Why She’s Interesting: Dermatologist Angela Funovits, who practices at Allied Dermatology and Skin Surgery’s Mayfield Heights and Fairlawn offices, moonlights as a performing magician and mentalist. After finishing as first runner-up on the NBC series Phenomenon in 2007, she appeared on everything from the Syfy network’s Wizard Wars and The CW’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us to TV shows in France, Germany, Indonesia and Japan. She’s performed at The Magic Castle in Hollywood and headlined at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada.
Magic Cast Its Spell: The Avon Lake native was captivated by a TV magic special when she was 5 years old. “They were doing standard illusions — sawing people in half, rearranging bodies within these contraptions,” she explains. “I just remember thinking to myself at the time, ‘That is actual magic. There is no other explanation for it.’” Watching Fox’s Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed at the age of 10 sent her to the library in search of everything written on the topic. The shy girl eventually gained the confidence to perform tricks for classmates at Troy Intermediate School.
Not Just Another Pretty Face: At 11, Dr. Funovits participated in a model search that yielded a callback from Elite Model Management. Although she was too young to move to New York City for a modeling career, she appeared in local ads for the likes of Joann Fabrics and the I-X Indoor Amusement Park. Five years later, she won the Miss Teen Cleveland pageant. “I decided to try to do pageants largely as a means of getting over my stage fright and my shyness,” she explains.
Skin Deep: Dr. Funovits decided to specialize in dermatology after shadowing a dermatologist before starting medical school. She describes it as a “happy and uplifting” specialty where she can help people improve or resolve skin conditions that can be debilitating. “When we get those positive outcomes, it’s so nice to see people feeling better and feeling more confident and comfortable.”
Angela Funovits, photographed at Cleveland Botanical Garden.
Meet Cleveland's Most Interesting People of 2024.
