Here's a name you don't hear on these boards too often...
First, let me say that I've enjoyed reading this and similar threads on this forum, because they've exposed me to some performers I hadn't yet seen. A Youtube link in another thread to Cardini's comedic cardistry was absolutely brilliant.
I'm partial to Penn & Teller and Simon Lovell, as a like-minded soul posted above, and am blown away by some of the Bill Malone video performances I've seen. Incidentally, I saw P&T perform their bullet-catching trick live in Boston, and found it one of the best live performances I've seen. What I enjoy about all of them is their patter and their warm rapport with the audience; they are not only masters of illusion, but also of comedy and in creating a sympathetic stage persona. (Well, maybe 'sympathetic' isn't the right word for P&T, but you know what I mean.)
Oh, and I'm very much enjoying Daniel Garcia, Wayne Houchin, Chris Kenner, and Lee Asher as instructors! Likewise, Ben Salinas and Brad Christian, even though it may not be fashionable to say so.
Some others on the board here may remember Johnny Carson introducing "one of the greatest magicians in the world": the Great Flydini!
But, I'd have to say my favorite magician who combine(d?) a perfectly crafted character with comedy and illusion is Harry Anderson. Check out his video, "Hello, Sucker!" or his appearances on Saturday Night Live. His "Harry the Hat" was every bit as con-artistish as Simon Lovell's "Freddy the Fox", and every bit as endearing and everyman-ish as Chaplin's The Little Tramp.
Anderson's performance of the needle-through-arm is an anthem. (And yes, I know that the version on Hello, Sucker contains a deceptive video edit, but there are other performances available if you look hard enough, and what I'm particularly drawn to is how he *sells* the illusion, even though he never actually shows you the needle going in.)
I enjoyed the book "Harry Anderson: Wise Guy from the Streets to the Screen" by Mike Caveney, a biography which appears to be out of print now. It described how Harry invented tricks, routines, and his persona. I recommend this book to anyone interesting in building an act.
Food for thought,
--Allan