Real name of David Copperfield. Five of David Copperfield's most incredible tricks

David Seth Kotkin, who became famous under the pseudonym David Copperfield, was born on September 16, 1956. Throughout his career as an illusionist and hypnotist, David has amazed audiences many times by performing inexplicable tricks. We decided to recall five of his most amazing tricks.

1. Any self-respecting magician has tricks with disappearances. These could be objects, assistants, or the magician himself. In 1983, David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear in front of thousands of spectators. This trick was included in the Guinness Book of Records. There are several versions of how the trick was performed, including the use of a turntable, video editing and the play of light. There is also an opinion that everything that happened was a grandiose hoax with fake spectators and a model of the Statue of Liberty. Video in English.

David Copperfield. Disappearance of the Statue of Liberty. There are several versions of how the trick was performed, including the use of a turntable, video editing and light play

2. Another trick, where David Copperfield flew over the Grand Canyon in Arizona, was performed by the magician in 1984. Since then he has been flying in front of audiences on stage. To show that the flight is real, without the use of harnesses or cables, he flies through rotating hoops, flies into a glass box and continues to fly in it. From show to show, Copperfield can use a trained falcon and fly with a volunteer girl in his arms, like Superman. Among the versions that reveal the secrets of this trick, there is one that bundles of ultra-thin but durable fiber are attached to the magician’s body in a special way. Moreover, they are attached in the area of ​​David’s belt, where the center of gravity is located. That is why all vibrations from lifting the person’s body upward are dampened, and the magician’s movements in flight are relaxed. The video below shows Copperfield doing this.

David Copperfield. Flying. Levitation or thin line?

3. In 1990, a magician was thrown into the water just a few meters from Niagara Falls. The raft with Copperfield fell from a 53-meter height onto the rocks at the foot of the waterfall and did not break. Moreover, on this raft Copperfield was chained in a makeshift coffin. Spectators saw the magician after he was pulled out of the water by a helicopter, holding onto a rope. Skeptics point to some inconsistencies that prove that it was a stunt double who fell into the waterfall instead of Copperfield. For example, during a trick in the video, you can hear the magician talking to his assistants, whereas in the immediate vicinity of the waterfall nothing should be heard for several kilometers due to the sound of falling water. And Copperfield was pulled out of the water completely dry.

David Copperfield - The Niagara Falls Challenge.flv. The raft with the magician fell from a 53-meter height onto the rocks at the foot of the waterfall and did not break

4. Even experienced trick debunkers cannot guess how David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall of China. On one side of the wall there was a raised podium, covered on both sides with white fabric. Copperfield entered the wall and came out on the other side onto the same podium. Some argue that the part of the wall where there is a gap was used, which was filled with “bricks”.

David Copperfield. Passing through the Great Wall of China. How he did it - even experienced trick debunkers cannot understand.

5. No less spectacular is the "Death Saw" trick. David lies face down on the table, and assistants shackle his legs, torso and arms to the table and close him in a box. A huge circular saw is installed above it, which begins to work and slowly lowers down. David has exactly one minute to free himself and get free before the saw cuts him open. He doesn’t have time, he starts fussing and the saw cuts him right down the middle. After a few seconds he raises his head. After another second, two assistants push the halves of the table apart into different sides, the legs lie on one, and the torso lies on the other. Both halves are brought to each other, a cry is heard from the hall: “move your legs!” David looks at his legs and after a second they start moving! After which he starts the mechanism in reverse side the saw begins to spin, the halves connect, the box covers David and his legs, and a second later he rises unharmed. The secret of the trick, according to skeptics, lies in the recesses in the table hidden behind metal inserts and the presence of a secret assistant for Copperfield.

The other day, the American illusionist and magician turned 60 years old. David Copperfield. In the 1980s and 90s, audiences in many countries sat in front of blue screens with their mouths open, admiring spectacular tricks reminiscent of magic.

David Seth Kotkin (David Seth Kotkin - the real name of the illusionist) was born in the small town of Metachen (New Jersey, USA) into a Jewish family. As a child, he stuttered, which made him very shy. Moreover, the boy’s appearance was not the most attractive. But at the same time, David, as a child, learned the Torah by ear and had an amazing memory. When the boy was four years old, his grandfather showed him a card trick, and David was able to immediately repeat it.

After the first trick with cards, little David began to become interested and repeat, and then come up with, his own tricks. At the age of seven, the boy amazed the parishioners of the synagogue with his skill, and at the age of 12, the residents of the entire city. Then the young magician joined the American Society of Illusionists and taught magic tricks to university students, even before reaching adulthood.

At first, David Seth Kotkin was known under the pseudonym "Davino", but then he took the name of the character in Charles Dickens's novel "David Copperfield". In 1978, the illusionist appeared on television, where he hosted a program demonstrating his tricks.

Later, Copperfield came up with the idea of ​​working on large-scale illusions. The first was the disappearance of the plane. In 1983, millions of spectators gasped when David made the Statue of Liberty “disappear” from its pedestal and from their radar screens. Later, skeptics bet that the recording was edited, the image on the radar was a fake, and the eyewitnesses were hired actors. And those who expose the tricks claimed that the spectators were real. Copperfield managed to pull off the trick himself by playing with light. IN right moment The lighting of the statue was turned off, and the spectators were blinded by specially directed spotlights.

Copperfield's most spectacular performances were flying. And the magician not only soared into the air, he also flew through a glass cube and hoops, thereby demonstrating to people the wonders of magic. One of the trick debunkers managed to repeat the illusionist’s tricks by obtaining the necessary equipment. He used very thin cables (less than 1 mm in diameter) capable of supporting weights of up to 100 kg.

David Copperfield also had tricks that even the most inveterate whistleblowers cannot figure out. For example, passing through the Great Wall of China.

The incredible artistry of David Copperfield does not even cause the audience to think that something could go wrong. In 1984, David, shackled and submerged in water, was rehearsing the “Escape from Death” trick. Unfortunately, he became entangled in the chains and choked. This was realized only after 1 minute 20 seconds. In addition to the shock, the artist also suffered sprained tendons in his arms and legs, so for a week after the incident he moved in a wheelchair.

The talent of a magician helps David not only on stage, but also in real life. One day, when the illusionist was returning from a concert, they put a gun to his head and demanded that he give up his money. When David turned out his pockets, they were empty. Copperfield later admitted that it was very difficult for him to perform this trick while losing his composure.

Despite the fact that David Copperfield's popularity peaked in the 1990s, he still successfully gives 500 performances a year.
No less famous 100 years ago, but until now whistleblowers have not been able to reveal all its secrets.

To the question “Who is the greatest illusionist of our time?” Probably everyone will answer “This is David Copperfield!” The peak of his worldwide popularity occurred in the 90s of the last century, but even now there is no wizard equal to him. However, few people know that the famous magician and showman chose his future path when he was still very young. at a young age, and his path to fame consisted of diligent and painstaking work to hone his talents.

David Copperfield: biography, photos of his youth

David Seth Kotkin, as he was named at birth, was born on September 16, 1956 in the small town of Metachen, New Jersey. He was the only child in the Jewish family of clothing store owner Hyman Kotkin and his wife Rebecca. insurance agent. Huge influence on choice future profession David was helped by his grandfather, by the way, an emigrant from the USSR, he showed his grandson card tricks when little Kotkin became completely bored while studying the Torah. And the boy successfully repeated them, because he had a unique memory, and already at the age of seven he proudly demonstrated tricks of his own composition in the local synagogue. His first amateur performances aroused great delight among the audience, and even then the future great illusionist David Copperfield decided that he simply had to become famous.

Seven-league steps to success

An aspiring wizard in a very early age began to educate himself, searching for and studying all possible treatises on magic. He bought a wide variety of equipment for his tricks, but often he himself designed the elements he needed. Already at the age of twelve, David was considered a professional illusionist, which could be considered a simply fantastic achievement, and became the youngest member of the American Society of Magicians. At that time, he performed under his first pseudonym “Davino”. At just sixteen years old, David was invited to New York University to teach students practical courses in magic, the art of manipulation and drama. In 1974, the talented illusionist decided to continue his studies and entered Fordham University. At the same time, he decided to change his pseudonym to a more sonorous and mysterious one, and the novel turned out to be a powerful argument in this matter. However, David was always attracted not only by the path of a magician, but also by promising show business, so he did not refuse the main role in the Chicago musical “The Wizard,” which as a result became very popular on the theater stage. long time. That is why David Copperfield left his studies for a career, settled in New York and took up active search work as an illusionist.

Prelude to world fame

In 1978, a famous American television channel became interested in the promising and talented guy and invited him to become the main face of a show called “Magic on ABC. Hosted by David Copperfield. The biography of the young wizard at that moment sharply swerved towards the charismatic showman. The program served as a kind of springboard in achieving his goal: “To become the greatest magician.” David's amazing artistry even earned him a role in a movie, albeit a minor one. In 1979, the film “Terror Train” was released, which only contributed to the growth of the popularity of the aspiring star.

Goal achieved

But this was only a prelude to his hour of glory. Another American television channel, CBS, decided to lure away a talented artist and invited him to host his own show, setting the illusionist the task of attracting an audience of millions. This is how “The Magic of David Copperfield” appeared, which made his name famous not only in the United States, but in all corners globe. David accomplished the impossible by making the plane disappear in front of millions of spectators. The next large-scale illusion was the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty in the presence of spectators. Further - more. The magician walked through the Great Wall of China, flew over the Grand Canyon, climbed out of Alcatraz, fell from Niagara Falls, “kidnapped” the Orient Express, reached the Bermuda Triangle, explored a haunted house and even survived a column of fire. These grandiose performances were managed by only one person - David Copperfield. Photographs of the greatest showman and illusionist of his time in the 90s adorned all the most prestigious printed publications, because then only the lazy did not talk about the great wizard. Many of his illusions were so complex and incredible that they could only be declassified later. for a long time, and that’s not all.

Present tense

After the unprecedented success, the magician did not rest on his laurels, despite the fact that in the first years of the show he managed to earn more than 50 million dollars, which was never dreamed of by any of the great illusionists. In total, Copperfield created fifteen episodes of his program. David continued to work actively, touring all over the world, and sometimes even gave several concerts a day, almost 48 weeks a year. Among other things, the showman owns his own management company. He also published several books in collaboration with other writers, collected his own magical library and opened a museum of props of illusionists of the past. This most talented person He even approached the restaurant business from an unusual angle, opening his own specialized cafe in New York. The peculiarity of this establishment is the absence of service personnel, and the dishes ordered by visitors materialize out of thin air. Like many other celebrities, Copperfield is involved in charity work, but again, quite unusual. David created a program to help people with disabilities develop manual dexterity. Now he has a contract with one of the best casinos in Las Vegas, where the illusionist demonstrates his new show.

David Copperfield: personal life is classified

It wasn't always like this. In the 90s, the magician had an affair with famous model who even starred in his program. The couple was even engaged, but after six years of dating they broke up in 1999. Evil tongues claim that this novel was just a screen hiding David’s real personal life, but there is no reliable information on this matter. After Schiffer, the illusionist dated another fashion model named Ambre Friske, but again things did not come to marriage. Copperfield does not change his passions and his next passion was the designer and supermodel Chloe Goselin, whom the showman had long and carefully hidden from prying eyes, and who nevertheless became his wife. In 2011, it became known that the couple already had a one-year-old daughter named Sky.

September 16, 2015 marks the 59th anniversary of David Copperfield, whose name has long become a household name. Who hasn't seen his show with the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty, the jump into Niagara Falls and David's incredible flight across the stage, through rings and even levitation in a glass box? And the ascent of the most charismatic magician in the world to the Olympus of illusion began with a simple card trick, which he repeated after his grandfather at the age of six.

Few people know that Copperfield is the pseudonym of David Seth Kotkin, and he took it from the name of the main character in Charles Dickens's novel The Life of David Copperfield. Today he has 10 Guinness World Records, 20 Emmy awards, the title of Living Legend and his own star on the Walk of Fame (a first for magicians!). But that was later.

Young David Copperfield

It all started on September 16, 1956, when David performed his first trick - he was born into the Jewish family of insurance agent Rebecca and clothing store owner Hyman. This happened in the town of Metachen, New Jersey. But David’s paternal grandfather was an immigrant from the USSR, more precisely, from the territory of Ukraine. Can you believe it?

Biographers claim that David Since childhood, he had an amazing memory, repeated all his simple card tricks after his grandfather and immediately came up with his own, surprising his parents and the audience in the synagogue.

David Copperfield. Handcuff removal trick

Incredibly, at the age of 12 David became a professional magician, joining the American Society of Magicians. And at 16, he taught a course in magic, drama and the art of manipulation at New York University.

But teach David it was not enough, he dreamed of the stage. Instead of the simple pseudonym “Davino”, under which he had performed until now, he took the famous literary surname Copperfield and already with it in 1974 he played in the musical “The Wizard” in Chicago. Each trick he performed on stage was turned into a unique show, reflecting the individuality of the wizard. There David He gained invaluable experience communicating with the audience, who highly appreciated his ability to act at ease on stage and express himself wittily.

David Copperfield. Body cutting trick

Next, everything looks like in a fairy tale, but in reality it is correct order things. When you are talented and you work hard, your path is crowned with success. It cannot be otherwise. So, young David Copperfield and are invited to host the show “Magic on the ABC channel, host - David Copperfield" Here the illusionist adds amazing rock music to his show scripts. Magic happens accompanied by the works of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel.

The famous "Flight" David Copperfield

The next stage in the magic of Copperfield’s creativity, with which our TV viewer is more familiar, was a project on the CBS television channel. As part of this project, Copperfield created 15 stunning large-scale illusion programs, including the disappearance of an airplane, the Statue of Liberty, flying over the Grand Canyon, passing through the Great Wall of China, escaping from the high-security Alcatraz prison, traveling to the Bermuda Triangle, falling from Niagara Falls, and the disappearance of the Oriental train. express train and, finally, the stunning flight of the David Copperfield and above the stage with a girl in his arms.

David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear

Today the birthday boy performs his own show in Las Vegas and lives on one of the eleven islands he owns in the Caribbean. In New York, he has his own restaurant, where instead of waiters, orders are taken by a mysterious voice from the darkness, and dishes on the tables materialize as if from nowhere.

David Copperfield And ex-girlfriend Claudia Schiffer

David Copperfield and his fianceeChloe Gosselin (unless this is just another trick!)

David Copperfield does not reveal the secrets of not only his tricks, but also his personal life. The press once wrote about his affair with Claudia Schiffer, then with fashion model Ambre Friske. Today they write that he is engaged to the French supermodel and clothing designer Chloe Gosselin, with whom he has common daughter Sky. But let these secrets David Copperfield will remain UNexposed...

David Copperfield

David Copperfield(English) David Copperfield, a pseudonym for a Dickens character; real name David Seth Kotkin, genus. September 16 ( 19560916 ) , Metuchen, New Jersey) is a famous American illusionist and hypnotist, known for his spectacular tricks with original comments. Copperfield is also known by the nickname "Davino". There are publications exposing some of his tricks.

Biography

David Kotkin was born in the American town of Metuchen, New Jersey, into a Jewish family. Mother Rebecca (born in Jerusalem) is an insurance agent; father Hyman Kotkin (whose parents immigrated from Odessa to Germany, and then, after the outbreak of World War II [ specify] - in the USA) - owner of a clothing store.

Little Dodik had a unique memory; he memorized the Torah by ear. He was only 4 years old when his grandfather showed him a card trick, and the child immediately repeated it. His parents encouraged his interest in performing tricks: at 7, he was already demonstrating his personal, independently composed tricks to the parishioners of the local synagogue. David became a professional illusionist at the age of 12. At the same time, he joined the American Society of Magicians, becoming its youngest member. At the age of 16, he teaches students the art of magic at New York University. Since 1974, he has simultaneously studied at Fordham University and played main role in the musical “The Wiz,” which became the longest-running musical in Chicago. At this time, he took the pseudonym “David Copperfield”, named after the Dickens hero - before that he acted under the pseudonym “Davino”. David soon dropped out of university and rented an apartment in New York for a year, looking for a job as an illusionist.

In 1978, when he was 22 years old, he was invited to television, hosting the program The Magic of ABC on the ABC channel. In 1979, he played a minor role in the film Terror Train. Having thus gained wider fame, he began performing on the CBS channel with the show “The Magic of David Copperfield” (which many years later was broadcast in Russia). During this period, he came up with the idea of ​​​​creating large-scale illusions, and the first of them was the disappearance of an airplane. Then David performed the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty, which took place in the presence of the public.

Further illusions were carried out such as flying through the Grand Canyon, passing through the Great Wall of China, escaping from a prison known for its reliability - Alcatraz, traveling to the Bermuda Triangle, escaping from an exploding building, falling from Niagara Falls, disappearing an Orient Express carriage, flying, being released from straitjacket, hanging from burning ropes over burning spikes at a height of about 20 meters, exploring a haunted house and surviving a pillar of fire.

Most of all, David is famous for his flight, since he was the first to do it, and for a long time no one could unravel the secret, which turned out to be very simple: in some videos you can see glare from the rays of spotlights, which sometimes fall on the transparent cables on which David Copperfield hangs.

He has already published several books in collaboration with science fiction writers. I collected a library on magic in my house. He also has his own museum of props of great illusionists.
In New York, Copperfield opened a cafe named after him. There are no waiters there. A voice from the darkness asks what the visitors will eat, then what they ordered materializes on the tables out of thin air.
David Copperfield helps disabled people: he came up with a program for them to develop manual dexterity.

Personal life

Copperfield does not flaunt his personal life; only two of his novels are known. The first is with Claudia Schiffer. They got engaged in 1993, and the couple separated in 1999. The second one is with Ambre Friske. Both of his girls were fashion models, and David broke up with both of them in one way or another without legitimizing the relationship.

On October 19, 2007, the FBI conducted a search in one of the warehouses in Las Vegas, which belongs to a famous illusionist. During the search, two million dollars in cash were allegedly seized, as well as hard drive and a memory card from the CCTV camera system. However, FBI representatives later stated that no money was seized during the search, and the information in the media was untrue. According to them, such information could interfere with the investigation, as well as damage the reputation of David Copperfield, who was not charged with anything. There have been no official statements about the case in which the search was carried out. However, it became known from unofficial sources that Copperfield was searched after a Seattle resident, whose name was not disclosed, complained of harassment from the magician while staying in the Bahamas. The illusionist's lawyers completely deny his guilt. Without waiting for the prosecutor's office to decide to initiate a criminal case against the magician, the alleged rape victim (22-year-old model, former Miss Washington) filed a lawsuit herself. The amount of compensation that the woman demanded from Copperfield was not disclosed, but the illusionist’s lawyers called the model’s demands “plain and simple extortion of money.”
In 2010, the case against David was dropped after the female plaintiff was caught by police making false accusations about him. sexual harassment against one more