Cyril Takayama was born and raised in Hollywood, California. His father is of Japanese descent from Okinawa prefecture, while his mother is Moroccan-French[citation needed], both of whom were beauticians. Cyril Takayama had an eventful yet troubled upbringing. A recent profile in Magic (“The Magazine for Magicians�) describes him being expelled from school at 15 and then, on a visit to relatives in Okinawa the following year, how he got off the plane during a stopover in Tokyo and never got back on. Cyril wound up busking on the streets of Shinjuku, and at times had so little money that he could afford just one meal a day. In 1991, Cyril's dedication began to pay off. He was awarded a top prize by magic's international governing body, the International Federation of Magic Societies, as well in 1994. In 2001, he and his partner, Jane won the Golden Lion Award at Siegfried and Roy’s World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas. He was a member of the short-lived television series T.H.E.M. In 2007 he won first place in The Magic Woods Awards, Best Magician Category.[1]