David Copperfield - Biography

Last Editor: honeey_g				David Copperfield Biography -   Name : David Copperfield Born : 16 September 1956, Metuchen, New Jersey, USA Birth Name : David Seth Kotkin Height : 6' (1.83 m) Profession : Magician

David Copperfield Trivia -

Ended 5-year-old engagement to Claudia Schiffer, explaining that work had got in the way of their relationship. [November 1999] Youngest person ever to be admitted to the Society of American Magicians. At age sixteen, he taught magic at New York University. Started his magician career billed as "Davino, Boy Magician" One of his teachers back in New Jersey school days was ABC News correspondent Judy Muller. Appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993) where he presented his collection of turn-of-the-century prank devices. One, a paddle that when used to spank someone exploded powder, was used incorrectly by host O'Brien. Copperfield's pants (and behind) caught on fire, an accident from which he still carries a scar. He has said he likes roller coasters. His favorite color is black. His favorite movies are Citizen Kane (1941) and The Wizard of Oz (1939). In 1993 David was doing an on-stage illusion in which he weightlessly flew with a lady from the audience in his arms. His flight illusion was considered by experts and historians of magic to be the greatest illusion ever performed on stage. He gave his first performance as a magician in 1968 when he was only 12 years old. He was a Professor of Magic at New York University at only 16 years old. He was a student at Fordham University in New York City in 1974. He was named "Magician of the Year" in 1980 and 1987 by the Academy of Magical Arts. Owns one version of Edgar Bergen's dummy of "Charlie McCarthy". He purchased "Charlie" at an auction for $110,000. He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Live Theatre at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

David Copperfield Detailed Biography -

Born on September 16, 1956 in Metuchen, New Jersey, David Copperfield is an Emmy Award-winning American illusionist described by Forbes in 2006 as the most commercially successful magician in history. Best known for his combination of storytelling and illusion, Copperfield has so far sold 40 million tickets and grossed over $1 billion. The early life of David is interesting. Copperfield was born as the son of Jewish parents, Rebecca, an insurance adjuster, and Hyman Kotkin, who owned and operated a men's haberdashery in Metuchen called Korby's.Copperfield's mother was born in Jerusalem, Israel, while his paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia. When Copperfield was ten, he started practicing magic as "Davino, the Boy Magician" in his neighborhood, and at the age of 12, became the youngest person ever admitted to the Society of American Magicians.Shy and a loner, the young Copperfield saw magic as a way of fitting in and, later, as a way to get girls. As a teenager, Copperfield became fascinated with Broadway and frequently sneaked into shows, especially musicals featuring Stephen Sondheim or Bob Fosse. By age 16, he was teaching a course in magic at New York University. Copperfield owns the International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts, which houses the world's largest collection of historically significant magic memorabilia, books and artifacts. Begun in 1991 when Copperfield purchased the Mullholland Library of Conjuring and the Allied Arts, which contained the world's largest collection of Houdini memorabilia, the museum comprises 5,000 cubic feet and approximately 80,000 items of magic memorabilia, including Houdini's Water Torture Cabinet and his Metamorphosis Trunk, Orson Welles' Buzz Saw Illusion and automata created by Robert Houdin. The museum is not open to the public; tours are reserved for "colleagues, fellow magicians, and serious collectors". Located in a warehouse at Copperfield's headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, the museum is entered via a secret door in what was described by actor Hugh Jackman as a "sex shop" and by Forbes as a "mail-order lingerie warehouse". "'It doesn't need to be secret, it needs to be respected,' he said. 'If a scholar or journalist needs a piece of magic history, it's there.'" In the year 2006 Copperfield bought eleven Bahamian islands called Musha Cay. Rechristened "The Islands of Copperfield Bay," the islands are a private resort. Guests have reportedly included Oprah Winfrey and John Travolta, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin was married there. So far as personal life is concerned David Copperfield was engaged to supermodel Claudia Schiffer for six years, but the couple separated in 1999 citing work schedules. Copperfield has been under investigation by a Seattle federal grand jury since late 2007 and the subject of a federal lawsuit filed in July 2009related to allegations of sexual assault. Copperfield's attorney has denied the allegations. Forbes magazine reported that Copperfield earned $55 million in 2003, making him the tenth highest paid celebrity in the world (earnings figures are pre-tax and before deductions for agents' and attorneys' fees, etc).He earned $57 million in 2004 and 2005, and $30 million in 2009 in entertainment earnings, according to Forbes. Copperfield performs over 500 shows per year throughout the world