he is history’s most commercially
successful magician welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re taking a
look at the life and career of David
Copperfield and some theories behind a
few of his illusions a lot of my critics
say I can’t get through a show without a
pretty lady a lot of smoke and wind
blowing my hair well tonight I’m gonna
prove to you that they’re right
David Seth Kotkin was born September 16
1956 in Metuchen New Jersey after taking
an interest in magic the shy boy joined
the Society of American Magicians when
he was 12 the organization’s youngest
member quickly developed his skills in
the art and learned more about
performing by going to Broadway shows by
16 he was teaching magic at New York
University two years later he was
attending University himself and won the
main role in the Magic Man musical
inspired by the Charles Dickens novel
David Copperfield as he was now known
used this performance experience to book
other work soon Copperfield was
discovered by a television producer who
made him host of the TV special the
magic of ABC what are you doing I’m just
checking this set out from where I stand
there is no way you’re gonna get this
set up into the air impossible well well
well nothing’s impossible I’ve been
working on the whole day
after that CBS hired him for a series of
annual TV specials called the magic of
David Copperfield that ran between 1978
and 1998 watch closely
Wednesday for the all-new breathtaking
CBS special the magic of David
Copperfield in these shows Copperfield
performed huge magic tricks for TV
cameras and a group of live witnesses
though Copperfield has acted in film and
appeared on TV shows it was these 20
television specials that proved he was a
great performer and magician what would
you say if the card that you selected
matches my prediction everybody’s a
critic some of his most impressive and
memorable early illusions included
vanishing an airplane floating over the
Grand Canyon and the illusion of the
century making the Statue of Liberty
disappear
you look like a skeptic all I know is
that when the curtain dropped the statue
was not there and I didn’t say it
Copperfield challenged himself by coming
out with bigger and better illusions as
the years went by and he was rewarded
with over 20 Emmy Awards besides several
daring and complex escape attempts the
magician has walked through the Great
Wall of China escaped from Alcatraz
plunged over Niagara Falls and lived the
dream by flying through the air
while he has been injured by some of his
dangerous stunts Copperfield has never
quit performing magic the early 1990s
saw him use his wealth and fame to
develop other projects such as the rehab
program project magic and the
International Museum & library of the
conjuring arts in the mid 90s
Copperfield took his magic to Broadway
dreams and nightmares was a box-office
smash and secured the charming performer
rave reviews for the interactive live
show he also put out two anthologies
bringing together fictional stories
about magic though his long-term
relationship with supermodel claudia
schiffer ended before decades end
Copperfield’s professional life
continued to rise with an estimated 55
million dollars in earnings he was the
world’s tenth highest paid celebrity in
2003 according to Forbes magazine during
the next few years Copperfield and his
model girlfriend welcomed a daughter he
also wow audiences with a multiple year
Las Vegas residency magicians promise
never to explain how their tricks are
performed and that keeps people guessing
about how Copperfield has managed to do
things that seem impossible and his
flying trick definitely had people
talking
the most widely circulated explanation
was that he fastened extremely strong
but thin ropes to a belt under his
clothing which the crew manipulated
offstage meanwhile his onstage
assistants created the optical illusion
the Copperfield was flying through the
Rings without any help but making the
Statue of Liberty disappear was
definitely one of Copperfield’s most
famous stunts our time is running short
I think it’s important for you to recap
using this model of Liberty Island some
people believed he did it by putting his
audience and too-tall brightly lit
columns on a platform that turned when
he raised the curtain that platform
turned and hid the statue behind one of
the columns I have never seen a Statue
of Liberty disappear the way this one
did despite these theories the king of
magic is a living legend who has been
knighted by France and boasts 11
Guinness World Records to his name his
talent and artistry have won him more
Awards than any other magician and he is
one of the world’s best-selling solo
entertainers undoubtedly David
Copperfield will continue to keep magic
lovers happy for generations to come
I hope you like it I hope it works it’s
kind of cool that’s it
successful magician welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re taking a
look at the life and career of David
Copperfield and some theories behind a
few of his illusions a lot of my critics
say I can’t get through a show without a
pretty lady a lot of smoke and wind
blowing my hair well tonight I’m gonna
prove to you that they’re right
David Seth Kotkin was born September 16
1956 in Metuchen New Jersey after taking
an interest in magic the shy boy joined
the Society of American Magicians when
he was 12 the organization’s youngest
member quickly developed his skills in
the art and learned more about
performing by going to Broadway shows by
16 he was teaching magic at New York
University two years later he was
attending University himself and won the
main role in the Magic Man musical
inspired by the Charles Dickens novel
David Copperfield as he was now known
used this performance experience to book
other work soon Copperfield was
discovered by a television producer who
made him host of the TV special the
magic of ABC what are you doing I’m just
checking this set out from where I stand
there is no way you’re gonna get this
set up into the air impossible well well
well nothing’s impossible I’ve been
working on the whole day
after that CBS hired him for a series of
annual TV specials called the magic of
David Copperfield that ran between 1978
and 1998 watch closely
Wednesday for the all-new breathtaking
CBS special the magic of David
Copperfield in these shows Copperfield
performed huge magic tricks for TV
cameras and a group of live witnesses
though Copperfield has acted in film and
appeared on TV shows it was these 20
television specials that proved he was a
great performer and magician what would
you say if the card that you selected
matches my prediction everybody’s a
critic some of his most impressive and
memorable early illusions included
vanishing an airplane floating over the
Grand Canyon and the illusion of the
century making the Statue of Liberty
disappear
you look like a skeptic all I know is
that when the curtain dropped the statue
was not there and I didn’t say it
Copperfield challenged himself by coming
out with bigger and better illusions as
the years went by and he was rewarded
with over 20 Emmy Awards besides several
daring and complex escape attempts the
magician has walked through the Great
Wall of China escaped from Alcatraz
plunged over Niagara Falls and lived the
dream by flying through the air
while he has been injured by some of his
dangerous stunts Copperfield has never
quit performing magic the early 1990s
saw him use his wealth and fame to
develop other projects such as the rehab
program project magic and the
International Museum & library of the
conjuring arts in the mid 90s
Copperfield took his magic to Broadway
dreams and nightmares was a box-office
smash and secured the charming performer
rave reviews for the interactive live
show he also put out two anthologies
bringing together fictional stories
about magic though his long-term
relationship with supermodel claudia
schiffer ended before decades end
Copperfield’s professional life
continued to rise with an estimated 55
million dollars in earnings he was the
world’s tenth highest paid celebrity in
2003 according to Forbes magazine during
the next few years Copperfield and his
model girlfriend welcomed a daughter he
also wow audiences with a multiple year
Las Vegas residency magicians promise
never to explain how their tricks are
performed and that keeps people guessing
about how Copperfield has managed to do
things that seem impossible and his
flying trick definitely had people
talking
the most widely circulated explanation
was that he fastened extremely strong
but thin ropes to a belt under his
clothing which the crew manipulated
offstage meanwhile his onstage
assistants created the optical illusion
the Copperfield was flying through the
Rings without any help but making the
Statue of Liberty disappear was
definitely one of Copperfield’s most
famous stunts our time is running short
I think it’s important for you to recap
using this model of Liberty Island some
people believed he did it by putting his
audience and too-tall brightly lit
columns on a platform that turned when
he raised the curtain that platform
turned and hid the statue behind one of
the columns I have never seen a Statue
of Liberty disappear the way this one
did despite these theories the king of
magic is a living legend who has been
knighted by France and boasts 11
Guinness World Records to his name his
talent and artistry have won him more
Awards than any other magician and he is
one of the world’s best-selling solo
entertainers undoubtedly David
Copperfield will continue to keep magic
lovers happy for generations to come
I hope you like it I hope it works it’s
kind of cool that’s it
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