Born David Seth Kotkin on September 16, 1956, in Metuchen, New Jersey, David Copperfield is arguably the most famous magician in modern history. He has performed for over 40 million live spectators, won 21 Emmy Awards, and holds 11 Guinness World Records.
Copperfield was born to Hyman (Hy) Kotkin, who owned Korby's Men's shop (a haberdashery), and mother Rebecca, who worked in the insurance business. He attended Metuchen High School, graduating in 1974, and briefly enrolled at Fordham University before dropping out after three weeks.
At age 8, Copperfield started as a ventriloquist with a Jerry Mahoney puppet. By age 10, he was performing as "Davino the Boy Magician." At just 12 years old, he became the youngest member ever admitted to the Society of American Magicians.
At 16, he became an adjunct professor at New York University, teaching a course called "The Art of Magic."
At age 18, Copperfield enrolled at Fordham University, but three weeks into his freshman year he left to play the lead role in the musical "The Magic Man" in Chicago. It was on this occasion that he adopted the stage name "David Copperfield," taken from the Charles Dickens novel because he liked its sound. He sang, danced, and created most of the original illusions used in the show. The Magic Man became the longest-running musical in Chicago's history.
After the show closed, he returned to New York and "starved for a few years" before his career took off.
In 1982, Copperfield founded Project Magic, a rehabilitation program that uses magic as physical therapy for disabled patients. The program helps patients regain fine motor skills and dexterity while building confidence.
Copperfield spent seven years developing his famous flying illusion, which debuted in his 1992 CBS special "The Magic of David Copperfield XIV: Flying - Live the Dream." The illusion was groundbreaking - he flew freely around the stage, through rotating hoops, and even inside a sealed plexiglas box while carrying an audience member. No camera tricks were used - the entire performance was done live in front of a theater audience.
In his 1989 CBS special "The Magic of David Copperfield XI: Explosive Encounter," Copperfield performed a stunning telekinesis effect. He placed a clear lightbulb inside a plexiglass case and asked audience members to examine both the bulb and the case to verify they were genuine. Using only the power of concentration—appearing to channel his energy toward the bulb—he caused it to suddenly explode and shatter, all while remaining sealed inside the case. The effect creates the chilling illusion of genuine telekinetic power.
Also from the 1989 "Explosive Encounter" special, this was the centerpiece illusion: Copperfield was locked inside a safe in a 13-story building (the White House Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina) with only 2 minutes and 30 seconds to escape before the building was demolished. He had to free himself from the safe and escape the building before it exploded. The entire building was wired with hundreds of pounds of explosives and demolished live on TV in one continuous shot.
In his eighth CBS special, Copperfield performed one of his most iconic illusions: walking through the actual Great Wall of China. The performance took place at the Badaling section of the Great Wall, one of the most visited parts of the wall near Beijing.
Logistics:
This was the first time a magician had performed a penetration illusion at the actual Great Wall, and it required extensive coordination with Chinese authorities and months of preparation.
One of Copperfield's most dramatic illusions, the Death Saw was introduced in his 1988 special "The Magic of David Copperfield X: The Bermuda Triangle." Unlike traditional "Sawing a Woman in Half" illusions, Copperfield presented this as an escape gone wrong—sawing himself in half rather than an assistant.
The illusion: Copperfield is secured to a table with chains and ropes. A massive circular saw descends from above. He attempts to escape from a box, but fails to escape in time. The saw cuts through his body in plain view, separating his top and bottom halves. The two halves of the table are pulled apart, showing Copperfield's upper and lower body separated. He still moves his feet, then reverses time to rejoin himself and emerge unharmed.
This was groundbreaking because Copperfield was the first to present a sawing illusion as an escape gone wrong rather than a planned sawing. The illusion was filmed in one continuous long take to show there were no camera tricks.
Copperfield has claimed exclusive rights to this specific presentation, though the general method has earlier origins in magic literature.
In this interview, Copperfield discusses his legendary flying illusion and reflects on the 1993 movie adaptation "The Legend of the Flying Wizard":
In this GQ video, Copperfield breaks down some of his most iconic illusions:
One of the few card tricks Copperfield performs, this elegant routine is a handling of the classic "Dream of Aces" (also known as "MacDonald's Aces"). Copperfield performs a tribute to his grandfather, who taught him magic as a child. The effect follows the classic Ace Assembly plot: four aces are produced and each is covered with three indifferent cards. Three of the aces vanish from their piles and reappear together under the fourth ace.
In his ninth CBS special, Copperfield traveled to Alcatraz Island to attempt an elaborate escape from the infamous prison. The special features multiple illusions before the finale:
Table of Death - A classic escape from a spiked table
Death-Defying Duck - An audience member's selected card appears inside a sealed container with a live duck
On the Edge - A dangerous blade-edge illusion
Dream Vision - A visual illusion
Duck-O-Matic / Kid-O-Matic - Production illusions producing ducks and children
Escape from Alcatraz - The finale where Copperfield escapes from a prison cell, navigates through security, avoids guard dogs, escapes a straightjacket, and finally escapes the island via helicopter
Full special: "The Magic of David Copperfield IX: Escape From Alcatraz" (1987)
[1] David Copperfield Official Biography