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. Many people, including Forbes magazine, say he is the most successful magician ever.

Copperfield's TV shows have won 21 Emmy Awards and been nominated 38 times. He is known for combining amazing stories with his illusions. Over his 40-year career, he has earned 11 Guinness World Records. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was honored by the French government. The US Library of Congress even named him a Living Legend.

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

By 2006, he had sold 33 million tickets. He had also earned over US$4 billion, which is more than any other solo entertainer in history. In 2015, Forbes said he earned $63 million in one year. This made him the 20th highest-earning celebrity in the world.

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

Becoming a Magician

David Seth Kotkin was born in Metuchen, New Jersey. His parents, Rebecca and Hyman Kotkin, were Jewish. His mother was from Jerusalem, and his grandparents came from Ukraine. He finished Metuchen High School in 1974.

When he was 10, David started doing magic as "Davino the Boy Magician." At 12, he became the youngest person ever to join the Society of American Magicians. David was shy, and magic helped him connect with others. He learned magic and ventriloquism at Camp Harmony. He says this camp experience shaped his creative style. By age 16, he was teaching magic at New York University.

His Amazing Career

At 18, Copperfield started at Fordham University. But after three weeks, he left to star in a musical called The Magic Man in Chicago. This is when he chose his stage name, David Copperfield. He liked the sound of it from the Charles Dickens novel. In the show, he sang, danced, and created many original illusions. The Magic Man became the longest-running musical in Chicago.

When he was 19, he created his first "Magic of David Copperfield" show. It was at the Pagoda Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Copperfield performing for a 1977 ABC special

His TV career began when producer Joseph Cates discovered him. Cates produced a magic special for ABC in 1977, hosted by Copperfield. He also produced many The Magic of David Copperfield specials on CBS from 1978 to 2001. There have been 18 Copperfield TV specials and 2 documentaries.

Copperfield also acted in the 1980 horror film Terror Train. He had a small role in the 1994 film Prêt-à-Porter. Most of his appearances have been on TV specials.

Famous Illusions

One of his most famous illusions happened on TV on April 8, 1983. He made the Statue of Liberty disappear! A live audience watched from Liberty Island. Copperfield raised a curtain, then lowered it a few seconds later. The space where the Statue of Liberty stood was empty. A helicopter showed an aerial view. The statue seemed to have vanished. 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. Both the disappearance and reappearance were filmed in one long shot. This showed there were no camera tricks.

In 1986, Copperfield introduced 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 famous.

In 1996, Copperfield's Broadway show Dreams & Nightmares broke box office records. A reviewer said Copperfield was very likable. He performed nearly two hours of "mind-boggling illusions." He disappeared, reappeared, was cut in half, and made audience members vanish. The show ended with his famous flying routine.

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

Copperfield in 2000

In May 2001, Copperfield performed at a White House event for UNICEF. He sawed singer Jennifer Lopez into six pieces. This was an updated version of a trick he did earlier with actress Catherine Bach.

In 2009, Copperfield made his first live TV appearance in a while. He performed at 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 film Burt Wonderstone. He worked with actors like Steve Carell and Jim Carrey. Copperfield and his team created the illusions for the movie. He also taught Carell and Olivia Wilde how to do the 'Impossible Sawing' trick. This trick involves sawing a person in half without any covers. Copperfield has also been a magic advisor for other films. These include 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. Viewers saw 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 held an exhibit. It was called “Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection.” It showed some of Copperfield’s illusions, like the Death Saw. It also displayed historical magic items, including some of Houdini's belongings.

On Flag Day 2019, Copperfield made a missing star reappear. This star was from the original Star-Spangled Banner flag. He did this illusion with the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The star, believed to be removed in the 1800s, reappeared inside a floating box.

Copperfield says his role models were not magicians. He looked up to artists like Gene Kelly and Walt Disney. He wanted to move people with magic, just as they did with their art.

Magic Museum

Copperfield owns the International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts. It has the world's largest collection of important magic items. He started it in 1991 when he bought the Mulholland Library. This library had the biggest 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. Tours are only for other magicians and serious collectors. Copperfield says it needs to be respected, not secret. If a scholar needs something from magic history, it is there.

His Private Islands

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

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

Magic Restaurant Plan

David Copperfield's Magic Underground was a planned restaurant. It was going to be based on his magic. Signs for it appeared at Walt Disney World in Florida in the late 1990s. There were also plans for a restaurant in New York's Times Square. The idea was to have magic props on the walls. Magicians would perform sleight of hand tricks at tables. There would also be a stage for bigger stunts. The Times Square restaurant was almost finished. But due to money problems and high costs, the project was canceled.

Secrets on the Moon

Copperfield's magic secrets are etched onto nickel plates. These plates are designed to last billions of years. They are part of the Arch Mission Foundation "lunar library." This library crashed onto the moon in April 2019. It is believed the secrets survived the crash.

Accidents During Shows

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

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

On December 17, 2008, during a show in Las Vegas, an assistant was hurt. He was pulled into the spinning blades of a large industrial fan. Copperfield walks through this fan in an illusion. The assistant broke his arm and had cuts on his face. Copperfield stopped the show and offered refunds.

Magic as Art

Since 2016, Copperfield has been working for Congressional Resolution 642. This resolution would "recognize magic as a rare and valuable art form." It would also call magic a "national treasure." This effort has not yet been successful.

Las Vegas Shows

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Copperfield performed many shows each week. He had 15 shows scheduled at the David Copperfield theater in the MGM Grand Las Vegas. Each show lasted 90 minutes.

Legal Matters

In 1994, Copperfield sued magician Herbert L. Becker. He wanted to stop Becker from publishing a book that revealed magic secrets. Becker won the lawsuit. However, because of an agreement, the part about Copperfield was removed from the book.

In 1997, Copperfield and Claudia Schiffer sued Paris Match magazine. The magazine claimed their relationship was fake. They won money and a retraction from the magazine.

In 2004, John Melk, who used to own Musha Cay, sued Copperfield. Melk claimed Copperfield hid his identity when buying the islands. He said he would not have sold them to Copperfield if he knew. Copperfield said Melk was trying to get more money because of his fame. The case was settled in 2006.

In 2018, a lawsuit about a British tourist being injured during a show was decided. Copperfield was found "not liable," meaning he was not responsible.

Personal Life

In 1993, Copperfield met German supermodel Claudia Schiffer at a gala in Berlin. She joined him on stage for a mind-reading act and his flying illusion. In January 1994, they got engaged. During their engagement, Schiffer sometimes helped Copperfield on stage. She appeared in his documentary David Copperfield: 15 Years of Magic. In the film, she played a reporter interviewing him. They ended their engagement in September 1999, saying their work schedules were too busy.

In April 2006, Copperfield and two assistants were robbed at gunpoint in Florida. His assistants gave up their money and phones. Copperfield said he used sleight of hand to hide his own things. The robbers were later arrested.

Copperfield's girlfriend, Chloé Gosselin, is a French fashion model. They had a daughter in 2010. Copperfield also has two other children, a son and a daughter.

In July 2016, Copperfield bought a large mansion in Las Vegas for $17.55 million.

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. Copperfield performs over 500 shows every year around the world.

Helping Others

In March 1982, Copperfield started Project Magic. This program helps disabled patients improve their hand skills. It uses sleight of hand tricks as physical therapy. The program is used in over 1,100 hospitals in 30 countries. Copperfield has talked about how magic can help people with disabilities.

In 2007, he organized a charity show for UNICEF in Los Angeles. He performed his Buzz Saw illusion, sawing 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." They also called him 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. This was the first time a magician received this honor.
• The Academy of Magical Arts named him "Magician of the Year" in 1979 and 1986.
• Forbes magazine ranked him as the 80th most powerful celebrity in 2009. He earned $30 million that year.
• Copperfield 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 inducted Harry Houdini as the 22nd member at the same ceremony.

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 depicting magic sold at auction
• Largest illusion ever staged

Television Specials

1. The Magic of ABC (September 7, 1977)
2. The Magic of David Copperfield (October 27, 1978)
   • One Emmy nomination
3. The Magic of David Copperfield II (October 24, 1979)
   • One Emmy nomination
4. The Magic of David Copperfield III: Levitating Ferrari (September 25, 1980)
   • Two Emmy nominations
5. The Magic of David Copperfield IV: The Vanishing Airplane (October 26, 1981)
   • One Emmy win
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)
   • One Emmy win, two nominations
8. The Magic of David Copperfield VII: Familiares (March 8, 1985)
   • One Emmy win
9. The Magic of David Copperfield VIII: Walking Through the Great Wall of China (March 14, 1986)
   • Two Emmy nominations
10. The Magic of David Copperfield IX: The Escape From Alcatraz (March 13, 1987)
    • Two Emmy nominations
11. The Magic of David Copperfield X: The Bermuda Triangle (March 12, 1988)
    • Two Emmy nominations
12. The Magic of David Copperfield XI: Explosive Encounter (March 3, 1989)
    • Two Emmy wins, two nominations
13. The Magic of David Copperfield XII: The Niagara Falls Challenge (March 30, 1990)
    • One Emmy win
14. The Magic of David Copperfield XIII: Mystery On The Orient Express (April 9, 1991)
    • Four Emmy wins, one nomination
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)
    • Three Emmy wins
17. The Magic of David Copperfield XV: Fires Of Passion (March 12, 1993)
    • Three Emmy wins
18. David Copperfield: 15 Years of Magic (May 12, 1994)
    • One Emmy win
19. The Magic of David Copperfield XVI: Unexplained Forces (May 1, 1995)
    • Three Emmy wins, two nominations
20. David Copperfield: The Great Escapes (April 26, 2000)
21. Copperfield – Tornado of Fire (April 3, 2001)
    • One Emmy nomination

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 shared some of his future magic plans. He wants to put a woman's face on Mount Rushmore. He also plans to straighten the Leaning Tower of Pisa. And he even wants to 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
• Oh My God (2009) 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

Popular Illusions

These are some of the famous 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

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  Copperfield in 2010

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  Copperfield performing for the 1977 ABC special

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  Copperfield in 2000

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

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  Copperfield's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

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

See also

In Spanish: David Copperfield para niños

• American Museum of Magic
• Congressional Resolution 642
• Joanie Spina
• List of magic museums