David Blaine
| David Blaine | |
|---|---|
| Born |
David Blaine White April 4, 1973 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Partner(s) | Alizée Guinochet (2008–2014) |
| Website | Official website |
David Blaine (born David Blaine White; April 4, 1973) is an American magician, illusionist and endurance artist. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance, and has set and broken several world records.
Penn Jillette called Blaine’s first television special, Street Magic, "the biggest breakthrough (in television magic) done in our lifetime" for changing the perspective of television viewers toward those seeing the trick live. Blaine revolutionized the way magic is shown on television by focusing on spectator reactions. His idea was to turn the camera around on the people watching instead of the performer, to make the audience watch the audience. The New York Times noted that "he's taken a craft that's been around for hundreds of years and done something unique and fresh with it." According to the New York Daily News, "Blaine can lay claim to his own brand of wizardry. The magic he offers operates on an uncommonly personal level."
Blaine was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Patrice Maureen White (1946–1995), a school teacher, and William Perez, a veteran of the Vietnam War. His father was of half Puerto Rican and half Italian descent, and his mother was of Russian Jewish ancestry. When Blaine was four years old, he saw a magician performing magic in the subway. This triggered a lifelong interest for him. He was raised by his single mother and attended many schools in Brooklyn. When he was 10 years old, his mother married John Bukalo and they moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, where he attended Passaic Valley Regional High School. When Blaine was 17 years old, he moved to Manhattan, New York.
On May 19, 1997, Blaine's first television special, David Blaine: Street Magic aired on NBC television. "It really, really does break new ground," said Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller. When asked about his performance style, Blaine explained, “I'd like to bring magic back to the place it used to be 100 years ago.”'Time commented, "His deceptively low-key, ultracool manner leaves spectators more amazed than if he'd razzle-dazzled."
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Wikipedia