Copperfield has spent the better part of the past four decades performing astonishing magic tricks, guest spots, and even his own television specials in which he has accomplished extraordinary feats of magic such as making the Statue of Liberty disappear and walking through the Great Wall of China.
In addition to this, he established the International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada. This institution is committed to the preservation of the history and art of magic, and it houses the most extensive collection of magical artifacts in the world.
In the Beginning
In Metuchen, New Jersey, on September 16, 1956, David Copperfield was given the name David Seth Kotkin at the time of his birth. His mother Rebecca was an insurance adjuster, and his father Hyman was the owner of a men’s haberdashery called Korby’s.
He was raised in a Jewish household with his mother and father. David began studying magic and ventriloquism at Camp Harmony in Warren, New Jersey, when he was perhaps three or four years old. When he was ten years old, he began performing magic in his neighborhood under the stage name “Davino the Boy Magician.”
After earning the distinction of becoming the youngest individual to ever be inducted to the Society of American Magicians at the age of 12, he went on to teach a magic course at New York University four years later. After graduating from Metuchen High School, Copperfield enrolled at Fordham University.
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However, he left after only three weeks to star in a production of the musical “The Magic Man” in Chicago, at which point he began using the stage name “David Copperfield.” Copperfield had previously attended Metuchen High School.
Career
David, at the age of 19, produced a theatrical show called “The Magic of David Copperfield” and performed it at the Pagoda Hotel in Honolulu. In 1977, he was the host of the ABC special “The Magic of ABC,” and from 1978 all the way up until 2001, CBS showed a number of “The Magic of David Copperfield” specials. Copperfield played the role of The Magician in the 1980 horror film “Terror Train.”
Three years later, in 1983, he performed a trick in which he made the Statue of Liberty disappear and then reappear in front of a live audience as a statement on “how precious liberty is and how easily it can be lost.” In 1996, David worked with Francis Ford Coppola, Eiko Ishioka, and David Ives on his Broadway show, “Dreams & Nightmares.”
That same year, he collaborated with Dean Koontz, Ray Bradbury, and other well-known authors on the fiction anthology “David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible,” which was followed by “David Copperfield’s Beyond Imagination” in 1997. In 1997, David also
Copperfield had a performance at a benefit for UNICEF held at the White House in the year 2001, and the following year, he made a special appearance on the medical comedy series “Scrubs.” David participated in the production of “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” in 2011, acting alongside Steve Carell and Jim Carrey and developing illusions for the film.
In 2012, he was a featured guest on the “Oprah’s Next Chapter” series broadcast on the OWN-TV network. In 2014, he had a role on the CBS series “The Crazy Ones,” and in 2015, he had a role in the HBO mockumentary “7 Days in Hell.” Additionally, he has lent his voice to two episodes of “The Simpsons,” and he has been on the show. In addition, Copperfield was a co-producer of the movie “Now You See Me 2,” which was released in 2016, and he directed and produced a number of his own specials.
Personal Life
From 1993 until 1999, David was romantically involved with Claudia Schiffer, a German supermodel. The couple was engaged in 1994, and Claudia would occasionally assist David with his illusions.
In 2006, Copperfield started a romantic relationship with the French model Chloe Gosselin, and in February of 2010, the couple became parents to a daughter named Sky. According to rumors, he is also the father of two children with Czech model Marie Petlickova. Their names are Dylan and Audrey. In 2007, Lacey L. Carroll leveled an accusation of sexual assault against David; however, no charges were ever filed.
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In 2018, he was accused of drugging and molesting a model who was 17 years old 30 years ago. The allegations date back to the 1980s. Copperfield established a rehabilitation program for persons with physical, psychological, and social difficulties in the year 1982. The program is named Project Magic, and its mission is to “employ magic as a method of therapy for those with disabilities.”
Collection of artworks
David is the proud owner of the most extensive collection of magical artifacts in the world. The collection includes more than 150,000 artifacts and books, the most valuable of which come from Harry Houdini, Georges Melies, and Robert Houdin, the “founder of modern magic.” The collection is kept in a warehouse that is over 40,000 square feet in size and is situated a few miles away from the Las Vegas Strip. The collection is estimated to be worth a staggering $500 million by some industry specialists.
Various Honors and Accomplishments
In addition to receiving the prestigious Living Legend Award from the United States Library of Congress and being inducted into New York City’s Ride of Fame, David has been honored with the titles of Magician of the Century, Magician of the Millennium, and King of Magic. He has also been the recipient of 21 Emmy Awards. Copperfield was the first living magician to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which he earned in 1995.
He was also knighted by the government of France, making him the first magician to receive the Chevalier of Arts and Letters. David has established 11 new records in the Guinness Book of World Records, including “Most Magic Shows Performed in a Year,” “Largest Illusion Ever Staged,” and “Most Tickets Sold Worldwide by a Solo Entertainer.”
Real Estate
Simply speaking, David Copperfield’s real estate portfolio is valued between $200 and $300 million on its own. He is the owner of 11 islands in the Bahamas, on which he has constructed an ultra-exclusive resort with room rates reaching up to $50,000 per night and a stay requirement of at least four nights.
In 2006, he shelled out $55 million to purchase his first Bahamian islands, and in the years that followed, he invested an additional $40 million to expand his property by purchasing other islands and developing his land. In addition, he has a property in Nevada that is valued at $18 million and an apartment in New York City that spans four floors and is estimated to be worth $60 million.
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Net Worth
The American illusionist David Copperfield has a net worth of one billion dollars at the present time. David is BY FAR the wealthiest magician on the face of the earth. His annual earnings range anywhere from $40 million to $60 million, the most of which come from the around 515 concerts that he puts on at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The month of July 2018 marked the precise moment when he became a billionaire for the very first time.
In 2020, when Las Vegas was evacuated owing to an outbreak of the coronavirus, David did not let any of his employees go and continued to pay their salaries himself.
