Biography
Joseph Tran got his first taste of a stage at eight years old, singing happy birthday to his father, a nightclub manager, in front of a thousand people, then freezing for a moment before delivering a line he'd rehearsed backstage: "I love you, Daddy." The crowd roared. He's been chasing that feeling ever since.
He came to magic almost by accident. Around age ten, he taught himself basic tricks from a library book to impress kids in his neighborhood. As a teenager, that interest earned him an invitation to join the junior program at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, where he went on to win the Junior Achievement Award, the organization's highest honor for a young magician. Performing wasn't new to him even then: his parents were dance teachers who ran their own studio, and Joseph taught ballroom dancing there himself, often partnering with students older and taller than he was.
He carried that into formal training: a performing arts magnet school, then a Theatre degree from Cal State Northridge, where he studied acting under the tutelage of seasoned actor Lillian Lehman. It was during his time at Northridge that he landed his first major film role in, "We Were Soldiers", working for a major studio and alongside a cast of established names early in his career. He's a member of SAG-AFTRA, with additional film credits including "The Disapperance of Mrs. Wu" and "Coyote Waits", and television work including "Scorpion", "Reasons Not to Date a Magician", and "Wendell & Vinnie" (in which he also worked as the show's magic consultant). His magic-consulting credits also include "The Late, Late Show with James Corden", as well as advising performers behind the scenes on competition and variety television.
Tran is a Los Angeles-based magician, mentalist, and actor who still performs live regularly, built on the same instinct that nightclub stage taught him as a kid. He is also the creator and host of a touring interactive game show, building on-camera hosting experience alongside his acting and magic work.
