David Blaine is one of the world’s best-known magicians. His television specials and physical endurance stunts have made him a household name.

Born David Blaine White in 1973 in Brooklyn, New York, he began his magic career performing close-up tricks. He landed his first television special after filming his act. When he first appeared on television, most magicians had never heard of him.

Street Magic

Blaine's first TV Special, “David Blaine: Street Magic”, featured close-up magic performed on the streets of well-known American cities. With a range of simple tricks performed well in a direct and personal manner, Blaine managed to get visual reactions from his audience and has been widely credited with making magic appeal to a new generation of youngsters.

Physical Stunts

Moving on from his magic, his later television outings have been large-scale physical stunts that Blaine initially used as promotions, but were to eventually become the focus of later programmes.

Buried Alive

Blaine’s first major stunt was in 1999. Blaine stayed for seven straight days inside a glass coffin that was within an open pit in New York. Spectators were completely free to walk up and see him. This open style of these stunts would become irresistible to the media and while Blaine may not perform Houdini like escapes, he has proven to be a wizard at promotion.

Frozen in Time

In 2000, Blaine stood encased in a hollowed out block of ice in Times Square, New York. He was there for a total of almost 62 hours.

Vertigo

In 2002, Blaine stood on top of a 90 foot pole in Bryant Park, also in New York. After standing on a tiny platform for over 34 hours, Blaine jumped off, landing on a pile of cardboard boxes.

Above the Below

In what was possibly Blaine’s most controversial and criticised stunt; he spent 44 days fasting, while suspended in a glass case over the south bank of the River Thames in London.

Drowned Alive

Blaine's most recent stunt involved him living in a large 'fish bowl' in New York. After seven days he tried, and failed, to break the world record for holding breath under water.