 David Blaine was born April 4,
1973 in Brooklyn New York. In his life he has gone by several last names;
Blaine is his middle name. Patrie White, his single mother, raised him while
taking on as many as three jobs. He never met his real father.
At age four he saw a magician
perform in a subway; he then decided to purchase his first trick, The Pencil
Through the Card. Magic struck him because of its relationship with math
and science. David's grandmother was a gypsy, and passed down some tarot cards
to him. Since he did not have the money to go to a magic shop, he spent
countless hours in libraries researching magic. There he would read every book
he could get his hands on and continued fiddling with his tarot cards. At age
five, he learned what his dream was; after showing a neighbor an effect with the
tarot cards, he saw for the first time the impact magic can have emotionally on
people. He immediately told his mom he wanted to be a showman. She encouraged
him in everyway.
Magic got into David. He was
your regular street magician who got gigs at rich parties. Because of his
talent and uncanny character, he was able to draw up connections to ABC. After
seeing a tape of his magic, they requested an interview and began planning a
special. David Blaine: Street Magic, his first special, was the
beginning of a new era. The special was not about disappearing tigers and thick
stage lights; it was the streets, real people, and David. This had never been
done before. The show was an instant success. People still talk about David
Blaine's levitation. At only 24 years old, David Blaine became famous. A few
years later he released David Blaine: Magic Man, which showed him
performing around the world. His other two specials, David Blaine: Vertigo
and David Blaine: Frozen in Time, only contained a few segments of his
street magic. The specials revolved around the stunts.
David Blaine became a stuntman
after his idol, Houdini. His first stunt, getting buried alive for seven days,
had the approval of Houdini's granddaughter. He did the stunt to promote his
second special, David Blaine: Magic Man. According to a letter Magic
Directory received, David Blaine: Magic Man was named after an old
website. Since then, David has been frozen alive, trapped standing on a poll
over a hundred feet from the ground, and viewed hanging from a crane over the
River Thames bridge in London. He likes to get trapped in secluded areas with
no food. Each stunt seems to be more dangerous. David Blaine will probably
continue performing magic and stunts to his 'audience' for the rest of his life.
View David Blaine
Street Magic Video Clip
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