David Seth Kotkin (born September 16, 1956), known professionally as David Copperfield, is an American
magician, described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history.[2]
As of 2006, Copperfield has sold 33 million tickets and grossed over US$4
billion, more than any other solo entertainer in history by a large margin.[2][3][7] In 2015, Forbes listed his earnings at $63 million for the previous 12 months and ranked him the 20th highest-earning celebrity in the world.[8]
Copperfield was born David Seth Kotkin in
Metuchen, New Jersey,[10][11] the son of
Jewish parents Rebecca Kotkin (née Gispan; 1924–2008), an insurance adjuster, and Hyman Kotkin (1922–2006), who owned and operated Korby's, a men's
haberdashery in Warren, New Jersey.[10] His mother was born in Jerusalem, while his paternal grandparents were Jewish emigrants from the Ukrainian SSR (present-day
Ukraine).[12][13] In 1974 he graduated from
Metuchen High School.[14]
Copperfield started his career as a
ventriloquist at age eight with his own
Jerry Mahoney puppet.[15][16] At age 10, Copperfield began practicing magic as "Davino the Boy Magician" in his neighborhood,[17] and at age 12, he became the youngest person admitted to the
Society of American Magicians.[18] A shy loner, the young Copperfield saw magic as a way to fit in and, later, to meet women.[19] As a child, Copperfield attended Camp Harmony, a day camp in nearby Warren, New Jersey, where he began practicing magic and ventriloquism, an experience he credits with the origins of his creative style. As Copperfield described it, "At Camp Harmony, we spent two weeks searching for a guide who'd been kidnapped by Indians. It was just a game, but I was living it. My whole life goes back to that camp experience when I was three or four."[20] As a teenager, he became fascinated with Broadway and frequently sneaked into shows, especially musicals by
Stephen Sondheim or
Bob Fosse.[21] By age 16, Copperfield was teaching a course in magic at
New York University.[22]
Career and business interests
At 18, Copperfield enrolled at New York City's Jesuit-based
Fordham University, but three weeks into his freshman year, he left to play the lead role in the musical The Magic Man in Chicago. At that time, Copperfield adopted the stage name David Copperfield, taken from
the Charles Dickens novel, because he liked its sound. Copperfield sang, danced, and created most of the original illusions in the show. The Magic Man became the longest-running musical in Chicago history.[23][24]
At age 19, Copperfield created and headlined for several months the first "Magic of David Copperfield" show at the Pagoda Hotel in
Honolulu, Hawaii, with the help of sound and lighting designer Willy Martin.[25]
Copperfield's career in television began in earnest when he was discovered by Joseph Cates, a producer of
Broadway shows and television specials.[26] Cates produced a magic special in 1977 for
ABC called The Magic of ABC, hosted by Copperfield,[27] as well as several The Magic of David Copperfield specials on
CBS between 1978 and 2001.[26] There have been 18 Copperfield TV specials and two documentaries between September 7, 1977, and April 3, 2001.
Copperfield also played the character The Magician in the 1980 horror film Terror Train and had an uncredited appearance in the 1994 film Prêt-à-Porter. Most of his media appearances have been through television specials and guest spots on television programs.
One of Copperfield's most famous illusions occurred on television on April 8, 1983: A live audience of 20 tourists was seated in front of a giant curtain attached to two lateral scaffoldings built on
Liberty Island in an enclosed viewing area. Copperfield, with help from
Jim Steinmeyer[28] and
Don Wayne, raised the curtain before lowering it again a few seconds later to reveal that the space where the Statue of Liberty once stood was empty. A helicopter hovered overhead to give an aerial view of the illusion and the statue appeared to have vanished, with only the circle of lights surrounding it still present and visible. Before making the statue reappear, Copperfield explained in front of the camera why he wanted to perform this illusion. Copperfield wanted people to imagine what it would be like if there were no liberty or freedom in the world today and what the world would be like without the freedoms and rights we enjoy. He then brought the statue back, ending the illusion by saying that "our ancestors couldn't (enjoy rights and freedoms), we can and our children will". Both the disappearance and the reappearance of the statue were filmed in
long take to demonstrate the absence of camera tricks.[29][30] This illusion was featured in season four of The Americans, in an episode entitled “The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears,” and in the 2019
HBO documentary
Liberty: Mother of Exiles.[31][32]
In 1986, Copperfield debuted a new variation on the classic
sawing a woman in half illusion. His
Death Saw illusion was presented as an escape gone wrong, sawing himself, rather than an assistant, in half with a large rotary saw blade which descended from above.[33] Copperfield's Death Saw has become one of his most well-known illusions.[34][35]
In 1996, in collaboration with
Francis Ford Coppola,
David Ives, and
Eiko Ishioka, Copperfield's Broadway show Dreams & Nightmares broke box office records in New York at the
Martin Beck Theatre.[36] Reviewer Greg Evans described the sold-out show in
Variety magazine: "With a likable, self-effacing demeanor that rarely comes across in his TV specials, Copperfield leads the audience through nearly two hours of truly mind-boggling illusions. He disappears and reappears, gets cut in half, makes audience members vanish and others levitate. Copperfield climaxes his show with a flying routine, seven years in the making, that defies both logic and visual evidence, he could probably retire just by selling his secrets to future productions of Peter Pan".[37]
Also in 1996, Copperfield joined forces with
Dean Koontz,
Joyce Carol Oates,
Ray Bradbury and others for David Copperfield's Tales of the Impossible, an anthology of original fiction set in the world of magic and illusion. A second volume, David Copperfield's Beyond Imagination, was published in 1997. In addition to the two books, Copperfield wrote an essay as part of NPR's "
This I Believe" series and This I Believe, Inc.[38]
In May 2001, Copperfield entertained guests at a
White House benefit for
UNICEF by performing a new illusion in which he sawed singer and actress
Jennifer Lopez into six pieces while standing up.[39] This illusion was an update of one he performed in one of Copperfield's early TV specials on actress
Catherine Bach, and has never been performed publicly in any of his stage or TV appearances.
In 2002, Copperfield was the subject of an hour-long biographical special on A&E's"Biography" channel.
On April 5, 2009, Copperfield made his first live TV appearance for some time when he entertained the audience at the 44th Annual
Academy of Country Music Awards with two illusions. First, Copperfield made singer
Taylor Swift appear inside an apparently empty translucent-sided elevator as it was lowered from the ceiling; he then sawed her in half in his
Clearly Impossible illusion.[40]
On May 7, 2009, Copperfield was dropped by
Michael Jackson from Jackson's residency at the
O2 Arena after a disagreement over money. Copperfield wanted $1 million (£666,000) per show.[41] Copperfield denied the reports of a falling-out, saying "don't believe everything you read."[42] News of Copperfield's collaboration with Jackson first surfaced on April 1, 2009, and has since been described as a possible April Fool's prank.[43][44]
In July 2009, Copperfield filmed a number of scenes for a cameo appearance in episode 8 of the short-lived TV drama
The Beautiful Life. In these scenes, he worked alongside actresses
Mischa Barton and
Sara Paxton performing a number of illusions including a sawing in half of Barton's character Sonja Stone in a specially-developed box-less version of the illusion.[45][46] Due to the show's cancellation after just two episodes had been aired, episode 8 was never completed and the footage of Copperfield's performances remains unseen.
In August 2009, Copperfield took his show to Australia.[47][48]
In January 2011, Copperfield joined the cast of the feature film Burt Wonderstone with
Steve Carell,
Jim Carrey,
James Gandolfini and
Olivia Wilde. Copperfield and his team developed illusions used in the film.[49] He also coached Carell and Wilde on how to perform the 'Impossible Sawing' illusion, in which Wilde's character is sawed in half and her halves separated without the use of any covering or camera tricks. Copperfield has served as technical advisor on several other films, including The Prestige and Now You See Me.[50] Copperfield also served as a co-producer of the film Now You See Me 2.[51]
In July 2012,
OWN-TV network aired a one-hour special and interview with Copperfield as part of the network's Oprah's Next Chapter series. The show featured many aspects of Copperfield's personal life and family—with tours of his island home and Las Vegas conjuring museum—and a sampling of his illusions and magic effects. During the interview, he and his girlfriend Chloé Gosselin, a French fashion model, announced their engagement and appeared together briefly with their young daughter, strolling down the beach on the island.[52]
In 2018, the
New York Historical Society hosted “Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection.”[54] The exhibit recounted the history of magic in New York and displayed some of Copperfield’s most popular illusions, like the
Death Saw, and historical magical ephemera, including some of Copperfield’s collection of
Houdini memorabilia.[34][55]
Copperfield notes that his role models were not magicians, that "My idols were
Gene Kelly and
Fred Astaire and
Orson Welles and
Walt Disney ... they took their individual art forms and they moved people with them... I wanted to do the same thing with magic. I wanted to take magic and make it romantic and make it sexy and make it funny and make it goofy ... all the different things that a songwriter gets to express or a filmmaker gets to express".[58] This approach, despite its obvious popularity with audiences, has its share of detractors within the profession. One magician has described Copperfield's stage presentations as "resembling entertainment the way Velveeta resembles cheese".[59]
International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts
Copperfield owns the International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts, which houses the world's largest[60] collection of historically significant magic memorabilia, books and artifacts. Begun in 1991 when Copperfield purchased the Mulholland Library of Conjuring and the Allied Arts, which contained the world's largest collection of Houdini memorabilia,[2] the museum comprises approximately 80,000 items, including Houdini's Water Torture Cabinet and Metamorphosis Trunk, Orson Welles' Buzz Saw illusion, and
automata created by
Robert-Houdin.[60][61][62] Copperfield's 1991 Mulholland purchase, which formed the core of his collection, engendered criticism from some magicians. One told a reporter, "David Copperfield buying the Mulholland Library is like an Elvis impersonator winding up with Graceland."[59] In 1992, Copperfield agreed to purchase the largest private magic collection in the world from
Dr. Robert Albo to add to the museum.[63] It houses the world's largest collection of "Houdiniana" (the second largest being
Houdini Museum of New York).[64][65][66]
The museum is not open to the public; tours are reserved for "colleagues, fellow magicians, and serious collectors".[60] Located in a warehouse at Copperfield's headquarters in
Las Vegas, the museum is entered via a secret door in what described by Forbes as a "mail-order lingerie warehouse".[2] "It doesn't need to be secret, it needs to be respected", Copperfield said. "If a scholar or journalist needs a piece of magic history, it's there."[62][27][67]
Musha Cay and the Islands of Copperfield Bay
In 2006, Copperfield bought eleven Bahamian islands called
Musha Cay.[68] Renamed "The Islands of Copperfield Bay",[68] the islands are a private resort.[69] Guests have reportedly included
Oprah Winfrey and
John Travolta.
Google co-founder
Sergey Brin was married there.[70] Copperfield has said that the islands may contain the
Fountain of Youth, a claim that resulted in him receiving a Dubious Achievement Award from Esquire magazine in 2006.[71]
"Magic Underground" restaurant
David Copperfield's Magic Underground was planned to be a restaurant based on Copperfield's magic.[72] At Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, a sign on Hollywood Boulevard during the late 1990s indicated the restaurant was coming soon. Signs also appeared around
Pleasure Island and outside
Disney-MGM Studios.[73] A Magic Underground restaurant was also to open in New York's Times Square.[72] Plans included eventual expansion into Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as well as Paris and Tokyo.[74] The restaurants were to have magic props and other items on the walls; magicians would go around to tables doing
sleight of hand tricks. There was also to be a larger stage for larger stunts.[75][self-published source?] The restaurant in Times Square was 85% completed,[74] but amid disputes between the creative team and the financial team and enormous cost overruns, finances dried up from the investors, the project was canceled, and Disney canceled the lease.[76] Copperfield was not an investor in the project; the investors reportedly lost $34 million, and subcontractors placed $15 million in
liens.[74][77]
Recorded message for expanded gambling in Maryland
In October 2012, Maryland residents received a
robocall from Copperfield supporting a ballot initiative that would expand gambling in the state.[78]
Copperfield's Secrets on the Moon
Copperfield's magic secrets and related technological innovations are etched into nickel plates, designed to last billions of years, as part of the
Arch Mission Foundation "lunar library" that crashed into the moon in April 2019 during an attempted landing of the lunar module
Beresheet. It is believed the payload survived.[79][80][81]
Accidents and injuries
On March 11, 1984, while rehearsing an illusion called "Escape From Death" where he was shackled and handcuffed in a tank of water, Copperfield became tangled in the chains and started taking in water and banging into the sides of the tank.[58] He was pulled from the water after 80 seconds,
hyperventilating and in
shock, taken to a
Burbank hospital, and found to have pulled
tendons in arms and legs. He was in a
wheelchair for a week and used a cane for a period thereafter.[82]
While doing a rope trick at a show in
Memphis in 1989, Copperfield accidentally cut off the tip of his finger with sharp scissors.[83] He was rushed to the hospital and the fingertip was reattached.[84]
On December 17, 2008, during a live performance in Las Vegas, a 26-year-old assistant named Brandon was sucked into the spinning blades of a 12 feet (3.7 m) high industrial fan that Copperfield walks through. The assistant sustained multiple fractures to his arm, severe bleeding, and facial lacerations that required stitches.[85] Copperfield canceled the rest of the performance and offered the audience members refunds.
Magic as an art form
Since 2016, Copperfield has campaigned for
Congressional Resolution 642, which would “recognize magic as a rare and valuable art form and national treasure".[86][87] The campaign has been unsuccessful as of November 2022.
Las Vegas residency
Copperfield performs daily, with 15 shows scheduled each week, at the David Copperfield theater in the
MGM Grand Las Vegas. Each show is 90 minutes in duration.[88][89]
Litigation
On July 11, 1994, Copperfield sued magician and author
Herbert L. Becker in order to prevent publication of Becker's book which reveals how magicians perform their illusions.[90] Becker won the lawsuit[91] but, because of a secrecy agreement Becker signed with Copperfield and an independent finding that Becker's description of Copperfield's methods was inaccurate, the publisher removed the section on Copperfield from the book before publication.[92] In 1997, Becker sued Copperfield and Lifetime Books for $50 million for
breach of contract between himself and Lifetime Books, the publisher of his book All the Secrets of Magic Revealed. Copperfield settled at the last moment and the publisher lost during the court trial.[93]
In 1997, Copperfield and
Claudia Schiffer sued Paris Match for $30 million after the magazine claimed their relationship was a sham,[94] that Schiffer was paid for pretending to be Copperfield's fiancée and that she did not even like him.[95][96] In 1999, they won an undisclosed sum and a retraction from Paris Match.[97] Herbert L. Becker, whom Copperfield asked to testify to the validity of the relationship, did so. Copperfield's publicist confirmed that Schiffer had a contract to appear in the audience at Copperfield's show in Berlin where they met, but was not under contract to be his "consort".[98]
On August 25, 2000, Copperfield unsuccessfully sued
Fireman's Fund Insurance Company for reimbursement of a $506,343 ransom paid to individuals in Russia who had commandeered the entertainer's equipment there.[99][100][101]
In 2004, John Melk, co-founder of
Blockbuster Inc., and previous owner of
Musha Cay, sued Copperfield for fraud after Copperfield purchased the island chain, alleging that Copperfield had deliberately obscured his identity during the purchase and that he would not have sold the island to Copperfield.[102] Copperfield claimed that Melk had agreed to sell the property to Copperfield's Imagine Nation Company, and that Copperfield negotiated the deal through a third party because he feared Melk was "seeking to exploit" Copperfield's celebrity status by demanding an unfair price.[103] The case was settled in 2006, after mutual friend, Herbert L. Becker was brought in by both parties to negotiate a settlement. The terms of the settlement are undisclosed.[102]
On November 6, 2007, Viva Art International Ltd and Maz Concerts Inc. sued Copperfield for nearly $2.2 million for
breach of contract[104][105] and the Indonesian promoter of Copperfield's canceled shows in
Jakarta held on to $550,000 worth of Copperfield's equipment in lieu of money paid to Copperfield that had not been returned.[106] Copperfield countersued, and the dispute was resolved in July 2009.[107]
In 2018, a lawsuit alleging that a British tourist and audience member Gavin Cox was injured during a November 2013 performance, was resolved in Copperfield's favor, as he was found "not liable".[108]
Sexual assault allegations
Copperfield was accused of sexual assault in 2007 by Lacey L. Carroll.[109] A federal grand jury in
Seattle closed the investigation in January 2010 without bringing charges.[110][111] In January 2010, the Bellevue City Prosecutor's Office brought misdemeanor charges against Carroll for
prostitution and allegedly lying to police in another case.[112] Carroll filed a civil lawsuit against Copperfield,[113] which was dropped in April 2010.[114][115] In January 2018, Copperfield was accused of drugging and assaulting a teenager in 1988.[116] Copperfield published a statement in response on January 24, 2018.[117]
In January 2024, Copperfield's name was listed as one of the associates of American financier and sex offender
Jeffrey Epstein.[118] In May 2024, it was revealed that Copperfield met with Epstein at least three times, and that Copperfield called and left messages for Epstein 16 times between 2004 and 2005, though lawyers for Copperfield insist that Copperfield "was not a friend of Jeffrey Epstein" and that he "never" called Epstein personally.[119] Johanna Sjoberg, a woman who later accused Epstein of abusing her, claimed that she met Copperfield at a dinner at Epstein's house in 2004 during which Copperfield asked her if she "was aware that girls were getting paid to find other girls," though lawyers for Copperfield claim that the question was merely posed out of "concern" for Sjoberg.[119]
In May 2024, The Guardian published an investigation in which 16 women accused Copperfield of engaging in sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior, with the alleged incidents spanning a time range from the late 1980s to 2014.[120][121] The allegations include claims that Copperfield drugged three women before having sexual relations with them, and more than half of the allegations were from women who were under 18 at the time of the alleged incidents.[120] In response, lawyers for Copperfield called the allegations "false and entirely without foundation."[121]
Personal life
In 1993, Copperfield met German supermodel
Claudia Schiffer at a Berlin celebrity gala when he brought her on stage to participate in a mind-reading act and his flying illusion. They became engaged in January 1994. During the engagement, Schiffer sometimes appeared on stage with Copperfield to act as his special guest assistant in illusions including being
sawn in half.[122][123][124] She also appeared alongside Copperfield in David Copperfield: 15 Years of Magic (1994), a documentary in which she played the role of a reporter interviewing him, and at the end of which they reprised their performance of the "Flying" illusion. After a nearly six-year engagement, in September 1999 they announced their separation, citing work schedules.[125]
In April 2006, Copperfield and two female assistants were robbed at gunpoint after a performance in
West Palm Beach, Florida.[126] His assistants handed over their money, passports, and a cell phone. According to his police statement, Copperfield did not hand over anything, claiming that he used
sleight of hand to hide his possessions,[127] although later admitting that doing so was "a reflex that could have got me shot."[128] One of the assistants wrote down most of the license plate number, and the suspects were later arrested, charged, and sentenced.[129]
Copperfield's girlfriend, Chloé Gosselin, a French fashion model 28 years his junior, gave birth to his daughter in 2010. Copperfield has two other children, a son and a daughter.[130]
In July 2016, Copperfield purchased a mansion at 1625 Enclave Court in Las Vegas's affluent
Summerlin community for $17.55 million.[131]
Earnings
David Copperfield on the Forbes Celebrity 100 List[132]
Year (June–June)
Pay (USD, millions)
Power rank
Pay rank
1999–2000
not on list
2001
60
23
5
2002
not on list
2003
55
43
10
2004
57
35
10
2005
57
41
10
2006–2008
not on list
2009
30
80
50
Forbes magazine reported that Copperfield earned $55 million in 2003, making him the 10th highest paid
celebrity in the world (earnings figures are pre-tax and before deductions for agents' and attorneys' fees, etc.).[133] Copperfield earned $57 million in 2004 and 2005, and $30 million in 2009 in entertainment earnings, according to Forbes.[134][135] He performs over 500 shows per year throughout the world.[136]
Charitable activities
In March 1982, Copperfield founded
Project Magic,[137] a rehabilitation program to help disabled patients regain lost or damaged dexterity skills by using sleight of hand as physical therapy.[137] The program has been accredited by the
American Occupational Therapy Association, and is in use in over 1,100
hospitals in 30 countries. Copperfield made an appearance on
Oprah Radio in April 2008 to talk with host
Dr. Mehmet Oz about how magic can help disabled people.[138]
In 2007, Copperfield organized and performed at a charity show for
UNICEF in Los Angeles, along with a number of celebrity guests. During the show, he used his ex-Orson Welles Buzz Saw illusion to saw British TV presenter
Cat Deeley in half.[139]
The Magic of David Copperfield VI: Floating Over the Grand Canyon (April 6, 1984) (with special guests
Ricardo Montalbán,
Bonnie Tyler and
Heather Thomas). The extended international version featured an additional 10 minutes of performance, including Tyler being sawed in half by Copperfield.
One Emmy win: Outstanding Technical Direction/Camerawork/Video for a Limited Series or a Special
Two Emmy nominations: Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction; Outstanding Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects for a Limited Series or a Special
One Emmy win: Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control for a Limited Series or a Special
The Magic of David Copperfield VIII: Walking Through the Great Wall of China (March 14, 1986) (with special guest
Ben Vereen) – This is the only special filmed outside the United States. At the end, Copperfield promotes a return to Egypt, which he later canceled for political reasons.[151]
Two Emmy nominations: Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control for a Miniseries or a Special
The Magic of David Copperfield IX: The Escape From Alcatraz (March 13, 1987) (with special guest
Ann Jillian) – the television show used the soundtrack of Back to the Future, unedited and in its entirety, something for which the show was later lampooned.[152]
Two Emmy nominations: Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Miniseries or a Special
The Magic of David Copperfield X: The Bermuda Triangle (March 12, 1988) (with special guest
Lisa Hartman) Filmed at the
Caesars Palace in
Las Vegas
Two Emmy nominations: Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control for a Miniseries or a Special
Two Emmy wins: Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries or a Special
Two Emmy nominations: Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or a Special
Four Emmy wins: Outstanding Achievement in Special Visual Effects; Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries or a Special; Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Miniseries or a Special
One Emmy nomination: Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Multi-Camera Production
Three Emmy wins: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Multi-Camera Production; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries or a Special
Three Emmy wins: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Multi-Camera Production; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Miniseries or a Special
David Copperfield: 15 Years of Magic (May 12, 1994) (with special guest
Claudia Schiffer as "The Reporter", and appearances of various guests from previous specials via archive footage, such as
James Earl Jones and
Joanie Spina). In the international version, in addition to reprising their "Flying" illusion, Copperfield and Schiffer also reprised the performance of the Clearly Impossible illusion from Copperfield's stage shows in which Schiffer was sawed in half inside a transparent box.
One Emmy win: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Multi-Camera Production
The Magic of David Copperfield XVI: Unexplained Forces (May 1, 1995) – Filmed at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Three Emmy wins: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Multi-Camera Production; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Program, Miniseries or a Special; Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Miniseries or a Special
Two Emmy nominations: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or a Special
David Copperfield: The Great Escapes (April 26, 2000)
Copperfield – Tornado of Fire (April 3, 2001) (with special guests
Carson Daly and, only in the international version,
Whoopi Goldberg. Carson Daly was replaced by
Hans Kazàn in the Dutch version and
Marco Berry in the Italian version) – Filmed in January 2001 in a
surrounded stage at the
Mid-South Coliseum in
Memphis, Tennessee, and a
live (in the U.S. only) tornado
stunt performed at Pier 94 in New York City, NY.[153] (North America version 60 minutes, European version 90 minutes)
One Emmy nomination: Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program
^Witchel, Alex (November 24, 1996).
"A Maestro of the Magic Arts Returns to His Roots". The New York Times. Retrieved on December 6, 2007. "David Seth Kotkin was born in Metuchen, N.J., 40 years ago; David Copperfield was born when David Kotkin turned 18, at the suggestion of the wife of a New York Post reporter. Which is why his passport reads David Kotkin, a k a David Copperfield."
^Ike Hughes (2006). "David Copperfield has made a career out of dazzling people". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved on September 22, 2008. "His dad, who managed a men's clothing store, was the son of Russian immigrants. His mom was born in Jerusalem; both wanted him to go to college and into a profession."
^Osterhout, Jacob E.; Bachner, Jeff (October 23, 2012).
"New York gets first museum on famed magician Harry Houdini". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 7, 2018. Curator Roger Dreyer, head of Fantasma Toys Inc., spent two decades and millions of dollars amassing the second-largest Houdini collection in the world, behind only magician David Copperfield's. But Dreyer had nowhere to display his prized items.
^"Fairytale romance that began with a cunning illusion – The Independent". www.independent.co.uk. London. July 11, 1997. Retrieved June 8, 2009. The French magazine Paris Match claims that the meeting was a carefully calculated stunt, to boost Ms Schiffer's profile in the US and Copperfield's career in Europe. 'It was just a plot to dupe their loyal fans, and we've got the contracts to prove it,' said the magazine.
^Luscombe, Belinda (August 4, 1997).
"Copperfield V. Paris Match". Time. Archived from
the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2009. The suit states that Paris Match added that the supermodel now gets paid for pretending to be Copperfield's fiancée and doesn't even like him.
^"Love, Honor and Portray". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 16, 1997. p. C5.
ProQuest391683984. Retrieved June 12, 2009. Copperfield's publicist said he and Schiffer had contracts to do the 1993 show, but 'there is no contract that states Claudia is there as some sort of consort.'
^"Jury goes against magician". Las Vegas Review-Journal. March 12, 2003. Archived from
the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2009 – via www.accessmylibrary.com.
^"Schiffer's big shift".
Canoe.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2009. It was our work schedules that ended the relationship.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link)
^"Magician David Copperfield". Archived from
the original on September 5, 2012. Can performing magic tricks help disabled patients heal? Dr. Oz talks with illusionist David Copperfield about how magic has helped him and how, in turn, he is helping others through his organization Project Magic.