David Seth Kotkin born September 16, , known professionally as David Copperfield , is an American stage magician and illusionist described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history. Copperfield's television specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards , winning Known for his combination of storytelling and illusion, his performance, in a career spanning more than 40 years, have earned 11 Guinness World Records , [ 3 ] a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame [ 4 ] and a knighthood by the French government.
His illusions have included the disappearance of a Learjet aircraft , the vanishing and reappearance of the Statue of Liberty , levitating over the Grand Canyon , walking through the Great Wall of China , escaping from Alcatraz prison , the disappearance of an Orient Express train dining car and flying on stage for several minutes Copperfield started his career as a ventriloquist at age eight with his own Jerry Mahoney puppet.
As he described it, "At Camp Harmony, we spent two weeks searching for a guide who'd been kidnapped by Indians. It was just a game, but I was living it. My whole life goes back to that camp experience when I was three or four. At that time, he adopted the stage name David Copperfield, taken from the Charles Dickens novel , because he liked its sound. He sang, danced, and created most of the original illusions in the show.
The Magic Man became the longest-running musical in Chicago history. At age 19, he created and headlined for several months the first "Magic of David Copperfield" show at the Pagoda Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii , with the help of sound and lighting designer Willy Martin.
Copperfield's career in television began in earnest when he was discovered by Joseph Cates, a producer of Broadway shows and television specials. Most of his media appearances have been through television specials and guest spots on television programs.
