Henning was born in the Fort Garry district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and began practicing magic at Oakenwald School in Fort Garry, later moving to Oakville, Ontario.
Henning became interested in magic after seeing the Peruvian magician Richiardi Jr. perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. He subsequently learned a variety of tricks and performed for his relatives. Eventually he named himself "The Astounding Hendoo" and started advertising in local newspapers.
After Henning graduated from Oakville Trafalgar High School, he stopped doing magic, not wanting to do it for a living. He felt that there were only two kinds of magicians, "... magicians for kids, and magicians for nightclub acts. I didn't want to be either kind."

Return to Doug Henning Autograph Profile