Best known for his victory on “America’s Got Talent,” Terry Fator captured the hearts…and funny bones…of America in 2007 with his unique combination of celebrity impressions and unparalleled ventriloquism. Yet his rise from his time with an obscure cover band to his eponymous theatre at The Mirage Hotel & Casino was 32 years in the making.

Fator first discovered his knack for impressions at the age of six, when he began performing Bill Cosby comedy routines for his family and friends. A few years later, Fator found his true passion through the book Ventriloquism for Fun and Profit and quickly learned how to throw his voice, resulting in his first paying gig at the age of 12. Only one year later, Fator first meshed ventriloquism, puppetry and celebrity impressions resulting in a lion puppet, fittingly named Jackyl Mikeson, to sing “Rock With You” by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. As a kid, Fator worked long, hard hours for his family’s cleaning business, during which he would practice his impressions.