To the question "Who is the greatest illusionist of our time?" probably everyone will answer "This is David Copperfield!" The peak of his world popularity fell on 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 at a very young age, and his path to fame consisted of hard and painstaking work to hone his talents.
David Copperfield: biography, photo of a young age
David Seth Kotkin, as he was called at birth, was born on September 16, 1956 in the small town of Metachen, New Jersey. He was the only child in a Jewish family of clothing store owner Hyman Kotkin and his wife Rebecca, an insurance agent. Huge influence on the choice of David’s future profession was made by his grandfather, by the way, an emigrant from the USSR, he showed his grandson card tricks when little Kotkin was completely bored when studying Torah. And the boy successfully repeated them, because he had a unique memory, and already at the age of seven he proudly showed the tricks of his own composition in the local synagogue. His first amateur performances aroused great enthusiasm among the audience, and even then the future great illusionist David Copperfield decided that he simply must become famous.
Seven steps to success
A beginner wizard at a very early age engaged in self-education, looking for and studying all the possible treatises on magic. He bought the most diverse equipment for his tricks, but often he himself was engaged in the construction of the elements he needed. Already at the age of twelve, David was considered a professional illusionist, which could be considered just a fantastic achievement, and became the youngest member of the "American community of magicians." At that time he performed under his first pseudonym "Davino". As a sixteen-year-old boy, David was invited to New York University to give students practical courses in magic, the art of manipulation, and dramaturgy. In 1974, a 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, and Charles Dickens's novel turned out to be a weighty argument in this matter. However, David was always attracted not only by the path of the magician, but also by promising show business, so he did not give up the main role in the Chicago musical “The Wizard”, which as a result became very popular on the stage for a very long time. That is why David Copperfield left his studies for a career, settled in New York and began to actively search for work as an illusionist.
Prelude to World Glory
In 1978, a prominent and talented guy became interested in a famous American television channel and invited him to become the main person of the show called “Magic on ABC. The host is David Copperfield. " The biography of the young wizard at that moment sharply wagged toward the charismatic showman. The transfer served as a kind of springboard in achieving his goal: "To become the greatest magician." David’s stunning artistry even earned him a movie role, albeit a minor one. In 1979, the movie "Train of Terror" was released, which only contributed to the growing popularity of the star.
Goal achieved
But this was only a prelude to his hour of glory. Another American television channel, CBS, decided to lure a talented artist to him and invited him to conduct his own show, setting the illusionist with the task of attracting a millionth audience. So there was “The Magic of David Copperfield”, which made his name famous not only in the United States, but in all corners of the globe. David accomplished the impossible by making the plane disappear in front of millions of viewers. The next large-scale illusion was the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty in the presence of the audience. Further more. The magician passed through the Great Wall of China, flew over the Grand Canyon, got out of Alcatraz, fell from Niagara Falls, “stole” the Orient Express, reached the Bermuda Triangle, explored a haunted house and even survived in a pillar of fire. These grandiose in scale performances managed to make a single person - David Copperfield. Photos of the greatest showman and illusionist of his time in the 90s adorned all the most prestigious prints, because then only the lazy did not speak about the great wizard. Many of his illusions were so complex and incredible that they could only be declassified after a long time, and that wasn’t all.
Present
After surging 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, which was not dreamed of by any of the great illusionists. In total, Copperfield created fifteen issues of his program. David continued to work actively, touring around 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, assembled his own magic library, and opened a museum of the details of the illusionists of the past. This talented person even approached the restaurant business from an unusual side, opening a personalized specialized cafe in New York. The chip of this institution is the lack of staff, and the dishes ordered by visitors materialize directly from the air. Like many other celebrities, Copperfield is involved in charity, but again quite unusual. David created a program to help people with disabilities develop sleight of hand. He now has a contract with one of the best casinos in Las Vegas, where the illusionist is showing off his new show.
