Keith Barry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keith Barry
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Keith Patrick Barry
2 October 1976 |
| Occupation | Illusionist, mentalist |
| Years active | 2003–present |
Keith Patrick Barry, born on October 2, 1976, is a famous Irish mentalist, hypnotist, and magician. He is also known for helping older people.
Contents
Keith Barry's Amazing Career
Early Life and His Start in Magic
Keith Barry was born in Williamstown, Waterford, Ireland. His interest in magic began when he was just 5 years old. He got a magic set from the famous magician Paul Daniels.
By the age of 15, Keith was already performing magic semi-professionally. He learned many tricks from a book called Magic for the complete Klutz.
Keith went to NUI Galway and earned a degree in chemistry in 1998. However, in 2000, he decided to follow his passion for entertainment. He chose a career in magic and motivational speaking instead of science.
Becoming a TV Star
Keith Barry's television journey started with a show called Close Encounters with Keith Barry. This show aired from 2003 to 2005. It was first shown in Europe and later in 28 other countries around the world.
In 2004, Keith starred in his own MTV special called Brainwashed. The year 2005 brought his TV show Keith Barry Live With Friends. This show featured famous people like magician Billy McComb and Jim Corr from The Corrs.
Keith's success in Europe and his MTV special led to a big deal with CBS. His first special with CBS, called Keith Barry: Extraordinary, came out on May 12, 2006. It was later shown on The CW and TV3 in New Zealand.
After a successful tour in Ireland, Keith and his manager were in a car accident in March 2007. Keith got hurt, but he bravely returned to the stage later that same year.
Famous Performances and Shows
Keith Barry's talk at the TED conference is one of the most-watched TED Talks ever. He first performed live at TED in California in 2004. He returned to TED in 2005 as a special guest.
On December 29, 2007, Keith performed a live TV special in the UK called Keith Barry - The Escape Live. The show ended with him escaping from a shed filled with explosives. He was tied to a chair, and the shed exploded after a two-minute countdown. Amazingly, Keith appeared safely on a platform nearby.
Keith has appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show seven times. He has also been on The Paul O'Grady Show four times.
In 2010, Keith filmed a pilot for a new series on The Discovery Channel called Deception with Keith Barry. The show premiered in May 2011 with four episodes. It was later shown in many countries, including Taiwan, Japan, and Australia.
In 2010 and 2011, Keith toured with his live show "The Asylum." He set a record as the most successful solo act at The Olympia Theatre in Dublin. In July 2011, his show "Keith Barry - 8 Deadly Sins" opened to great reviews. It ran for five weeks and broke new box office records. He then toured Ireland with this show in early 2012.
In June 2012, Keith spoke out against TV shows that claim to have real psychics. He even challenged one TV psychic to prove their powers, but the psychic declined.
Helping Hollywood and Writing Books
Keith Barry helped actor Woody Harrelson prepare for his role as a mentalist. This was for the 2013 movie Now You See Me and its 2016 sequel, Now You See Me 2. Keith also helped Harrelson perform successfully on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Keith's popular show The Dark Side had a sold-out tour in early 2013. He also performed it for 12 nights at the Olympia in Dublin. In July 2013, Keith gave a talk at the Science Gallery in Dublin. He showed how "psychics" use tricks like cold reading to make people believe they can read minds.
In 2014, Keith starred in his show Brain Hacker on TV3 in Ireland. This show featured other famous magicians like Tony 'Doc' Shiels and Uri Geller.
Between 2015 and 2016, Keith was the hypnotist on the ITV game show You're Back in the Room. He also appeared on the Australian and U.S. versions of the show.
In 2018, Keith returned to RTE1 prime time TV to host a New Year's Eve special. In 2019, he had his own four-part series called The Keith Barry Experience.
Keith's first book, Brain Hacks, was published in 2021. It became the number one best-selling non-fiction paperback in Ireland. The second series of The Keith Barry Experience aired in 2022.
Other Roles
Acting
In 2006, Keith Barry acted in an episode of the TV show CSI: Miami. The episode was called "Open Water."
Presenting
In 2009, Keith Barry hosted the Irish version of the game show Deal or No Deal on TV3.
