Ace Miles

About me:

I am a pirate. Seriously. I have worked as crew on the Tall ship Royaliste, loaded and fired many a deck gun and pistol. From reefing keel to climbing on the yard... I am an actor. I have been since the age of 5. This was when I performed my first magic trick and got away with looking innocent and out and out lied to adults. And...they believed me. Hook, line and sinker. I became a magician. And began my career at 14. Performing for all the major players in Silicon Valley. Learning from the likes of Dai Vernon and Harry Anderson at the Magic Castle, to lessons with Slydini. Juggling was a natural addition and I had the good fortune to work along side of some of the best variety performers in the world. I was partners with the likes of John Gilkey ( Cirque Du Solei), Christian Fitzharris ( Sister Act 2, Cirque Du Solei) and Tommy Drake (Cher's Opening act). Somewhere along the way I picked up ventriloquism and started having to act for two characters at the same time. Though I had still never "acted" as I pictured it. I never saw myself as an actor. And quite frankly it never interested me. Being a character though? Now THAT was fun. And it began of course...with Halloween! My love of costumes and make-up... being able to fool people to the point of not knowing who you were... AMAZED me. How could they NOT know? Was the make up that good? Next up...the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I dressed, and yes performed in front of a movie screen for over 200 midnights. As it turned out...this was much of my training as a character actor. Studying the character. Tearing him apart and putting him back together. I had an extremely rough childhood and this became the world I lived in to escape. The character I portrayed was Riff Raff. The skinhead wig and make up were a daunting task every weekend but eventually I became quite good at it and fast. Soon I was doing other characters from film and even performing my shows at times. Beetle Juice was a natural and fun as hell! Soon I was creating my own characters and even became a crazed pirate magician in a French restaurant called Le Pirate. Performing table side sleight of hand and stage shows on weekends. Of course I had been a pirate for Halloween MANY times...but this was different. I became the pirate. When I heard POTC was coming , I thought OH NO! Disney will ruin this...a movie about the ride? I love the ride don't ruin it for me too! I decided to re-create my favorite parts of the RIDE in my yard for Halloween...and I did. Of course someone had to sort of dress like Captain Jack... Well there was NO going back. The beard has never been shaved since, the tattoo IS permanent and my 3 grandchildren would never let me stop being a pirate now. Although, there was one character that I had always wanted to be. Since I was very young. I had seen the original release of the musical Oliver!. And had always wanted to be Fagin. But why? I don't act. Right? I auditioned for the part of Fagin 4 years ago now. For the last 4 years I have played the part of Fagin at the Dickens Christmas Faire in San Francisco at the Cow Palace. This is totally immersion theater. Which...as it turns out is what I have been doing all along. But now I am a part of a cast actually ACTING. Ooh...dialog, lines, feelings. And I love to make adults cringe and young children cry, by just sneering at them. :) I have never had formal training in anything. Yet I became an animation teacher at the Academy of Art in S.F. WHAT? Oh yes. I took a break and tried to have a "real" job for about 10 years. I bought an Amiga computer and a Video Toaster and taught myself to animate. It seemed simple enough. After all it was like being a character and acting combined with puppetry and a little magic in the form of 3d animation. I worked for all the major game companies and started as a Sr. Animator ( I have no idea how that happened). Eventually sitting in a cube alone was not enough audience reaction for me...so I am back to performing. To get back into it and start making money (which was needed after being laid off for the 5th time in 10 years)... I became a street performer. As Captain Jack Spareribs. I work the Fisherman's Wharf and the Center Stage at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Juggling fire and knives, magic and of course...acting.