David Copperfield (illusionist) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Copperfield
Copperfield in 2010
Born	David Seth Kotkin (1956-09-16) September 16, 1956 (age 68) Metuchen, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	stage magician
Years active	1972–present
Partner(s)	Claudia Schiffer (1994–1999) Chloé Gosselin (2006–present)
Children	3

David Seth Kotkin (born September 16, 1956), known professionally as David Copperfield, is a famous American stage magician and illusionist. Many people say he is the most successful magician in history.

Copperfield's television shows have won 21 Emmy Awards. He is known for combining amazing stories with his magic tricks. In his career, which has lasted over 40 years, he has earned 11 Guinness World Records. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The French government even gave him a special award, like a knighthood! The US Library of Congress has called him a "Living Legend".

Some of his most famous illusions include making a Learjet airplane disappear in 1981. He also made the Statue of Liberty vanish and reappear in 1983. He has levitated over the Grand Canyon in 1984 and walked through the Great Wall of China in 1986. Other amazing tricks include escaping from Alcatraz prison in 1987. He made an Orient Express train dining car disappear in 1991. He even made himself fly on stage for several minutes in 1992.

By 2006, he had sold 33 million tickets. He earned over US$4 billion, which is more than any other solo entertainer. In 2015, Forbes magazine said he earned $63 million in one year. This made him one of the highest-earning celebrities.

In 2006, he bought 11 islands in The Bahamas. He renamed them Musha Cay and the Islands of Copperfield Bay.

Early Life and Learning

Copperfield was born David Seth Kotkin in Metuchen, New Jersey. His parents were Rebecca and Hyman Kotkin. His mother was born in Jerusalem. His father's parents came from Ukraine. He finished Metuchen High School in 1974.

Copperfield started doing magic when he was very young. At age eight, he was a ventriloquist with a puppet. When he was 10, he began performing magic as "Davino the Boy Magician." At 12, he became the youngest person ever to join the Society of American Magicians. He was a shy kid, and magic helped him make friends. As a child, he went to Camp Harmony. He says this camp helped him develop his creative style. By age 16, he was teaching a magic course at New York University.

Career and Amazing Illusions

When he was 18, Copperfield started college at Fordham University. But after only three weeks, he left to star in a musical called The Magic Man in Chicago. This is when he chose the stage name David Copperfield. He liked the sound of it from the Charles Dickens novel. He sang, danced, and created many of the magic tricks in the show. The Magic Man became a very long-running musical in Chicago.

At 19, he created his first "Magic of David Copperfield" show. It was at the Pagoda Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii. His TV career began when a producer named Joseph Cates discovered him. Cates produced many TV specials for Copperfield. These included The Magic of ABC in 1977 and many The Magic of David Copperfield shows on CBS. There were 18 TV specials and 2 documentaries about him between 1977 and 2001.

Performing for the 1977 ABC special

Copperfield also appeared in a few movies. He played The Magician in the 1980 horror film Terror Train. He also had a small part in the 1994 film Prêt-à-Porter. Most of his public appearances have been on TV.

The Vanishing Statue of Liberty

One of his most famous illusions happened on TV on April 8, 1983. A group of 20 tourists watched from Liberty Island. Copperfield raised a giant curtain, then lowered it a few seconds later. The Statue of Liberty was gone! A helicopter showed an aerial view, and only the lights around the statue were visible. Before making it reappear, Copperfield explained why he did the trick. He wanted people to imagine a world without freedom. Then, he brought the statue back. This illusion was filmed in one long shot to show there were no camera tricks.

The Death Saw

In 1986, Copperfield showed a new version of the classic sawing a woman in half trick. His Death Saw illusion looked like an escape that went wrong. He sawed himself in half with a huge spinning saw blade. This trick became one of his most well-known illusions.

Broadway Shows and Books

In 1996, Copperfield's Broadway show Dreams & Nightmares broke box office records in New York. A reviewer said Copperfield was very likable. He performed amazing illusions for almost two hours. He disappeared, reappeared, and made people vanish. The show ended with a flying routine that took seven years to create.

Also in 1996, Copperfield worked with famous writers like Dean Koontz and Ray Bradbury. They created David Copperfield's Tales of the Impossible. This was a book of stories about magic. A second book, David Copperfield's Beyond Imagination, came out in 1997.

Later TV Appearances

In May 2001, Copperfield performed for a White House event for UNICEF. He made singer Jennifer Lopez appear to be sawed into six pieces while standing up. This was a new version of an old trick.

On April 5, 2009, Copperfield appeared live on TV for the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. He made singer Taylor Swift appear inside an empty elevator. Then, he sawed her in half using his Clearly Impossible illusion.

In January 2011, Copperfield joined the cast of the movie Burt Wonderstone. He worked with actors like Steve Carell and Jim Carrey. Copperfield and his team created the illusions for the film. He also taught the actors how to do the 'Impossible Sawing' trick. He has also been a magic advisor for other movies, like The Prestige and Now You See Me. He also helped produce Now You See Me 2.

In July 2012, OWN-TV aired a special about Copperfield. It showed parts of his personal life and family. He gave tours of his island home and his magic museum in Las Vegas. During the interview, he and his girlfriend Chloé Gosselin announced their engagement. They also appeared with their young daughter.

In 2018, the New York Historical Society had an exhibit called “Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection.” It showed the history of magic in New York. It also displayed some of Copperfield’s famous illusions, like the Death Saw. There were also historical magic items, including some of Houdini's things from Copperfield's collection.

On Flag Day 2019, Copperfield made a missing star from the original Star-Spangled Banner flag reappear. This was part of an illusion with the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The star, which was believed to be removed long ago, reappeared inside a box that seemed to float.

Copperfield says his heroes were not magicians. He looked up to people like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. He wanted to use magic to move people, just like they did with their art forms.

International Museum of Conjuring Arts

Copperfield owns the International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts. This museum has the world's largest collection of important magic items, books, and artifacts. It started in 1991 when Copperfield bought the Mulholland Library. This library had the world's largest collection of Houdini items. The museum has about 80,000 items. These include Houdini's Water Torture Cabinet and Orson Welles' Buzz Saw illusion.

The museum is not open to the public. Only other magicians and serious collectors can visit. It is in a secret warehouse at Copperfield's headquarters in Las Vegas. Copperfield says it needs to be respected. He wants it to be a place where scholars can find magic history.

Musha Cay and the Islands of Copperfield Bay

In 2006, Copperfield bought eleven islands in the Bahamas. He named them "The Islands of Copperfield Bay." They are a private resort. Famous guests like Oprah Winfrey and John Travolta have stayed there. Google co-founder Sergey Brin was married there. Copperfield has joked that the islands might have the Fountain of Youth.

Accidents and Injuries

On March 11, 1984, Copperfield was practicing a trick called "Escape From Death." He was chained in a tank of water. He got tangled in the chains and started to drown. He was pulled out after 80 seconds. He was in shock and had hurt his arms and legs. He was in a wheelchair for a week.

In 1989, during a rope trick in Memphis, Copperfield accidentally cut the tip of his finger. He was taken to the hospital, and his fingertip was reattached.

On December 17, 2008, during a show in Las Vegas, an assistant was hurt. The assistant was pulled into the spinning blades of a large fan that Copperfield walks through. The assistant broke bones and had cuts. Copperfield stopped the show and offered refunds.

Las Vegas Shows

As of September 2024, Copperfield performs daily at the David Copperfield theater in the MGM Grand Las Vegas. He has 15 shows each week. Each show lasts 90 minutes.

Earnings

Forbes magazine reported that Copperfield earned $55 million in 2003. This made him the 10th highest paid celebrity in the world. He earned $57 million in 2004 and 2005. In 2009, he earned $30 million from his entertainment work. Copperfield performs over 500 shows every year around the world.

Helping Others

In March 1982, Copperfield started Project Magic. This program helps people with disabilities. It uses magic tricks as physical therapy to help them regain movement. The program is used in over 1,100 hospitals in 30 countries. Copperfield has talked about how magic can help disabled people.

In 2007, he put on a charity show for UNICEF in Los Angeles. Many famous guests joined him. He used his Buzz Saw illusion to saw British TV presenter Cat Deeley in half.

Copperfield also helped with relief efforts after Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas in 2019. He used his own plane to fly in supplies.

Awards and Achievements

Copperfield's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

The hand prints of Copperfield in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park

• The Society of American Magicians called him "Magician of the Century" and the "King of Magic."
• Copperfield has been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards and won 21 of them.
• He received a Living Legend Award from the Library of Congress.
• Copperfield is the first living magician to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• He received the Chevalier of Arts and Letters, a special award from France. He was the first magician to get it.
• The Academy of Magical Arts named him "Magician of the Year" in 1979 and 1986.
• Forbes magazine ranked Copperfield as the 80th most powerful celebrity in 2009.
• He was added to New York City's Ride of Fame on September 11, 2015.
• In December 2020, Copperfield joined the Hall of Fame of the National Museum of American Jewish History. He also inducted Harry Houdini into the Hall of Fame.

Guinness World Records

Copperfield holds 11 Guinness World Records, including:

• Most magic shows performed in a year.
• Most tickets sold worldwide by a solo entertainer.
• Highest career earnings as a magician.
• Largest international television audience for a magician.
• Highest annual earnings for a magician.
• Largest Broadway attendance in a week.
• Largest magic work archive.
• Most expensive poster about magic sold at auction.
• Largest illusion ever performed.

Television Specials

1. The Magic of ABC (September 7, 1977)
2. The Magic of David Copperfield (October 27, 1978)
3. The Magic of David Copperfield II (October 24, 1979)
4. The Magic of David Copperfield III: Levitating Ferrari (September 25, 1980)
5. The Magic of David Copperfield IV: The Vanishing Airplane (October 26, 1981)
6. The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears (April 8, 1983)
7. The Magic of David Copperfield VI: Floating Over the Grand Canyon (April 6, 1984)
8. The Magic of David Copperfield VII: Familiares (March 8, 1985)
9. The Magic of David Copperfield VIII: Walking Through the Great Wall of China (March 14, 1986)
10. The Magic of David Copperfield IX: The Escape From Alcatraz (March 13, 1987)
11. The Magic of David Copperfield X: The Bermuda Triangle (March 12, 1988)
12. The Magic of David Copperfield XI: Explosive Encounter (March 3, 1989)
13. The Magic of David Copperfield XII: The Niagara Falls Challenge (March 30, 1990)
14. The Magic of David Copperfield XIII: Mystery On The Orient Express (April 9, 1991)
15. The Secret of The Phantom of the Opera (1991)
16. The Magic of David Copperfield XIV: F·L·Y·I·N·G – Live The Dream (March 31, 1992)
17. The Magic of David Copperfield XV: Fires Of Passion (March 12, 1993)
18. David Copperfield: 15 Years of Magic (May 12, 1994)
19. The Magic of David Copperfield XVI: Unexplained Forces (May 1, 1995)
20. David Copperfield: The Great Escapes (April 26, 2000)
21. Copperfield – Tornado of Fire (April 3, 2001)

Worldwide Tours

• The Magic of David Copperfield: Live on Stage (1983–1986)
• The Magic of David Copperfield: Radical New Illusions (1987–1989)
• David Copperfield: Magic for the 90's (1990–1994)
• David Copperfield: Beyond Imagination (1995–1996)
• David Copperfield: Dreams and Nightmares (1996–1998)
• David Copperfield: Journey of a Lifetime (1999–2000)
• David Copperfield: Unknown Dimension (2000–2001)
• David Copperfield: Portal (2001–2002)
• David Copperfield: An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion (2003–present)

Future Illusions

Copperfield has said he plans to create new illusions. He wants to put a woman's face on Mount Rushmore. He also wants to straighten the Leaning Tower of Pisa and even make the moon disappear.

Film and TV Appearances

• Terror Train (1980) as the Magician
• Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1997) as himself
• Scrubs, episode "My Lucky Day" (2002) as himself
• America's Got Talent (2010) as himself
• The Simpsons, episode "The Great Simpsina" (2011) as himself (voice)
• Wizards of Waverly Place, episode "Harperella" (2011) as himself
• Burt Wonderstone (2013) as himself
• The Amazing Race 24 (2014)
• American Restoration (2014)
• Unity (2015) as narrator
• 7 Days in Hell (2015) as himself

Famous Illusions

These are some of the popular illusions created or performed by Copperfield:

• Laser illusion
• Portal
• Walking Through the Great Wall of China
• Death Saw
• Clearly Impossible
• Flying illusion
• Squeeze box

Images for kids

• 

  Copperfield in March 2014 on Musha Cay and the Islands of Copperfield Bay

See also

In Spanish: David Copperfield para niños