Long Tack Sam

Lung Te Shan (Chinese: 郎德山; September 16, 1884 – August 7, 1961), known by his stage name Long Tack Sam, was a Chinese-born American magician, acrobat, and vaudeville performer.

He was born in Wuqiao County, an area of Shandong Province in Northeast China that is internationally understood to be the birthplace of Chinese acrobatics.

Little is known about Long's early years; what is known is that he joined a group of acrobats around the turn of the century called the Tian-Kwai and went on a world tour.

[citation needed] Long's career brought him to the opening act for the Marx Brothers, and he even became a mentor to Orson Welles.

[citation needed] After decades of performing and travelling extensively around the world, Long and his wife Leopoldi (known as Poldi), a native of Ybbs, Austria, retired to New York City.

Through six years of research and the assistance of several magic historians, Fleming uncovered many missing holes in the historical narrative of her great-grandfather's life.

Mi-na Long circa 1920