David Copperfield: where did the 'master of disappearance' and the richest illusionist in the world disappear
'09.10.2020'
Source: ADME
The legendary illusionist David Copperfield amazed audiences all over the world in the 90s of the XX century. It was he who made us believe that magic exists. Most of his tricks have not yet been revealed, although many have tried to find out the secrets. How the most famous magician did himself, where he disappeared and what he is doing now, says ADME.
The beginning of a career and a halo of magic
A boy from a family of Jewish immigrants, from childhood, he adored secrets and tricks. He turned out to be talented to the point that at the age of 12 he was accepted into the American Society of Magicians. He was considered a child prodigy, because at the age of 16 he taught courses related to magic tricks at New York University.
When he was invited to play the lead role in the musical "The Wizard", the magician decided: the stage name should be bright - and borrowed it from the character of Charles Dickens.
What made David really popular was television. He led various programs and it was on them that he worked out his future tricks. The very principle of television, with its filming and editing capabilities, helped David create an aura of magic, mystery and incredible talent around him.
Copperfield's programs have been nominated for an Emmy 38 times and have received 21 statuettes.
David works big
Experience in television and ambition led the magician to ideas for global illusion shows. The whole world had to recognize him, which means that the tricks had to be done as large-scale as possible. In all the tricks, the illusionist was assisted by a team of more than 300 people. All the paraphernalia for the show were transported in huge trucks, they were not even inspected at the border so that the secret of illusions was preserved.
At the peak of his popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, David amazed the audience with the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty, flew over the Grand Canyon in Arizona, which reaches almost 30 km, “fell” from Niagara Falls, passed through the Great Wall of China, and made incredible fire shows. And that's not counting the performances that he gave in closed rooms.
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The illusionist made flying his trademark. And to prove to the audience that he does not use any ropes or cables, he flew into hoops and glass cubes. However, it is believed that there were still cables, only non-standard ones.
Many colleagues dreamed of exposing Copperfield's tricks. And some gave quite convincing evidence. For example, the trick with the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty was explained by the fact that it is located on a small island, where the only source of light is the spotlights that illuminate it. Therefore, when the statue was covered with a canvas, all the light was extinguished, and then the fabric was removed, the spotlights shone on the audience, and, of course, they could not make out the statue in the dark.
The famous "Death Saw" was explained by the fact that slats were fixed on the sides of the table on which the magician was lying, creating the effect that the table was thinner. Plus, under it there was a place for a box in which the magician hid his legs. On the other hand, an assistant was hidden in the same box, who was lying on his back, legs stretched upward, as if they were the legs of an illusionist.
In 1994, the revelation sensation almost took place: a book by the magician and writer Herbert L. Becker was due out, which tells how exactly magicians fulfill their illusions. The book also had an impressive chapter about Copperfield. David sued and won it: the court found that Herbert L. Becker could not divulge secrets, as he signed the documents, and the independent commission ruled that the exposure was inaccurate in many details. It turns out that the commission found out the secrets of Copperfield, but the world did not.
Famous magic tricks and famous love
Copperfield was recognized as one of the most popular people in the world and entered the Guinness Book of Records as the artist with the largest number of tickets for his solo performances. David was named the richest illusionist of all time, and so far no one has managed to claim this title.
But nevertheless he remained a simple person, made mistakes that, alas, were sometimes more interesting to the audience than his victories.
For example, at one of the major rehearsals he was chained and placed in a container of water. He got confused and choked, the magician was pulled out only after 1 minute and 20 seconds. Copperfield spent some time in the clinic, and then moved for a long time in a wheelchair.
Once, while performing a trick with a rope, a misfortune happened: the illusionist managed to cut off the tip of his finger, which was urgently sewn back.
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Once he was attacked by robbers and demanded to turn out his pockets, and he used all his composure to turn the trick "Empty pockets" at gunpoint.
In addition to failures, the public was excited by the personal life of the mysterious magician. And the magician gave the public what they wanted. In the mid-1990s, he announced his affair with supermodel Claudia Schiffer, and this caused furious controversy. The audience thought they were playing to the audience. The two bright stars were together for 6 years, until a copy of the agreement was leaked to the press, which stated that Claudia was simply portraying Copperfield's fiancée. It turned out to be just a PR move, as the audience suspected. Although David claimed that the document was fake, and even tried to sue for libel, in 1999, celebrities announced the dissolution of the engagement.
The main focus with the disappearance: the magician himself disappeared
In the early 2000s, it suddenly turned out that the shows no longer evoke the same awe among the audience, the voices of the whistleblowers are heard from different sides, and some even file lawsuits because they do not like Copperfield's personality.
In 2004, the owner of some of the Bahamas was going to sue because he found out that he had sold 11 islands to Copperfield. The deal took place through an intermediary firm, which greatly angered the seller. He stated that he would never sell the islands if he knew who the buyer would be.
One of the show's viewers decided that he could receive monetary compensation for injuring his shoulder on the show while making his way down the dark corridor. The court decided the dispute in favor of Copperfield, recognizing that the viewer was injured through his own negligence.
What exactly led the magician to the decision to retire is not known for certain. It is only known that he stopped shocking the audience and left.
Books, a museum of illusions and a secret life
But, as it turned out, not so far. Perhaps he decided that the performances no longer significantly affect his financial situation. He is the owner of a collection of antiques, real estate on the islands, founded the International Museum of Illusions and collected a huge library of magic, which presents the rarest specimens related to the art of illusion, and published books of his own composition.
David lives in the Bahamas, occasionally appears on television shows. And, although he does not say much about his personal life, he still lifts the veil of secrecy on his Facebook and Instagram pages. His chosen one is model and designer Chloe Gosselin, the couple have a 10-year-old daughter.
David considers an important work of his life to be a charitable project that covers hospitals around the world. It's called Healing Magic. Patients with various disabilities learn to perform tricks, and this helps them to restore the will to live and restore the motor functions of the body.
