David Blaine - Biography

Last Editor: yisrael27				David Blaine Biography -   Name : David Blaine Profession : Magician Birth Details : born David Blaine White on April 4, 1973

David Blaine Trivia -

He dated Fiona Apple. He voted the 'Biggest Loser' of 2003 in a British poll for spending 44 days in a box suspended over the River Thames in London, without any food. He is of Puerto Rican descent. He set a new world record on April 30, 2008 when he held his breath underwater for 17 minutes 4 seconds.

David Blaine Detailed Biography -

David Blaine (born David Blaine White on April 4, 1973), is an American illusionist and stunt performer born in Brooklyn, New York City. He made his name as a performer of close-up magic, usually working on the streets. Amongst magicians this is commonly known as street magic. His father is Puerto Rican and his mother was an American Jew of Russian descent. Blaine's act includes levitation, illusion and bringing apparently dead flies back to life. This format, recorded by a small camera crew, provided the basis for his breakthrough television special, "David Blaine: Street Magic". He stayed with the format for David Blaine: Magic Man and David Blaine: Mystifier. He later turned his attention to feats of endurance, including being buried alive for seven days and spending 61 hours encased in ice. In 2002, Blaine stood on a tiny platform at the top of a 100 foot high pole in Bryant Park for 35 hours (see Vertigo below). In 2003, Blaine lived in a transparent Perspex (Plexiglas) box for 44 days, without food (see Blaine's London stunt below). The show-business press often describe Blaine as a modern day Harry Houdini and indeed Blaine himself has cited Houdini as one of his inspirations. As a media figure he's been exceptionally well plotted by himself and his advisers. While he name-checks Houdini as an influence he appears reluctant to credit his precursors in the arena of live art and magic. New York based fine artist and magician Jeff Sheridan is revered as the father of modern street magic, authored a 1977 book titled Street Magic, was the performer who inspired and actually taught the pre-teen Blaine after the latter saw him perform in Central Park, was even approached by Blaine to work with him; now toiling away on the magic lecture circuit and appearances at variety shows in Germany. Italian body artist Franko B has been a major presence in the world of live art since the late 1990s and is a past master at coming up with quite challenging and controversial public actions involving putting his life at risk – for example bleeding copiously during a performance. Some-time friend of Blaine’s Uri Geller was himself a huge public figure as a ‘mystical’ entertainer and personality from the 1970s through into the early 1990s. Finally, in India there are any number of dare devils/escape artists who think nothing of taking on public stunts which carry a real risk of death or serious injury — this in front of massive crowds. Blaine however has no competitors yet in terms of his marketability and financial success and his stature is such that he will likely continue being credited for being a pioneer in mixing magic with live or performance art.