William W. Larsen Jr.; Co-Founder of Magic Castle

William W. Larsen Jr., 64, co-founder and president of the Academy of Magical Arts, better known as Hollywood’s Magic Castle. Born in Pasadena and a graduate of Occidental College, Larsen began his career in television at CBS, working his way up to associate producer of “Playhouse 90” and the Danny Kaye and Jonathan Winters variety shows. In 1953, after the death of his father, attorney and magician William W. Larsen Sr., he became editor and eventually publisher of Genii, a magazine for magicians founded by his parents in 1936. Larsen and his brother, Milt, realizing a dream of their father’s, founded the Magic Castle in 1963, a private dining and performance club for magicians that now has more than 5,000 members. On Thursday in Los Angeles after a lengthy illness.