try to float in the air or catch bullets in their teeth. [But] When we see scam artists peddling false cause-and-effect as reality; when we see the tools of theater and poetry used to victimize the vulnerable; when we sick people submitting to "medical procedures" that belong in a Three Stooges movie; all this enrages us.

If there existed even one psychic who had predicted that disaster, we'd be very, very interested. But, nope. What haunts me about 9/11 is the horrible knowledge that those who did the deed did it to further the divine will. Whenever we hear a politician bless killing, we should think twice.

Where Are They Now

(2003) Performing a nightly show at the Rio in Las Vegas, Nevada.

(July 2008) Hosting the TV-show "Penn and Tellers: Bullshit!" with Penn Jillette, which reached season 6.

(June 2010) Hosting season 8 of Penn and Teller: Bullshit!