On 8 April 1983, David Copperfield stood on Liberty Island. In front of a live audience, millions of TV viewers and a radar scanner, he made the Statue of Liberty vanish. It was the most audacious illusion of the twentieth century — and it launched David Copperfield definitively as the most successful magician of all time.
From Metuchen, New Jersey to the White House
Born David Seth Kotkin in 1956, he gave his first paid shows at twelve in his hometown. At sixteen he taught magic at New York University — as the youngest lecturer ever. At nineteen he played the lead in the musical 'The Magic Man' in Chicago.
His breakthrough came with the CBS special 'The Magic of David Copperfield' (1978), which he renewed annually with ever more spectacular illusions. The combination of magic, choreography, music and emotion was new — magic as a rock concert.
The impossible illusions
1983: the Statue of Liberty vanishes. 1986: he flies over the stage, through hoops, with his arms around a female audience member. 1987: he escapes from Niagara Falls. 1988: he walks through the Great Wall of China. Every special tried to outdo the previous one.
His 'Flying' illusion is considered by many colleagues the most beautiful levitation ever. No wires visible, no support, free rotations in all directions — even through hoops. It took seven years of development and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- ✦11 Guinness World Records
- ✦21 Emmy Awards
- ✦First living magician with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- ✦Owner of the International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts
The businessman behind the magician
Beyond performer, Copperfield is an unmatched businessman. He owns eleven islands in the Bahamas (Musha Cay), still tours 500 shows per year in Las Vegas, and owns the largest private collection of magic memorabilia in the world — including Houdini's original Water Torture Cell.
He has taught children to read through 'Project Magic', a rehabilitation programme where people with physical disabilities learn magic to develop motor skills and confidence. It now operates in over 1100 hospitals worldwide.
Copperfield proved that magic doesn't have to be a niche art. In his hands it became world-class entertainment of the highest order — and a business empire.