magic crosses cultural lines. Currently,
Forbes magazine has increased his ranking from eighth to the sixth highest grossing
entertainer in the world, ahead of Madonna, Kevin Costner, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
David Copperfield has elevated the art of magic to new
heights --redefining this ancient art along the way. Where others think "it can't
be done," David's approach is: "Yes it can!" Vanish the Statue of Liberty. Walk
through the Great Wall of China. Soar through space with the greatest of ease.
To David Copperfield, his passion for magic is everything." The secret," says
David, "is to consider nothing impossible, then start treating possibilities as
probabilities. If I am in the impossible business, and I am, then I want to go
beyond impossible." He has broken the mold of the master
magician: soft spoken, witty, engaging, and supremely entertaining, his modern
approach to a very old art has transformed the way the world looks at magic. He
celebrated feats and sense of theater have won The Magic of David Copperfield
dozens of Emmys, and have led him to be twice named Entertainer of the Year. His
tour has set countless box office records across Europe, North and South America
and Asia. Recently, London's Madame Tussaud's honored David Copperfield with a
flying likeness in wax. He is the only living magician to receive his own star
on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In France, he was knighted
by the French government, receiving the Chevalier of Arts and Letters, the first
ever for a magician. Born September 16, 1956, young David
Kotkin was performing professionally in his hometown of Metuchen, New Jersey,
at the age or twelve. Soon thereafter, he became the youngest person ever to be
admitted to the Society of American Magicians. By sixteen, he was teaching magic
at New York University.
While in college, he was cast as lead in the Chicago
musical, The Magic Man. Under the name David Copperfield, he sang, danced, acted,
and created all the magic in the show that became the longest running musical
in Chicago history. As a result, he was chosen to host,
The Magic of ABC, starring David Copperfield. The show was well received, introducing
David Copperfield to the world. So successful was his performance, that CBS signed
David for a series of specials, beginning the series: The Magic of David Copperfield.
With each new special, David introduces more mind-boggling feats of magic, always
performing before a live audience without the aid of any camera tricks or video
effects. More than any other magician before him, David
Copperfield understands his craft. "Before there can be wonders, there must be
wonder. In my show, I try to transport people on a journey of the imagination,
much in the same way as a great film director does." In The Magic of David Copperfield,
the wonder is real; the miracles are happening live before real witnesses. Yet
for all his accomplishments, David Copperfield insists that his greatest work
to date is Project Magic. David developed this rehabilitative program over a decade
ago to strengthen dexterity and motor use in disabled patients by using simple
sleight-of-hand magic. "It motivates a patient's therapy and helps to build self
esteem." Copperfield says, "There is nothing I do that is more important." Project
Magic is currently implemented in 1,000 hospitals and 30 countries around the
world, from Belgium to New Zealand, Iceland to Singapore.
David Copperfield
also has a secret passion: preserving the history of the art of magic for present
and future generations by providing a safe, permanent home for antiquarian props,
books, and other historical ephemera related to conjuring. His vast collection,
known as the International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts, is housed
in Nevada. David's goal is to build a monument to the history of magic as a performing
art, an ongoing museum that will survive us all. The International
Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts is the world's premiere collection of
historical documentation and artifacts regarding or pertaining to magic, illusion,
and the allied arts. "Every contemporary magician stands on the shoulders of giants."
says Copperfield, "and this museum is eloquent proof of the rich mosaic of contributions
by men and women throughout the ages to this most compelling of all art forms.
In 1996, David Copperfield announce plans for an Interactive
magic-themed restaurant, Copperfield Magic Underground to be located on Times
Square in New York and at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Unlike
passive themed restaurants of the 90's, Magic Underground will take patrons on
a magic adventure where they will actually experience the magic as they dine.
David Copperfield has rewritten the book on magic. He has
brought it to heights of artistry and imagination undreamed by wizards or audiences
in the past. The illusions are both spectacular mysteries and entertaining theater.
He blends mystery and romance into sensual illusions, which dazzle the mind and
move the heart. The real magic, however, is the man. David Copperfield has changed
the view of what magic is and will continue to be for all time |
