FluxVib

You can’t talk about magic and illusion and not talk about David Blaine. Howard Stern and Penn Jillette described him as the greatest magician to walk the face of the earth. Who can blame Stern and Jillette for their admiration for this endurance artist’s magic tricks and stunts?

David Blaine has been consistent in his jaw-dropping performances since bursting onto the scene in 1997 as a 23-year-old with his first magical offering. David Blaine: Street Magic which was widely received with top marks.

Although raised by a single mother, Patrice MaureenWhite, a Russian Jew who died of cancer in 1995, was also born to an absent father, veteran William Perez on April 4, 1973, in Brooklyn, New York. He is of mixed ancestry: Puerto Rican and Italian on his father’s side and Russian Jew on his mother’s side. His mother remarried in 1983 to John Bukalo and, from this union, Blaine has a half-brother, Michael Bukalo.

His mother’s marriage to John Bukalo saw the family move to Little Falls, New Jersey, where Blaine attends Passaic Valley Regional High School. His interest in the magical arts began when he saw a magician displaying his box of magic tricks on a subway when he was just four years old. This left a lasting impression on the child and when he decided to pursue his career at 20, his mother gave him her blessing and fully supported him until her passing a year later.

David Blaine went on to establish himself as a world famous illusionist, attracting thousands of fans to his magic which revolutionized the industry as it is today. He broke several records held by former magicians and created new ones.

He also had the honor of performing for USpresidents – George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump – and other personalities such as Al Pacino, Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Beckham, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lawrence, Steph Curry, Stephen Hawkings, to name a few.

magic career

Blaine started out as a street magician, performing his tricks on the streets of Manhattan, New York, to the amazement of passers-by and onlookers. Soon he became popular and gathered a large following. His success on the streets encouraged him to record his tricks and illusions which he sent to ABC in hopes of getting a shot for their show. It worked and he was invited to a show which became his first performance in front of an audience. It happened on May 19, 1997, and the show was called David Blaine: Street Magic.

Two years later, his second show, David Blaine: The Magic Man aired on ABC. As an endurance performer, his first stunt was dubbed Buried Alive which took place in April 1999. Blaine had immersed himself in a huge tank full of water and spent seven days there.

In November 2000, it was the Frozen in Time endurance stunt. Blaine was encased in a huge block of transparent ice for 63 hours, 42 minutes and 15 seconds (this record was later broken by Israeli magician Hezi Dean, who outlived Blaine for three hours). The large block of ice hung in Times Square, New York.

His next performance was dubbed vertigo at Bryant Park, New York, where he stood on a 30-meter-tall pillar for 35 hours. This happened in May 2002 and in September 2003 Blaine started another stunt called Above Below. He hung in a clear glass box about 30 feet tall for 44 days without food – just water.

In May 2006, David Blaine was immersed in water for seven days in another endurance stunt he titled Drowned Alive. After this stunt, he presented himself as a subject of research at Yale University on the reaction of human psychology after prolonged immersion in water. On the Oprah Winfrey show in April 2008, he attempted to break the Guinness World Record for holding his breath underwater held by Swiss Peter Colat at 16 minutes and 32 seconds.

He broke the record set on February 10, 2008, lasting for 17 minutes 4 seconds. His record stood for 4 months and two weeks before being improved on September 19, 2008 by Tom Sietas, who held for 17 minutes and 19 seconds. Other stunts performed by David Blaine include: Revolution (2006), Death Dive (2008), Bullet Catch (2010), Electrified (2012).

How does David Blaine Levitate?

One of the magic tricks David Blaine used to hypnotize his audience on his very first TV special, David Blaine: Street Magic was the point where he levitated. Nobody saw him coming and the audience was shocked when he got up and floated in the air before coming down. How did he get that out of the blues and live TV?

Since he was on stage, many have dismissed the idea that he was staged. So if not, what happened? What happened is Balducci levitation. First, you need to understand that Blaine isn’t the first to use this trick. This is actually an old trick, an illusion that has been used by many magicians and illusionists to daze audiences.

Net value

The magician, performer, illusionist and endurance artist used his craft to acquire wealth for himself. Often referred to as modern-day Harry Houdini, a 19th century magician whom David himself describes as his hero, his net worth is linked to his performances and magic shows. Additionally, royalties from his book Mysterious Stranger play a role in building his financial base to $12 million.

wife, girlfriend

According to available information, DavidBlaine is not married and therefore does not have a wife. However, he has moved closer to the shores of marriage as he married French model Alizée Guinochet, whom he started dating in 2008. It happened on April 4, 2009, at the age of 36 years old, and lasted 5 years before being canceled in 2014.

During this time, the relationship produced a daughter-in-law named Dessa, who was born on January 27, 2011. The story of her birth is funny. Guinochet got to work at a time when a severe snowstorm accompanied by strong winds had hit the area where they lived and Blaine had to perform some magic or become the midwife. He did neither, instead opting for the unconventional and transported a heavily pregnant Guinochet in a snow plow to the hospital. Magic? We do not think so!

Before his relationship with Alizée Guinochet, the handsome magician had been associated with several ladies, especially models. Blaine reportedly had an affair with Madonna and model Bijou Phillips. However, his first confirmed relationship was with actress Fiona Apple in the 1990s. The others are models Josie Maran (2000), Daryl Hannah (2002), Manon von Gerkan (2002), Mallory Snyder (2004) and Lonneke Engel (2006).

Other Facts About David Blaine

David has received rave reviews since he started his career with many calling him a revolutionary in the world of illusion. He is also credited with rotating his cameras to capture the audience (who are mostly mesmerized) while performing.

He released his autobiography titled A Mysterious Stranger: A Book of Magic which was published by Random House. The book was officially released in 2002 and also contains notes explaining how to perform magic stunts.

He hosted a 72 hour show in Times Square, New York for the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake in January 2010. The show raised thousands of dollars (nearly $100,000) .

Blaine has been accused of rape in the UK by former model Natasha Prince. Although he denied the allegation which was raised in 2017, Prince said the incident happened in 2004 at a private residence in London. However, the charges were dropped in September 2018.

David Blaine has an average height of 5 feet 11 inches with a weight which is currently at 81 kg. His body mass decreases with each stunt, especially the endurance arts he does. He has brown eyes and dark brown hair.

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