Criss Angel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Criss Angel
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Angel in 2010
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| Born |
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos
December 19, 1967 |
| Occupation | Magician, entertainer, musician, TV personality |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse(s) |
JoAnn Winkhart
(m. 2002–2005) |
| Partner(s) | Shaunyl Benson (2012–present) |
| Children | 3 |
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (Greek: Χριστόφορος Νικόλαος Σαραντάκος), known as Criss Angel, was born on December 19, 1967. He is an American magician, illusionist, and musician. Many people consider him one of the most successful illusionists in the world. His shows have brought a lot of money to Las Vegas.
Angel started his career in New York City. Later, he moved his main work to Las Vegas Valley. He is famous for his TV show Criss Angel Mindfreak. He also had a stage show called Criss Angel MINDFREAK LIVE! (which used to be Criss Angel Believe) at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas. After ten years at The Luxor, Angel opened a new MINDFREAK show. This show is at the Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. He also created and starred in other TV shows. These include Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars on CW and Criss Angel BeLIEve on Spike TV. He also had a special called Trick'd on A&E and a competition show called Phenomenon on NBC.
Criss Angel holds many world records for his magic acts. He was named Magician of the Decade in 2009. The International Magicians Society also called him Magician of the Century in 2010. In 2017, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Vanish magazine gave him the "Greatest of All Time" award in 2019. Besides magic, Angel was the lead singer for his band Angeldust. They released five albums. He also wrote a book called Mindfreak: Secret Revelations.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Magic
Criss Angel was born on December 19, 1967, in Hempstead, New York. His family moved to East Meadow, New York when he was in fourth grade. His father owned a restaurant and a doughnut shop. Criss became interested in magic when he was seven years old. He was inspired by the famous illusionist, Harry Houdini.
Angel performed for an audience for the first time at age 12. He had practiced for five years and earned $10 for his show. By age 14, he was performing in restaurants while still in high school. His first big illusion was making his mother float in their home. Early in his career, an animal trainer named Marc Morrone helped him. Morrone helped Angel find and train doves for his magic acts.
After high school, Angel decided to become a professional magician. He chose this path instead of going to college, which his parents wanted. He traveled and performed with other acts. He also studied the history of magic in libraries. He learned about mysticism, music, martial arts, and dance.
Early Career and First TV Shows
Angel wanted to create his own unique magic style. He avoided other magicians when he was younger. His first TV appearance was in 1994. He was part of a special show called Secrets on ABC. The horror director Clive Barker supported Angel early on. In 1995, Barker asked Angel to work on his film Lord of Illusions. Barker also recorded the intro for Angel's music album.
In the mid-1990s, Angel teamed up with musician Klayton to form Angeldust. This show combined magic with music. They released their first album in 1998. That same year, Angel performed many short shows at a "World of Illusion" conference.
Angel also appeared in TV movies like The Science of Magic (1997) and its sequel (2003). His off-Broadway show, Criss Angel Mindfreak, became his first TV series. It ran for over 600 shows between 2001 and 2003. During this time, Angel set a world record. He stayed submerged in a tank of water for 24 hours. This act was also part of his first TV special.
Angel has also spoken out against people who claim to talk to the dead. He believes it is not possible. He says he will expose anyone who claims to have such powers for entertainment.
TV Specials and Appearances (2002–2005)
On October 20, 2002, Angel starred in a TV special called Criss Angel Mindfreak: Postmodern illusionist. This show was a tribute to Harry Houdini. It aired on ABC Family.
On October 31, 2003, the Sci-Fi Channel aired a special called Supernatural with Angel. In this special, Angel did many stunts. He crawled up buildings and made a tarantula appear from a soda can. Angel was involved in every part of his TV specials. He was the executive producer, director, and creator. He also wrote all the music for his shows.
In 2003, Angel performed at an event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was suspended ten stories high and escaped from a straitjacket. He also performed an illusion at Ozzfest in 2005. During this time, Angel also sold signed merchandise.
Criss Angel Mindfreak TV Series
In 2005, Angel created, directed, and produced the A&E Network show Criss Angel Mindfreak. The first two seasons were filmed at The Aladdin in Las Vegas. Season 3 was filmed at the Luxor Las Vegas. The show started on July 20, 2005.
Some of the illusions on the show included:
- Walking on water.
- Levitating (floating in the air).
- Walking up the side of the Luxor Hotel.
- Floating between two buildings.
- Making a Lamborghini disappear.
- Surviving inside an exploding crate.
- Cutting himself in half in front of an audience.
- Getting run over by a steamroller while lying on broken glass.
The show became very popular. By the third season, it was A&E's top-rated show. It had over 1.5 million viewers. In 2006, Angel promoted the show by escaping from a concrete cube above Times Square. Magic expert Sean Field said that year, "Criss Angel is the biggest name in magic since Houdini." The show was also very popular in parts of Asia, like China.
Criss Angel Mindfreak was the first weekly magic TV show in 40 years. It helped bring magic back into the public eye. The show ran from 2005 to 2010. Angel was featured for more hours on prime time TV than any other magician in history. He also performed séances and other tricks to teach his audience about scams.
In July 2008, Angel escaped from a hotel just before it was demolished. About 50,000 people watched this illusion. Angel later showed the audience how he did it. He picked handcuffs, broke a window, and picked padlocks. He then appeared from the rubble, saying his plan was always to escape by helicopter.
Criss Angel Believe
Stage Show
In 2006, Angel teamed up with Cirque du Soleil to create the stage show Criss Angel Believe. The show opened at the Luxor Las Vegas on September 26, 2008. It became the best-selling live magic show in the world. The name "Believe" was inspired by Harry Houdini. Luxor's parent company, MGM Mirage, invested $100 million in the show.
The show had some delays and opened officially on October 31, 2008. Early shows received mixed reviews. Some critics felt there wasn't enough magic and the story was confusing. However, later reviews were very positive. The Las Vegas Sun said it was "everything a perfect magic performance should be." In 2011, the Toronto Star called it "the most exciting thing now on stage in Vegas!" The show ran until 2019 and was the top-selling magic show in Las Vegas.
In 2019, Criss Angel started his new show, "Mindfreak Live," at Planet Hollywood. He performs there five nights a week.
Television Series
In October 2013, a TV series based on the stage show, Criss Angel BeLIEve, aired on Spike TV. The first season had 11 episodes and featured 118 different illusions. Famous guests like Ludacris, Ice-T, Randy Couture, and Shaquille O'Neal appeared on the show.
Angel explained that he chose to focus on the live Cirque show first. Once that show was successful, he decided to return to television. The show became the "most-watched new original series" on Spike TV.
In one episode, "Lord of Illusions — Death Premonition," Angel honored Clive Barker. He performed a stunt from Barker's movie, where he lay under falling swords. He predicted the correct order of six falling swords to avoid being hurt.
For another episode filmed in New York City, Angel performed a dangerous trick. He hung by his feet, bound with two straitjackets and a noose around his neck. He successfully completed the trick but injured his shoulder. This injury required surgery in January 2014. As a result, the Believe stage show was temporarily closed. Angel hosted a new show with other magicians while he recovered. Clips from the show also became very popular on YouTube.
In the show, Angel sometimes revealed how he did his illusions. For example, he showed that the swords in the "Lord of Illusions" trick were in a specific order.
Phenomenon TV Show
In October 2007, Criss Angel was a judge on the TV show Phenomenon with Uri Geller. Angel told Larry King on CNN that he didn't believe anyone had supernatural powers. He said he would expose anyone on the show who claimed to have such abilities.
On one episode, a performer claimed to talk to the dead. Angel called the performance "comical." He then challenged the performer and Uri Geller to guess what was inside two envelopes he had. He offered a million dollars of his own money. This led to an argument. Angel later revealed the contents of one envelope. It had the numbers "911" printed on it. Angel explained that if someone could have predicted 9/11, they could have saved many lives.
Stage Shows
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Criss Angel Magicjam
While Angel recovered from his shoulder injury, a temporary show called Criss Angel Magicjam was performed at the Luxor theater. This show featured other magicians and mentalists. Criss Angel wrote and directed the production. In January 2014, Angel announced that Criss Angel Magicjam would go on a North American tour. Angel also performed his own illusions for about 40 minutes of the show.
Criss Angel Mindfreak (Touring and Residency)
In 2014, Angel started his touring show, Mindfreak LIVE!. This show featured new illusions developed in his Las Vegas illusion laboratory. It was the first time Angel had toured with his show in about six years. The first show was at Foxwoods Resort Casino in November 2014.
After the success of the touring show, Angel announced that Mindfreak would become a permanent show at the Planet Hollywood Hotel in Las Vegas. The show takes place in the Criss Angel Theater. It uses many special effects, pyrotechnics, and technology. The show is still running today.
The Supernaturalists
The Supernaturalists opened in June 2015. Criss Angel created, directed, and produced this show. It featured a team of different illusionists, including a mentalist, an escape artist, and a close-up magician. Angel said the show was the result of ten years of work. It was designed to be a global touring show and a place for new illusions.
Other Appearances and Projects
Angel has made many special TV appearances. He was a guest star on WWE Raw. He also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show, Late Show with David Letterman, America's Got Talent, and The Rosie O'Donnell Show. He also acted in TV shows like CSI: NY, Las Vegas, and Rules of Engagement. In 2011, he was in a commercial for Orville Redenbacher popcorn.
In 2005, Angel introduced Ozzy Osbourne at the VH1 Rock Honors awards. At the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, Angel performed an illusion with Britney Spears. He also helped plan her stage show. In 2013, Angel had a small role in the movie The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. There is a wax statue of Angel at the Madame Tussauds wax museum in Las Vegas.
Music
Criss Angel loves music and says he was a musician before he was a magician. In 1989, he led a heavy metal band called Angel. He later formed Angeldust with Klay Scott in 1995. They released their first album in 1998. Angel also released other albums like System 1, System 2, and System 3. In 2003, he released Supernatural. His music style is heavy metal, but he also uses electronic and orchestral sounds. He also produced soundtracks for his Mindfreak TV series.
Books
Angel wrote a book called Mindfreak: Secret Revelations, published in 2007. It appeared on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list. The book talks about his early career and famous illusions from his TV show. It also shares personal thoughts and includes instructions for some of his basic tricks.
Internet
Criss Angel is the most watched magician in Internet history. His video "Walk on Water" had over 39 million views by 2010. By early 2013, his videos had over 200 million views. Another popular video, "Rip Bodies Apart," had over twelve million views in one month.
Merchandise
In 2010, Angel partnered with IdeaVillage to release the Criss Angel Magic Collection. This kit included instructions for six Mindfreak Magic Tricks and 250 other tricks for children.
Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars
Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars started airing weekly episodes on The CW in late 2022. Many celebrities appeared in the first season, including Donny Osmond and Randy Couture. Each week, two celebrities compete after being trained by Angel. They perform in front of a live audience and are judged by Angel and other magicians.
Awards and Recognition
Awards
Criss Angel has won many awards for his magic. He won the International Magician Society's Magician of the Year award five times (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008). He was also named "Magician of the Decade" in 2009 and "Magician of the Century" in 2010. He received the Louie Award for great achievement in magic. Angel is the youngest magician to be added to the International Magician Society's Magic Hall of Fame. He is also the only person to win the Merlin Magician of the Year award twice.
In 2011, he received the World Magic Legacy Awards' Living Legend award. That same year, he was inducted into the International Magicians Society's Hall of Fame at age 43. On July 20, 2017, Angel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is near his childhood idol, Harry Houdini's star. In July 2018, the International Brotherhood of Magicians gave Angel a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2022, Vanish Magic magazine named Angel "The Greatest of All Time" illusionist.
World Records
Body Suspension (2002-2008)
In February 2002, Angel broke the world record for the longest body suspension. He was suspended by eight fishhooks in his body for 5 hours and 42 minutes in Times Square, New York. He held this record until 2008.
Other Records
He set the fastest time to perform the "Metamorphosis" illusion, doing it in less than one second. He also holds the Guinness world record for "The most people to disappear in an illusion." He made 100 people disappear on May 26, 2010, during a performance of Believe at the Luxor.
Personal Life
In 2002, Angel married JoAnn Winkhart. They divorced four years later. Since 2012, Angel has been with Australian singer Shaunyl Benson. They have two sons and a daughter. In 2015, their first child was diagnosed with a type of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Criss Angel is also a philanthropist. He created the Believe Foundation 'Believe Anything is Possible'. He has received awards from the Make-A-Wish Foundation for being a supportive celebrity. As of 2016, Angel's businesses earned about $70 million each year.
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Criss Angel para niños
