Born Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos on December 19, 1967, in Hempstead, New York (Long Island), Criss Angel is one of the most successful magicians of the modern era. He is best known for his television series "Criss Angel Mindfreak" (A&E, 2005-2010) and his long-running Las Vegas stage shows.
Criss Angel was raised in Elmont until fourth grade, when his family moved to East Meadow, New York. His father, John Sarantakos, owned a restaurant and doughnut shop. He is of Greek descent.
He developed an interest in magic at age 7 after his aunt Stella taught him a card trick. He has stated, "From that day on, I was hooked. I felt this incredible sense of power that an adult didn't understand how it worked, but I did."
Higher education was never in the cards for Angel following graduation from East Meadow High School. Despite his parents' wishes for him to attend college, he chose to pursue magic instead.
He continued his education on his own by spending "endless hours reading books at the library, studying magicians and their legacies." He also studied the art of mysticism, music, martial arts, and dance.
At age 12, he performed his first paid show at a neighbor's birthday party for $10. By age 14, he was performing weekly at local restaurants, including the Wine Gallery in East Meadow, where he could "easily clear a hundred dollars on a good night" in tips.
His first major illusion was making his mother float in their family den at age 14.
At age 18, he obtained a pyrotechnics license. He holds a 7th degree black belt and has a background in dance and gymnastics.
He performed in an industrial rock band called "AngelDust" with friend Klay Scott, who produced and arranged music for Criss' Mindfreak show.
In 1998, Angel performed at the World of Illusion convention at Madison Square Garden, where he performed the same 10-minute show over and over again, every day of the 12-day convention.
His off-Broadway show "Criss Angel Mindfreak" began in 2001 at The World Underground Theater in Times Square and ran for nearly 600 performances until January 6, 2003.
The television series "Criss Angel Mindfreak" premiered on A&E on July 20, 2005.
Criss Angel holds several world records:
Criss Angel aired two seance-themed episodes of Mindfreak around Halloween, both on October 30th.
Also cross-posted to /teos/ec/criss-angel-seance.md
Originally aired: October 30, 2006
Criss invited celebrity guests to spend a night at one of America's most haunted locations—the Amargosa Hotel in Death Valley, California—conducting a seance to attempt communication with the dead. The episode featured:
The episode was filmed in May 2006, with 6 hours of footage condensed into a 21-minute segment. Intuitive counselor Erin Pavlina, who appeared on the episode, noted that A&E owned all 6 hours of footage and considered turning it into a longer special. [4][5]
Originally aired: October 30, 2007
Criss returned to another famously haunted location—the Artisan Hotel in Las Vegas—where he conducted a seance and "interacted with the afterlife, revealing secrets from the spirits." The episode also featured Criss walking on the ceiling of the hotel. [6][7]
[2] Las Vegas Sun - Criss Angel Biography
[3] IMDb - Criss Angel Biography
[4] Erin Pavlina Blog - Criss Angel Mindfreak Episode Airing on Halloween
[5] Erin Pavlina Blog - The Criss Angel Celebrity Seance Episode