David Blaine biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Magician David Blaine was born on April 4, 1973, to a single mother in Brooklyn, New York. A street performer provided Blaine's introduction to magic, as the curious 4-year-old waited for a subway train. Magic was not his only interest, however, and Blaine went on to attend the Neighborhood Playhouse drama school and appeared in several TV commercials and soap operas. It was during this time that his ability to levitate off of the ground surfaced and, at the urging of his personal physician, Blaine underwent a thorough examination.

Street Magic

When Blaine was 21, his mother was stricken with cancer and passed away in 1994. Though grief-stricken, he continued to perform and make a name for himself at celebrity functions by doing magic tricks for famous people, such as Mike Tyson, Al Pacino and David Geffen.

Blaine made a tape of a performance and sent it to ABC, where the response was tremendous and an interview was soon requested. His first special, David Blaine: Street Magic was a ratings hit in 1997. David Blaine: Magic Man followed two years later.

Endurance Stunts

In 1999, Blaine performed his first endurance stunt: submerging himself in 4,000 pounds of water for over one week. In 2000, he followed with "Frozen in Time" in which he was frozen into a block of ice for 72 hours. Two years later, he stood on a 100-foot pillar for 35 hours in "Vertigo."

Unfortunately, there were more skeptics than supporters during 2003's "Above the Below," which involved Blaine living in a glass box suspended by the River Thames in London for 44 days, without food. The stunt gained worldwide media coverage, and thousands gathered at the site near Tower Bridge to witness his release.

In New York in 2006, his "human aquarium" stunt involved submersion in a water-filled sphere for seven days, receiving air and food through tubes. In a dramatic finale, he failed in his attempt to break the world record for holding breath under water, while simultaneously escaping heavy chains.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.