Magician David Copperfield

David Copperfield (born David Seth Kotkin) is the most commercially successful magician in history, renowned for his massive, televised spectacles and storytelling approach to illusion. Over a career spanning several decades, he has earned 11 Guinness World Records, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and 21 Emmy Awards for his groundbreaking television specials. After a legendary 25-year residency at the MGM Grand Resort in Las Vegas, Copperfield officially concluded his historic stage run on April 30, 2026, to transition into what he describes as the largest and most challenging creative project of his career.

Famous Grand Illusions

• Disappearance of the Statue of Liberty (1983): Vanished the 305-foot monument live on television in front of a live audience.
• Walking Through the Great Wall of China (1986): Merged his silhouette into the historic wall, seemingly passing straight through the stone.
• The Flying Illusion (1992): Levitated and flew gracefully over the stage, swooping into plexiglass boxes to prove the absence of wires.
• Death Saw: A tense escape act where a massive, rotating buzzsaw blade visibly sliced him completely in half.
• Vanishing the Orient Express: Surrounded a 45-ton train car with a ring of spectators before making it entirely disappear.

Early Life and Rise to Fame

• Youngest SAM Member: Admitted into the Society of American Magicians at age 14, becoming its youngest member ever. 
• Teaching Career: At just 16, he taught a credited course on the “Art of Magic” at New York University. 
• The Magic Man: Left Fordham University at 18 to star in the Chicago musical The Magic Man, where he formally adopted the name David Copperfield from the Charles Dickens novel.
• TV Breakthrough: Hired by ABC in the late 1970s to host a magic special, which led to a decades-long partnership with CBS for annual, top-rated television events.

Preservation and Legacy