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David Copperfield (illusionist)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Copperfield (born David Seth Kotkin;
September 16, 1956) is an American illusionist,
described by Forbes in 2006 as the most
commercially successful magician in history.[1]
Best known for his combination of storytelling
and illusion, Copperfield has so far sold 40
million tickets and grossed over $1 billion.[1]
David Copperfield | |
|---|---|
David Copperfield backstage at the America's Got Talent Season 5 finale rehearsal. | |
Born | David Seth Kotkin September 16, 1956 |
Occupation | |
Years active | 1974–present |
Early years
Copperfield was born David Seth Kotkin in Metuchen, New Jersey,[2][3] 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.[2] Copperfield's mother was born in Jerusalem, Israel, while his paternal grandparents were
When Copperfield was 10, he began practicing magic as "Davino the Boy Magician" in his neighborhood,[6]
and at the age of 14, became the youngest person ever admitted to theSociety of American Magicians.[7][8][9]
Shy and a loner, the young Copperfield saw magic as a way of fitting in and, later, as a way to get girls.[10]
As a teenager, Copperfield became fascinated with Broadway and frequently sneaked into shows, especially
musicals featuring Stephen Sondheim or Bob Fosse.[11] By age 16, he was teaching a course in magic at
[edit]Career and business interests
At age 18, he enrolled at Fordham University, and was cast in the lead role of the Chicago-based musical
The Magic Man (written by Barbara D'Amato[13] and directed by Holland, MI's John Tammi) three weeks into
his freshman year,[14] adopting his new stage name "David Copperfield" from the Charles Dickens book of
Copperfield's career in television began in earnest when he was discovered by Joseph Cates, a producer of
Broadway shows and television specials.[15] Cates produced a magic special in 1977 on ABC called "The Magic
of ABC" hosted by Copperfield,[9] as well as several of "The Magic of David Copperfield" specials on CBS
between 1978 and 1998.[15] There have been20 Copperfield TV specials between 1977 and 2001.
Copperfield played the character of "Ken the Magician" in the 1980 horror film Terror Train. He also made an
uncredited appearance in the 1994 film Prêt-à-Porter. Most of his media appearances have been through
television specials and guest spots on television programs. His illusions have included making the Statue
of Liberty disappear, flying, levitating over theGrand Canyon, and walking through the Great Wall of China.
In 1996, Copperfield joined forces with Dean Koontz, Joyce Carol Oates, Ray Bradbury and others for David
Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible, an anthology of original fiction set in the world of magic and illusion.
A second volume was later published in 1997, called David Copperfield's Beyond Imagination. In addition to
the 2 books, David also wrote an essay as part of the "This I Believe" series from NPR and the This I Believe,
Inc.[16] Also during 1996, in collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola, David Ives, and Eiko Ishioka, Copperfield's
Broadway show "Dreams & Nightmares" broke box office records.[17]
Copperfield notes that his role models were not magicians and that "My idols were Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire
and Orson Welles and Walt Disney ... they took their individual art forms and they moved people with them ... I
wanted to do the same thing with magic. I wanted to take magic and make it romantic and make it sexy and
make it funny and make it goofy ... all the different things that a songwriter gets to express or a filmmaker gets
to express ...."[18]
On 7 May 2009, Copperfield was dropped by Michael Jackson from Jackson's residency at the O2 Arena after
an alleged row over money. Copperfield wanted $1 million (£666,000) per show.[19] Copperfield denied the
reports of a row, saying "don't believe everything you read."[20] News of Copperfield's collaboration with Jackson
first surfaced on April 1, 2009, and has since been reported by several websites as a possible April Fool's
[edit]International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts
Copperfield owns the International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts, which houses the world's largest[25]
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,[1] 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
The museum is not open to the public; tours are reserved for "colleagues, fellow magicians, and serious
collectors".[25] Located in a warehouse at Copperfield's headquarters in Las Vegas, the museum is entered
via a secret door in what was described by actor Hugh Jackman as a "sex shop"[27] and by Forbes as a
"mail-order lingerie warehouse".[1] "'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.'"[28]
[edit]Musha Cay and the Islands of Copperfield Bay
In 2006 Copperfield bought eleven Bahamian islands called Musha Cay.[29] Rechristened "The Islands of
Copperfield Bay,"[29] the islands are a private resort.[30][31] Guests have reportedly included Oprah Winfrey
[edit]"Magic Underground" restaurant
David Copperfield's Magic Underground was planned to be a restaurant based on Copperfield's magic.[33]
There was a sign on Hollywood Boulevard during the late 90s indicating the restaurant was coming soon.
Underground restaurant was also going to open in New York's Times Square.[33] Plans also included eventual
expansion into Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as well as Paris and Tokyo.[35] The restaurants were to
have magic props and other items on the walls of the restaurants while magicians would go around to tables
doing sleight of hand tricks. There was also to be a larger stage for larger stunts.[36] The restaurant in Times
Square was 85 percent completed,[35] but, amid disputes between the creative team and the financial team,
and enormous cost overruns, finances dried up from the investors, so the project was cancelled, and Disney
cancelled the lease.[37] Copperfield was not an investor in the project; the investors reportedly lost $34 million
[edit]Accidents and injuries
On March 11, 1984, while rehearsing an illusion called "Escape from Death" where he was shackled and
handcuffed in a tank of water, Copperfield became tangled in the chains and started taking in water and
banging into the sides of the tank.[18] He was pulled from the water after 1 minute 20 seconds, hyperventilating
and in shock, and taken to a Burbank hospital, and found to have pulled tendons in arms and legs. He was in
a wheelchair for a week and used a cane for a period thereafter.[39]
Doing a rope trick, Copperfield accidentally cut off the tip of his finger with sharp scissors.[40] He was rushed
to hospital and the fingertip was re-attached.[41]
On December 17, 2008, during a live performance in Las Vegas, one of Copperfield's assistants was sucked
into the spinning blades of a 12 feet (3.7 m) high industrial fan that Copperfield walks through.[42] The assistant
sustained multiple fractures to his arm, lacerations that required stitching, and severe bleeding.[42] Copperfield
canceled the rest of the performance and offered the audience members refunds.
[edit]Litigation
On July 11, 1994, Copperfield sued magician and author Herbert L. Becker in order to prevent publication of
Becker's book which reveals how magicians perform their illusions.[43] Becker won the law suit.[44] However,
the book was published without exposing any of Copperfield's secrets.[45] Because of a secrecy agreement
Becker had signed with Copperfield, and an independent finding that Becker's description of Copperfield's
methods was inaccurate, the publisher removed the section on Copperfield from the book before publication.[45]
In 1997, Becker sued Copperfield and Lifetime Books for US$50 million for causing breach of contract between
himself and Lifetime Books, the publisher of his book All the Secrets of Magic Revealed. Becker won this
lawsuit when Copperfield settled at the eleventh hour and the publisher lost during the court battle.[46]
In 1997, Copperfield and Claudia Schiffer sued Paris Match for US$30 million after the magazine claimed their
relationship was a stunt,[47] that Schiffer was paid for pretending to be Copperfield's fiancée and that she didn't
even like him.[48][49] In 1999, they won an undisclosed sum and a retraction from Paris Match.[50]Herbert L. Becker
who Copperfield asked to give testimony regarding the validity of the relationship gave convincing testimony that the
relationship was real. Copperfield's publicist confirmed that while Schiffer had a contract to appear in the audience
at Copperfield's show in Berlin where they met, she was not under contract to be his "consort".[51]
On August 25, 2000 Copperfield unsuccessfully sued Fireman's Fund Insurance Company for reimbursement of a
$506,343 ransom paid to individuals in Russia who had commandeered the entertainer's equipment there.[52][53][54]
In 2004, John Melk, co-founder of Blockbuster Inc., and previous owner of Musha Cay, sued Copperfield for fraud
after Copperfield's purchase of the island chain, alleging that Copperfield had deliberately obscured his identity
during the purchase and that he would not have sold the island to Copperfield.[55] Copperfield claimed that Melk
had agreed to sell the property to Copperfield's Imagine Nation Company, and that Copperfield negotiated the
deal through a third party because he feared Melk was "seeking to exploit" Copperfield's celebrity status by
demanding an unrealistic price.[56] The case was settled in 2006. The terms of the settlement are undisclosed.[55]
On November 6, 2007, Viva Art International Ltd and Maz Concerts Inc. sued Copperfield for nearly $2.2 million
for breach of contract[57][58] and the Indonesian promoter of David Copperfield's canceled shows in Jakarta
held on to $550,000 worth of Copperfield's equipment in lieu of money paid to Copperfield that had not been
Copperfield was accused of sexual assault in 2007 by Lacey L. Carroll.[62] A federal grand jury in Seattle
closed the investigation in January 2010 without bringing charges against Copperfield.[63][64] In January 2010 the
Bellevue City Prosecutor's Office brought misdemeanor charges against Carroll for prostitution and allegedly
making a false accusation of rape in another case.[65] Carroll filed a civil lawsuit against Copperfield,[66] which
[edit]Personal life
Copperfield was engaged to supermodel Claudia Schiffer for six years, but the couple separated in 1999 citing
work schedules.[70]
In April 2006, Copperfield and two female assistants were robbed at gunpoint after a performance in West Palm
Beach, Florida.[71] His assistants gave the robbers their money, passports and a cell phone. According to
his police statement, Copperfield did not hand over anything, claiming that he used sleight of hand to hide
his possessions.[72] One of Copperfield's assistants wrote down most of the license plate number, and the
suspects were later arrested, tried and sentenced.[73]
[edit]Earnings
| David Copperfield on the Forbes Celebrity 100 List [74] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year (June-June) | Pay (USD, millions) | Power Rank | Pay Rank |
| 1999–2000 | not on list | ||
| 2001 | 60 | 23 | 5 |
| 2002 | not on list | ||
| 2003 | 55 | 43 | 10 |
| 2004 | 57 | 35 | 10 |
| 2005 | 57 | 41 | 10 |
| 2006–2008 | not on list | ||
| 2009 | 30 | 80 | 50 |
Forbes magazine reported that Copperfield earned USD55 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.).[75]
He earned $57 million in 2004 and 2005, and $30 million in 2009 in entertainment earnings, according to
[edit]Charitable activities
[edit]Project Magic
In 1982, Copperfield founded Project Magic,[79] a rehabilitation program to help disabled patients regain lost
or damaged dexterity skills by using sleight-of-hand magic as a method of physical therapy.[79] The program
has been accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association, and is in use in over 1100 hospitals
throughout 30 countries worldwide. Copperfield made an appearance on Oprah Radio in April 2008 to talk with
Oprah Radio host Dr. Mehmet Oz about how the use of magic can help disabled people.[80]
[edit]Achievements and awards
- Nominated 38 times for Emmy Awards and has won 21 times.[81]
- Received a Living Legend Award from the Library of Congress.[82]
- First living magician to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[83]
- Knighted by the French government, receiving the Chevalier of Arts and Letters, the first one ever awarded
- to a magician.[citation needed]
- Named "Magician of the Year" in 1980 and 1987 by the Academy of Magical Arts.[84]
- Forbes's "The Celebrity 100" for 2009 ranks Copperfield as the 80th most powerful celebrity, with earnings
- of $30 million.[85]
[edit]Guinness World Records
Copperfield holds 11 Guinness World Records.[86] They include:
1. Largest private collection of magic artifacts
2. Most tickets sold worldwide by a solo entertainer
3. Highest career earnings as a magician
4. Highest Broadway gross in a week
5. Largest Broadway attendance in a week
6. Largest international television audience for a magician
7. Most magic shows performed in a year
8. Most valuable magic poster
9. Largest work archive for a magician
10. Highest annual earnings for a magician
11. Largest illusion ever staged
[edit]Television specials
- The Magic of ABC Starring David Copperfield (1977) (With special guests Donny Osmond and Marie
- Osmond)
- The Magic of David Copperfield (1978) (With special guests Orson Welles and Bernadette Peters)
- 1 Emmy Nomination: Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction and Electronic Camerawork
- The Magic of David Copperfield II (1979) (With special guest Bill Bixby)
- 1 Emmy Nomination: Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction and Electronic Camerawork
- The Magic of David Copperfield III: Levitating Ferrari (1980) (With special guest Jack Klugman)
- 2 Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction; Outstanding Achievement in
- Technical Direction and Electronic Camerawork
- The Magic of David Copperfield IV: The Vanishing Airplane (1981) (With special guest Jason Robards)
- 1 Emmy Win: Outstanding Technical Direction and Electronic Camerawork
- The Magic of David Copperfield V: Vanishing the Statue of Liberty (1983) (With special guests
- Morgan Fairchild and Eugene Levy)
- The Magic of David Copperfield VI: Floating Over the Grand Canyon (1984) (With special guest
- Bonnie Tyler theme Holding Out For A Hero)
- 1 Emmy Win: Outstanding Technical Direction/Camerawork/Video for a Limited Series or a Special
- 2 Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction; Outstanding Live and Tape
- Sound Mixing and Sound Effects for a Limited Series or a Special
- The Magic of David Copperfield VII: Familiares (1985) (With special guest Angie Dickinson)
- 1 Emmy Win: Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control for a Limited
- Series or a Special
- The Magic of David Copperfield VIII: Walking Through the Great Wall of China (1986) (With special
- guest Ben Vereen)
- 2 Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding
- Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control for a Miniseries or a Special
- The Magic of David Copperfield IX: Escape From Alcatraz (1987) (With special guest Ann Jillian)
- 2 Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding
- Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Miniseries or a Special
- The Magic of David Copperfield X: The Bermuda Triangle (1988) (With special guest Lisa Hartman)
- 2 Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding
- Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control for a Miniseries or a Special
- The Magic of David Copperfield XI: Explosive Encounter (1989) (With special guest Emma Samms)
- Filmed at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Orange County, California
- 2 Emmy Wins: Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding Lighting
- Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries or a Special
- 2 Emmy Nomination: Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding Sound
- Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or a Special
- The Magic of David Copperfield XII: The Niagara Falls Challenge (1990) (With special guest Kim Alexis)
- Filmed at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Orange County, California
- 1 Emmy Win: Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Miniseries or a Special
- The Magic of David Copperfield XIII: Mystery On The Orient Express (1991) (With special guest Jane
- Seymour) Filmed at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Tampa Bay, Florida
- 4 Emmy Wins: Outstanding Achievement in Special Visual Effects; Outstanding Art Direction for a
- Variety or Music Program; Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety
- Series, Miniseries or a Special; Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video
- for a Miniseries or a Special
- 1 Emmy Nomination: Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or a Special - Multi-Camera Production
- The Magic of David Copperfield XIV: Flying - Live The Dream (1992) (With special guest James Earl Jones)
- Filmed at the Broward Center for Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
- 3 Emmy Win: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program;
- Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special - Multi-Camera Production;
- Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a
- Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries or a Special
- The Magic of David Copperfield XV: Fires Of Passion (1993) (With special guest Wayne Gretzky) Filmed
- in part at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Tampa Bay, Florida
- 3 Emmy Win: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program;
- Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special - Multi-Camera Production;
- Outstanding Individual Achievement in Technical Direction/Camera/Video
- for a Miniseries or a Special
- David Copperfield: 15 Years of Magic (1994) (With special guest Claudia Schiffer)
- 1 Emmy Win: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special -
- Multi-Camera Production
- The Magic of David Copperfield XVI: Unexplained Forces (1995) - Filmed at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts
- Center in Tampa Bay, Florida
- 3 Emmy Wins: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special - Multi
- -Camera Production; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama
- Series, Variety Program, Miniseries or a Special; Outstanding Technical
- Direction/Camera/Video for a Miniseries or a Special
- 2 Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Variety or Music
- Program; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or a Special
- David Copperfield: The Great Escapes
- The Magic of David Copperfield XVII: Tornado of Fire (2001) (With special guest Carson Daly) - Filmed in at the
- Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee and live tornado stunt performed at Pier 94 in New York City, NY[87]
- 1 Emmy Nomination: Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program
[edit]Worldwide tours
The Magic of David Copperfield: Live on Stage (1983–1986)
- The Magic of David Copperfield (1987–1990)
- David Copperfield: Radical New Illusions (1991–1992)
- David Copperfield: Magic for the 90's (1992–1994)
- David Copperfield: Beyond Imagination (a.k.a. The Best of David Copperfield) (1995–1996)
- David Copperfield: Dreams and Nightmares (a.k.a. Magic is Back) (1996–1998)
- David Copperfield: Journey of a Lifetime (a.k.a. U!) (1999–2000)
- David Copperfield: Unknown Dimension (a.k.a. Global Encounter) (2000–2001)
- David Copperfield: Portal (2001–2002)
- David Copperfield: An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion (a.k.a. World of Wonders) (2003–present)
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