Rafael (1 February 1975) is one of the few Flemish illusionists — a versatile artist who has enjoyed great international recognition for many years. He has won various major prizes, including the Siegfried & Roy Golden Lion Award in Las Vegas (2005).
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An international career
Rafael has been on stage from a very young age; he gave his first performance when he was nine. Audiences know him above all for his style, in which he combines humour with magical effects, and he devises most of his illusions himself.
He performs mainly abroad and enjoys great recognition there, from the royal family of Monaco to Las Vegas. He also works for other major illusionists and is a magic consultant for numerous theatre productions and musicals.
Decorated and acclaimed
Rafael won an impressive series of prizes at home and abroad, including the Grote Prijs Variété van Vlaanderen (Ghent, 1989) and the Mandrake d'Or (Paris, 2002).
In 2005 he received the prestigious Siegfried & Roy Golden Lion Award in Las Vegas, and in 2025 the Merlin Award for best innovation in comedy magic.
From Le plus grand cabaret to Pamela Anderson
Rafael performed on leading programmes such as Le plus grand cabaret du monde — for an average of around ten million viewers — and on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He is also the magician in the music video for Gabriël Rios' Ghostboy.
In 2007 he was Pamela Anderson's personal coach and magic consultant for Hans Klok's show 'The Beauty of Magic' in Las Vegas. He designed magical effects for the musical 'Ich war noch niemals in New York'.
Rafael proved that a Flemish illusionist can rank among the very best in the world. You will recognise that same combination of humour, originality and international class in the work of Sudesh Roman.