Illusionist David Copperfield: biography, photo

To the question "Who is the greatest illusionist of our time?" Probably everyone will say "This is David Copperfield!". The peak of his world popularity came in the 90s of the last century, but even now there is no magician equal to him. However, few people know that the famous magician and showman chose his future path still at a very young age, and his path to fame consisted of hard and painstaking work on honing his talents.

David Copperfield: biography, photo of young years

David Seth Kotkin, as he was called at birth, was born on September 16, 1956 in the small town Metachen, New Jersey. He was the only child in the Jewish family of the clothing store owner Hyman Kotkin and his wife Rebecca, an insurance agent. Great influence on the choice of the future profession of David had his grandfather, by the way, an emigrant from the USSR, he showed his grandson card tricks, when little Kotkin became completely bored when 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 in his local synagogue the tricks of his own composition. His first amateur speeches aroused enthusiastic audiences, and already then the future great illusionist David Copperfield decided that he simply had to become famous.

Seven-mile steps to success

The beginning magician at a very early age engaged in self-education, seeking out and studying all possible treatises on magic. He bought a variety of equipment for his tricks, but often he himself was engaged in the construction of the elements necessary for him. Already at the age of twelve, David was considered a professional illusionist, which could be considered simply a fantastic achievement, and became the youngest member of the "American Mage Community". At that time he acted under his first pseudonym "Davino". Being just a sixteen-year-old boy, David was invited to New York University to teach students practical courses in magic, the art of manipulation and drama. In 1974, a talented illusionist decided to continue his studies and entered Fordham University. At the same time, he decided to change the pseudonym to a more sonorous and mysterious one, and Charles Dickens's novel turned out to be a weighty argument in this matter. However, David always attracted not only the path of the magician, but also 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's why David Copperfield left his studies for the sake of his career, settled in New York and engaged in an active search for work as an illusionist.

Prelude to world fame

In 1978, a promising and talented guy became interested in the famous American television channel and invited him to become the main face of the show called "Magic on the ABC. The presenter is David Copperfield. " The biography of the young wizard at that moment sharply turned into a charismatic showman. The transfer served as a kind of springboard in achieving its goal: "Become the greatest magician." David's stunning artistry brought him even a role in the movie, albeit secondary. In 1979 saw the light of the film "The Train of Terror", which only contributed to the growth of popularity of the beginning star.

Goal Achieved

But this was only a prelude to his hour of glory. Another American television station, CBS, decided to entice a talented artist and invited him to conduct his own show, setting the illusionist the task of attracting a million audience. Thus appeared the "Magic of David Copperfield", which made his name known not only in the United States, but also in all corners of the globe. David did the impossible, forcing the plane to disappear in front of millions of viewers. The next large-scale illusion was the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty in the presence of spectators. Further more. The magician passed through the Great Wall of China, flew through the Grand Canyon, climbed out of Alcatraz, fell from Niagara Falls, "abducted" the Orient Express, reached the Bermuda Triangle, explored the haunted house and even survived in the fire column. These grandiose in scope, the concept has managed to make a single person - David Copperfield. The photos of the greatest showman and illusionist of his time in the 90s adorned all the most prestigious print publications, because then only the lazy did not talk about the great wizard. Many of his illusions were so complex and unbelievable that they could only be declassified after a long time, and that's not all.

Nowadays

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 never dreamed of any of the great illusionists. In total, Copperfield created fifteen editions of its 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 co-authorship with other writers, collected his own magic library and opened a museum of the details of the illusionists of the past. This talented person, even to the restaurant business came up with an unusual side, opening a 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 engaged in charity, but again quite unusual. David created a program that helps people with disabilities develop hand dexterity. Now he has a contract with one of the best casinos in Las Vegas, where the illusionist is showing his new show.

David Copperfield: private life is classified

It was not always so. In the 90's, the magician had an affair with the famous model Claudia Schiffer, who even starred in his program. The couple was even engaged, but after six years of relationship they broke up in 1999. Evil tongues claim that this novel was just a screen that hides the real personal life of David, but there is no reliable information on this matter. After Schiffer the illusionist met with another model named Ambra Friske, but before marriage again it did not come. Copperfield does not change his predilections and his next passion was the designer and supermodel Chloe Gocelin, whom the showman had long and carefully concealed from prying eyes, and which still became his wife. In 2011, it became known that the couple already have a one-year-old daughter named Skye.