David Blaine

Blaine was born David Blaine White on April 4, 1973, in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of a single mother, Patrice White, a teacher who was of Russian Jewish ancestry, and father William Perez, who is a Vietnam War veteran of Puerto Rican and Italian descent.{{cite news |url= http://www.scotsman.com/news/life-s-a-magic-box-of-tricks-1-665333 |title=Life's a magic box of tricks |newspaper=The Scotsman|location=Scotland|date=September 20, 2003 |access-date=December 17, 2013|archive-date=March 31, 2019| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190331192554/https://www.scotsman.com/news/life-s-a-magic-box-of-tricks-1-665333|url-status=live}}

When Blaine was four years old, he saw a magician performing magic on the subway. This sparked a lifelong interest for him.{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1809150070/bio |title=David Blaine |publisher=Yahoo! Movies |access-date=September 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526050747/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1809150070/bio |archive-date=May 26, 2011 }} He was raised by his mother and attended a Montessori school in Brooklyn. They later moved to Little Falls, New Jersey,{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/through-the-plexiglass-darkly-david-blaine-exposes-britains-nasty-underbelly-50phhkgbdsx|last=Finn|first=Holly|title=Through the Plexiglass darkly: David Blaine exposes Britain's nasty underbelly|newspaper=The Times|date=September 25, 2003|page=20|archive-date=October 1, 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201001165509/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/through-the-plexiglass-darkly-david-blaine-exposes-britains-nasty-underbelly-50phhkgbdsx|access-date=October 1, 2020}}{{subscription required}} where he attended Passaic Valley Regional High School.{{cite news|url=https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/the-art-of-wonder-from-performing-death-defying-stunts-to-launching-readers-of-his-new-book-on-an-old-fashioned-treasure-hunt-david-blaine-delights-in-surprises-1.296978|last=Behrens|first=David|title=The Art of Wonder|newspaper=Newsday|location=New York City / Long Island|date=November 7, 2002|access-date=September 18, 2007|quote=Later, they moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, where he attended Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls.|archive-date=November 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105112127/https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/the-art-of-wonder-from-performing-death-defying-stunts-to-launching-readers-of-his-new-book-on-an-old-fashioned-treasure-hunt-david-blaine-delights-in-surprises-1.296978|url-status=live}}

According to one account, his mother developed cancer when Blaine was 15 and died when he was 20. According to another, "When Blaine was 21, his mother was stricken with cancer and passed away in 1994." When Blaine was 17 years old, he moved to Manhattan, New York City.{{cite web |url=http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/biography.shtml |title=David Blaine: the Man, the Magician |publisher=Magic Directory |access-date=September 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504212734/http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/biography.shtml |archive-date=May 4, 2009 }}

On May 19, 1997, Blaine's first television special, David Blaine: Street Magic, aired on ABC.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/want-to-know-how-david-blaine-does-that-stuff-dont-hold-your-breath-7083351|title=Want to Know How David Blaine Does That Stuff? (Don't Hold Your Breath)|last=Liner|first=Elaine|date=January 13, 2012|website=Dallas Observer|access-date=March 9, 2020|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112034300/https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/want-to-know-how-david-blaine-does-that-stuff-dont-hold-your-breath-7083351|url-status=live}} "It really, really does break new ground," said Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller.[http://bigthink.com/ideas/20805 What Will Magic Be Like in the Future?] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712223633/http://bigthink.com/ideas/20805 |date=July 12, 2010 }} Big Think, July 8, 2010 When asked about his performance style, Blaine explained, "I'd like to bring magic back to the place it used to be 100 years ago."[https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/11/arts/if-he-can-conjure-magical-ratings-that-s-some-trick.html If He Can Conjure Magical Ratings, That's Some Trick] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701083544/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/11/arts/if-he-can-conjure-magical-ratings-that-s-some-trick.html |date=July 1, 2018 }}, The New York Times, May 11, 1997 Time commented, "His deceptively low-key, ultracool manner leaves spectators more amazed than if he'd razzle-dazzled."[https://web.archive.org/web/20121105192428/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,986363,00.html?iid=chix-sphere The Wizard of Grunge], Time, May 19, 1997

In Magic Man, aired January 16, 1998, Blaine is shown traveling across the country, entertaining unsuspecting pedestrians in Atlantic City, Compton, Dallas, the Mojave Desert, New York City, and San Francisco, recorded by a small crew with handheld cameras. Jon Racherbaumer commented: "Make no mistake about it, the focus of this show, boys and girls, is not Blaine. It is really about theatrical proxemics; about the show-within-a-show and the spontaneous, visceral reactions of people being astonished."{{cite web |url=http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/magic1.shtml |title=Bingo Bango! |publisher=Magicdirectory.com |date=May 27, 2002 |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130134636/http://www.magicdirectory.com/blaine/magic1.shtml |archive-date=November 30, 2010 }} USA Today called Blaine the "hottest name in magic right now".He's a nice guy, that David Blaine, USA Today, November 20, 2000

On April 5, 1999, Blaine was entombed in an underground plastic box underneath a 3-ton water-filled tank for seven days, across from Trump Place on 68th St. and Riverside Boulevard, as part of a stunt titled "Buried Alive".{{Cite web |date=October 6, 2022 |title=David Blaine explains why he chose to be buried in coffin for 7 days with no food |url=https://www.ladbible.com/news/david-blaine-buried-alive-7-days-20221006 |access-date=June 12, 2024 |website=LADbible |language=en |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612092652/https://www.ladbible.com/news/david-blaine-buried-alive-7-days-20221006 |url-status=live }}

On the final day of the stunt, April 12, hundreds of news teams were stationed at the site for the coffin opening. A team of construction workers removed a portion of the {{convert|75|cuft|m3}} of gravel surrounding the {{convert|6|ft|m|abbr=off|adj=on}} deep coffin before a crane lifted the water tank.{{Cite web |last=Breen |first=Virginia |date=April 6, 1999 |title=Magician is in deep for week-long stunt |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/1999/04/06/magician-is-in-deep-for-week-long-stunt/ |access-date=2025-04-14 |work=New York Daily News}} Blaine emerged and told the crowd, "I saw something very prophetic ... a vision of every race, every religion, every age group banding together, and that made all this worthwhile."[http://www.cnn.com/US/9904/12/buried.alive.02/index.html?iref=newssearch Magician surfaces from watery grave after weeklong burial] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605233047/http://www.cnn.com/US/9904/12/buried.alive.02/index.html?iref=newssearch |date=June 5, 2008 }}, CNN, April 12, 1999 BBC News stated, "The 26-year-old magician has outdone his hero, Harry Houdini, who had planned a similar feat but died in 1926 before he could perform it."[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/317532.stm Americas Magician emerges from grave], BBC News, April 12, 1999

On November 27, 2000, Blaine performed a stunt called Frozen in Time, where he attempted and failed to stand in a large block of ice located in Times Square, New York City for 72 hours.{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-11-29-0011290043-story.html|title="David Blaine: Frozen in Time": The latest...|first=Steve|last=Johnson|publisher=The Chicago Tribune|date=November 29, 2000|access-date=August 21, 2020|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807193157/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-11-29-0011290043-story.html|url-status=live}} It was covered on a TV special. He was lightly dressed and appeared to be shivering even before the blocks of ice were placed around him. A tube supplied him with air and water, while his urine was removed with another tube. He was encased in the box of ice for 63 hours, 42 minutes, and 15 seconds before being removed with chainsaws. The ice was transparent and resting on an elevated platform to show that he was actually inside the ice the entire time. He was removed from the ice and taken to a hospital due to fears he might be going into shock.David Blaine0 – Fearless (DVD), Buena Vista Home Entertainment, shows footage of his hospitalization including the exclamation "He is going into shock!" The New York Times reported, "The magician who emerged from the increasingly unstable ice box seemed a shadow of the confident, robust, shirtless fellow who entered two days before."McKinley, Jesse. [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/30/nyregion/30ICE.html Magician Emerges From Icy Stunt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307063532/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/30/nyregion/30ICE.html |date=March 7, 2016 }}, The New York Times, November 30, 2000. Accessed April 27, 2012. Blaine later said it took a month to fully recover and that he had no plans to attempt a stunt of this difficulty in the future.{{cite web |title=David Blaine: Electrified and his greatest ever stunts |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-10-03/david-blaine-electrified-and-his-greatest-ever-stunts |access-date=February 2, 2013 |archive-date=October 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006085505/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-10-03/david-blaine-electrified-and-his-greatest-ever-stunts |url-status=live }} In 2010, a magician from Israel named Hezi Dean broke Blaine's record when he was encased in a block of ice for 66 hours.{{cite news |agency=AFP |title=Illusionist Hezi Dean emerges from Tel Aviv ice cube |newspaper=Herald Sun| url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/illusionist-hezi-dean-emerges-from-tel-aviv-ice-cube/story-e6frfhk6-1225815213265 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029031733/http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/illusionist-hezi-dean-emerges-from-tel-aviv-ice-cube/story-e6frfhk6-1225815213265 |archive-date=October 29, 2016 |date=December 31, 2009 |access-date=September 4, 2019}}

On May 22, 2002, a crane lifted Blaine onto a {{convert|100|ft|abbr=on}} high and {{convert|22|in|m|abbr=on}} wide pillar in Bryant Park, New York City. He was not harnessed to the pillar, although there were two retractable handles on either side of him to grasp in the event of harsh weather.Burkeman, Oliver. [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/may/24/oliverburkeman New York's pillar-dweller jumps], The Guardian, May 23, 2002. Accessed April 27, 2012. He remained on the pillar for 35 hours. He ended the feat by jumping down onto a landing platform made out of a {{convert|12|ft|m|abbr=on}} high pile of cardboard boxes and sustained a mild concussion.{{cite web |last=Dolak |first=Kevin |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/david-blaine-enduring-performances/story?id=17398459#3 |title=David Blaine: 7 of His Most Enduring Performances |website=abcnews.go.com |date=October 6, 2012 |access-date=March 29, 2016 |archive-date=April 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409121348/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/david-blaine-enduring-performances/story?id=17398459#3 |url-status=live }} He later said in his 2009 TED Talk that he had had severe hallucinations in the final hours of this stunt, causing the buildings and structures around him to look like animal heads.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFnGhrC_3Gs |title=How I held my breath for 17 minutes |publisher=YouTube |date=January 19, 2010 |access-date=September 7, 2019 |archive-date=August 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803041803/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFnGhrC_3Gs |url-status=live }}

File:David Blaine, Above the Below.jpg

On September 5, 2003, Blaine began an endurance stunt in which he was sealed inside a transparent Plexiglas box. The case was suspended {{convert|30|ft|m|abbr=off}} in the air next to Potters Fields Park on the south bank of the River Thames in London, and measured {{convert|3|ft|m|1|abbr=off}} by {{convert|7|ft|m|abbr=off}} by {{convert|7|ft|m|abbr=off}}. A webcam was installed inside the box so that viewers could observe his progress. The stunt lasted 44 days, during which Blaine drank {{convert|1.2|gal|L|abbr=off}} of water per day and did not eat.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3083066.stm |title=Blaine begins starvation stunt |date=September 5, 2003 |work=BBC News |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021081749/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3083066.stm |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3100550.stm |title=All's quiet with Blaine in the rain |last1=Heard |first1=Chris |date=September 11, 2003 |work=BBC News |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021080626/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3100550.stm |url-status=live }}

The stunt was the subject of public interest and media attention, The Times reported that "1,614 articles in the British press have made reference to the exploit."[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article997052.ece Illusionist and the facts of life]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, October 20, 2003 Then-US president George W. Bush referred to Blaine's stunt in a speech at the Whitehall Palace in London, saying, "The last noted American to visit London stayed in a glass box dangling over the Thames. A few might have been happy to provide similar arrangements for me."[https://books.google.com/books?id=tyXFok7i5NEC&pg=PA309 Remarks by the President Bush at Whitehall], "From 9-11 to the Iraq War 2003", November 19, 2003 A number of spectators threw food and other items towards the box, including eggs, paint-filled balloons and golf balls, according to The Times. A McDonald's hamburger was flown up to the box by a remote-controlled helicopter as a taunt.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/19/newsid_3700000/3700652.stm 2003: David Blaine ends glass box stunt], BBC News, October 19, 2003 The Evening Standard reported that one man was arrested for attempting to cut the cable supplying water to Blaine's box.[http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-6716826-details/Blaine+cage+attack/article.do Blaine cage attack] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605145138/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-6716826-details/Blaine+cage+attack/article.do |date=June 5, 2008 }}, Evening Standard, September 16, 2003{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3119000.stm |title=Punters expect Blaine to fail |date=September 18, 2003 |work=BBC News |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021074120/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3119000.stm |url-status=live }}

On September 25, BBC News reported that "if his endurance test is real rather than an elaborate illusion", then Blaine's claim of tasting pear drops indicates he is advancing through the first stage of starvation.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3138658.stm What's going on inside David Blaine's body?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213193819/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3138658.stm |date=February 13, 2008 }}, BBC News Online, September 25, 2003 A medical doctor said that the taste is caused by ketones, which are produced when the body burns fat reserves.

The stunt ended on October 19, and Blaine emerged in tears saying "I love you all!" and was subsequently hospitalized. The New England Journal of Medicine published a paper that documented his 44-day fast and stated his re-feeding was perhaps the most dangerous part of the stunt.{{cite journal |author=Korbonits M | author2=Blaine D | author3=Elia M, Powell-Tuck J |title=Refeeding David Blaine—studies after a 44-day fast |journal=N. Engl. J. Med. | volume=353 |issue=21 |pages=2306–7 |date=November 2005 |pmid=16306536 |doi=10.1056/NEJM200511243532124 |doi-access=free }} The study reported, "He lost {{convert|24.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}{{nsmdns}}25 percent of his original body weight{{nsmdns}}and his body mass index dropped from 29.0 to 21.6. His appearance and body-mass index after his fast would not by themselves have alerted us to the risks of refeeding. Despite cautious management, he had hypophosphatemia and fluid retention, important elements of the refeeding syndrome."[http://davidblaine.com/library/index.php?id=30 Refeeding David Blaine: studies after a 44-day fast"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231071441/http://davidblaine.com/library/index.php?id=30 |date=December 31, 2007 }}, David Blaine Library

file:David.Blaine.jpg]]

On May 1, 2006, Blaine began his Drowned Alive stunt, which lasted seven days and involved a submersion in an {{convert|8|ft|m}} diameter, water-filled sphere containing isotonic saline in front of the Lincoln Center in New York City. During the stunt, he sustained kidney and liver damage.{{Cite web|title=Drowned Alive|url=http://davidblaine.com/drowned-alive/|access-date=May 12, 2021|website=David Blaine|language=en-US|archive-date=May 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512045040/https://davidblaine.com/drowned-alive/|url-status=live}} At the end of the stunt, Blaine attempted to free himself from handcuffs and chains after exiting the sphere.[https://web.archive.org/web/20081206063206/http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/200806413521556 Blaine Out For Record], Sky News, May 1, 2006 After the stunt, Blaine entered into an agreement with researchers at Yale University to monitor him in order to study the human physiological reaction to prolonged submersion.[http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/09/david.blaine.ap/index.html Cnn.com – David Blaine out of hospital] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060529051509/http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/09/david.blaine.ap/index.html |date=May 29, 2006 }}

On November 21, 2006, Blaine began his Revolution stunt, where he was shackled to a rotating gyroscope without food or water, intending to escape within 16 hours. Blaine completed the stunt 52 hours later.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400157.html|agency=Associated Press |via=The Washington Post|title=Magician Blaine Ends Times Square Stunt |access-date=May 1, 2010 |date=November 24, 2006|archive-date=March 31, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190331204518/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400157_pf.html?noredirect=on|url-status=live}}

Blaine appeared on the April 30, 2008, episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show to attempt to break the Guinness World Record for oxygen-assisted static apnea, following his failure to break the then-current record of unassisted static apnea in his previous attempt Drowned Alive.{{cite news |title=As David Blaine breaks the record for holding his breath we find more Superhuman feats |first=Kate |last=Jackson |newspaper=Daily Mirror |location=London |date=May 2, 2008 |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/05/02/as-david-blaine-breaks-the-record-for-holding-his-breath-we-find-more-superhuman-feats-115875-20402152/ |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-date=May 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516185211/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/05/02/as-david-blaine-breaks-the-record-for-holding-his-breath-we-find-more-superhuman-feats-115875-20402152/ |url-status=live }} The previous record was set by Peter Colat of Switzerland on February 10, 2008.{{cite news | url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-04-30-blaine_N.htm | title=David Blaine breaks world record for holding one's breath | date=April 30, 2008 | author=Tara Burghart | agency=Associated Press | newspaper=USA Today | access-date=May 8, 2016 | archive-date=August 13, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813151133/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-04-30-blaine_N.htm | url-status=live }}

Before entering the {{convert|1800|usgal|m3|abbr=off|adj=on}} water tank, Blaine spent 23 minutes inhaling pure oxygen. Blaine held his breath for 17 minutes 4-1/2 seconds, surpassing Colat's previous mark of 16 minutes 32 seconds,{{cite web |url=http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/stunts/longest_breath-holding_world_record_set_by_David_Blaine_80235.htm |title=Longest breath holding-world record set by David Blaine |publisher=Worldrecordsacademy.org |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-date=December 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223140438/http://worldrecordsacademy.org/stunts/longest_breath-holding_world_record_set_by_David_Blaine_80235.htm |url-status=live }} setting a new Guinness World Record{{cite news |url=http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/david-blaine-sets-breath-holding-record/?hp |work=The New York Times |title=David Blaine Sets Breath-Holding Record |first=John |last=Tierney |date=April 30, 2008 |access-date=May 1, 2010|archive-date=May 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505061353/http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/david-blaine-sets-breath-holding-record/?hp}} that stood until September 19, 2008, when it was surpassed by German diver Tom Sietas who during an episode of the American talk show Live with Regis and Kelly, held his breath for 17 minutes, 19 seconds.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/fanho-tom-sietas-holds-breath-for-17-minutes-breaks-david-blaines-world-record/182424/|title=Tom Sietas Holds Breath for 17 Minutes, Breaks David Blaine's World Record|date=September 19, 2008|access-date=September 5, 2020|publisher=NBC 5 Chicago|archive-date=September 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200905195109/https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/fanho-tom-sietas-holds-breath-for-17-minutes-breaks-david-blaines-world-record/182424/}}

File:Donald Trump announcing latest David Blaine feat 6.jpg announcing Blaine's next event in the atrium of Trump Tower in September 2008]]

On September 18, 2008, Blaine announced his The Upside Down Man performance with Donald Trump. Blaine planned to hang upside down without a safety net for 60 hours. On September 22, Blaine began his stunt Dive of Death, hanging over Wollman Rink in Central Park and interacting with fans by lowering himself upside down. He pulled himself up to drink fluid and restore normal circulation. Reportedly, Blaine risked blindness and other maladies in the stunt.{{cite news |url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gxsfhFmW71JZPr4OA8yqHI_v2GQwD93ALSU00 |title=Blaine Stunt Could Cause Blindness |agency=Associated Press |access-date=September 23, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927041216/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gxsfhFmW71JZPr4OA8yqHI_v2GQwD93ALSU00 |archive-date=September 27, 2008 }} He was criticized when, only hours into the endurance challenge, he was seen standing on a waiting crane platform, not upside down as expected.{{cite web |url=http://www.myparkmag.co.uk/articles/celebrity/david-blaine/david-blaine-is-only-upside-down-for-50-minutes-per-hour.html |title=David Blaine is only upside down for 50 minutes per hour |publisher=MyParkMag |date=September 24, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925212835/http://www.myparkmag.co.uk/articles/celebrity/david-blaine/david-blaine-is-only-upside-down-for-50-minutes-per-hour.html |archive-date=September 25, 2008}} During the stunt, he came down once an hour for a medical check and to use the bathroom.{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,426008,00.html |title=David Blaine Caught Taking Standing-Up Breaks |publisher=Foxnews.com |date=September 23, 2008 |access-date=October 6, 2010 |archive-date=March 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303114234/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,426008,00.html |url-status=live }}

In this 42-minute television special that aired on April 18, 2010, Blaine performed an illusion of catching a .22 caliber bullet fired from a rifle into a small metal cup in his mouth.{{Cite news |last=Wollaston |first=Sam |date=September 11, 2009 |title=David Blaine: What Is Magic? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/sep/11/david-blaine-what-magic-review |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

On October 5, 2012, Blaine began performing a 72-hour endurance stunt called Electrified: One Million Volts Always On atop a {{convert|22|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} pillar on Pier 54 in New York City, which was streamed live on YouTube.{{cite news |last=Hutchinson |first=Bill |title=David Blaine to risk electrocution in 1 million-volt charge stunt |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/david-blaine-risk-electrocution-1-million-volt-charge-stunt-article-1.1167533?localLinksEnabled=false |newspaper=The New York Daily News |access-date=September 25, 2012 |archive-date=September 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925041458/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/david-blaine-risk-electrocution-1-million-volt-charge-stunt-article-1.1167533?localLinksEnabled=false |url-status=live }} During the stunt, Blaine stood on the pillar surrounded by seven Tesla coils producing an electric discharge of one million volts or more continuously. The coils were directed at Blaine for the entirety of the endurance stunt, during which he did not eat or sleep. He wore {{convert|34|lb|kg|abbr=off}} of gear, including a chainmail Faraday suit, designed to prevent electric current from traveling through the body.Alexander, Harriet (October 6, 2012). [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9591292/David-Blaines-electrifying-New-York-stunt.html "David Blaine's 'electrifying' New York stunt"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129142029/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9591292/David-Blaines-electrifying-New-York-stunt.html |date=January 29, 2018 }}. The Daily Telegraph. Accessed October 16, 2012. John Belcher, a physics professor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, reportedly said, "He has a conducting suit, all the current is going through the suit, nothing through his body. There is no danger in this that I see."

At night, Blaine shivered uncontrollably from the inclement weather. The New York Times published an article describing the science behind Blaine's stunt.Tierney, John. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/science/million-volts-for-david-blaine-in-electrified-endurance-test.html "If He Starts Nodding Off, Try Another Million Volts"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520124023/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/science/million-volts-for-david-blaine-in-electrified-endurance-test.html? |date=May 20, 2016 }}, The New York Times, October 1, 2012. Accessed October 16, 2012. Musicians Pharrell WilliamsJohnson, Miranda. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121012010627/http://rapfix.mtv.com/2012/10/08/pharrell-david-blaine-electrocution-stunt "Pharrell Assists David Blaine With Electrocution Stunt "], MTV, October 8, 2012. Accessed October 16, 2012. and Andrew W.K.Berman, Taylor. [http://www.fuse.tv/2012/10/andrew-w-k-electrocutes-david-blaine/ " Watch: Andrew W.K. Shocks David Blaine With One Million-Volt Keyboard "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011014919/http://www.fuse.tv/2012/10/andrew-w-k-electrocutes-david-blaine |date=October 11, 2012 }}, MTV, October 8, 2012. Accessed October 16, 2012. performed solos on a keyboard which controlled the electric discharge.

The event concluded on October 8, 2012, at 8:44 pm. Blaine was able to walk away with assistance and was transported to a hospital for a medical check.{{cite web |last=Boyle |first=Alan |title=David Blaine gets a checkup after high-voltage stunt |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/49337629 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009052610/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/49337629/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 9, 2012 |work=NBC News |date=October 9, 2012 |access-date=October 9, 2012}} Blaine donated two of the Tesla coils to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, to be exhibited on permanent display.[http://lsc.org/blog/lsc_news/david-blaine-to-donate-tesla-coils/ " David Blaine to Donate Two $1 Million Tesla Coils to Liberty Science Center After ELECTRIFIED Event"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809225749/http://lsc.org/blog/lsc_news/david-blaine-to-donate-tesla-coils/ |date=August 9, 2016 }}, Liberty Science Center, October 3, 2012. Accessed October 16, 2012.

In 2013, Blaine starred in a 90-minute ABC television special, David Blaine: Real or Magic, on November 19, 2013.{{cite magazine |last=Highfill |first=Samantha |title=David Blaine returns to television with celebrity-filled ABC special |url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/10/09/david-blaine-abc-special/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly | access-date=October 10, 2013}} The special, directed by Matthew Akers, featured Blaine performing magic for celebrities and public figures.{{cite magazine |author=Gavin Edwards |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/david-blaines-real-or-magic-ranking-the-celebrity-reactions-20131119 |title=David Blaine's 'Real or Magic': Ranking the Celebrity Reactions |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=November 19, 2013 |access-date=December 17, 2013 |archive-date=December 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206015345/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/david-blaines-real-or-magic-ranking-the-celebrity-reactions-20131119 |url-status=live }} Real or Magic achieved a 2.5 rating in the 18–49 age bracket, and posted the best numbers in the 9:30{{ndash}}11:00 pm time slot for ABC's 2013 season.{{cite magazine |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |url=https://deadline.com/2013/11/ratings-rat-race-abc-scores-with-david-blaine-special-chicago-fire-hits-low-639784/ |title=Ratings Rat Race: ABC Scores With David Blaine Special, CBS Nabs First Tuesday Win |magazine=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=December 17, 2013 |archive-date=September 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914065504/http://deadline.com/2013/11/ratings-rat-race-abc-scores-with-david-blaine-special-chicago-fire-hits-low-639784/ |url-status=live }}

On November 15, 2016, ABC aired Beyond Magic, a 42-minute television special in which Blaine performs magic for various public figures. Among the featured stunts is one in which Blaine seemingly catches a .22 caliber bullet in a small metal cup held between a gum shield in his mouth. The bullet catch trick was performed live on stage in front of 20,000 people in an August 2015 Las Vegas performance in which Blaine fired the gun himself.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/david-blaine-gun-trick-beyond-magic-show-mgm-arena-las-vegas-a7514651.html|title=Beyond Magic: David Blaine show re-aired on E4 includes moment gun stunt goes wrong at MGM Arena in Las Vegas|author=O'Connor, Roisin|newspaper=The Independent|date=January 7, 2017|access-date=September 14, 2020|archive-date=January 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109132242/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/david-blaine-gun-trick-beyond-magic-show-mgm-arena-las-vegas-a7514651.html}} Blaine's mouthguard broke during the performance. Since then, Blaine has never performed the stunt again.

On April 1, 2020, Blaine starred in David Blaine: The Magic Way, which aired on ABC.{{Cite web|url=https://abc.com/news/insider/watch-david-blaine-the-magic-way-on-abc-and-the-abc-app|title=David Blaine Special 2020 Airs Tonight on ABC {{!}} ABC Updates|website=ABC|language=en|access-date=April 6, 2020|archive-date=April 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404103813/https://abc.com/news/insider/watch-david-blaine-the-magic-way-on-abc-and-the-abc-app|url-status=live}} The special consisted of various close-up magic acts, performing card tricks through video chat, and also performing in-person for many famous athletes, actors, and other celebrities as well as ordinary citizens. The special also includes performances by Blaine's daughter.

In 2020, Blaine performed the David Blaine Ascension stunt, which involved him floating while holding on to a cluster of 52 helium-filled balloons using a harness.{{Cite web|last=Delbert|first=Caroline|date=August 17, 2020|title=For His Next Trick, David Blaine Will Hold Balloons to Float Across the Hudson|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a33607471/david-blaine-balloon-stunt-ascension/|website=Popular Mechanics|access-date=August 17, 2020|archive-date=August 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827191321/https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a33607471/david-blaine-balloon-stunt-ascension/|url-status=live}} The stunt took place on the morning of September 2, 2020, in Page, Arizona, and was streamed live on YouTube as a YouTube Original program.{{Cite web|last=Spangler|first=Todd|date=August 30, 2020|title=David Blaine Postpones Helium-Balloon Flight YouTube Livestream, Relocates Stunt From NYC to Arizona|url=https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/david-blaine-ascension-balloon-flight-youtube-livestream-arizona-postpone-1234753858/|access-date=August 31, 2020|website=Variety|language=en|archive-date=August 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830225546/https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/david-blaine-ascension-balloon-flight-youtube-livestream-arizona-postpone-1234753858/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Spangler|first=Todd|date=September 1, 2020|title=David Blaine 'Ascension': How He Plans to Soar Miles Above Arizona Desert With Only Helium Balloons in YouTube Live Stunt|url=https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/david-blaine-ascension-watch-live-youtube-balloons-arizona-1234755767/|access-date=September 3, 2020|website=Variety|language=en|archive-date=September 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903065731/https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/david-blaine-ascension-watch-live-youtube-balloons-arizona-1234755767/|url-status=live}} Blaine managed to get to an altitude of {{convert|24900|ft|km}} above sea level (more than {{convert|20000|ft|km}} above ground level), before letting go of his balloons and parachuting down towards a flat ravine close to the initially planned landing zone. He landed successfully and without harm.{{Cite web|last=Carman|first=Ashley|date=August 12, 2020|title=David Blaine's next big stunt will be a live-streamed YouTube Original|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/12/21365206/david-blaine-next-stunt-ascension-youtube-original-live-stream|access-date=August 21, 2020|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=August 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812192234/https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/12/21365206/david-blaine-next-stunt-ascension-youtube-original-live-stream|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=September 2, 2020|title=David Blaine Ascension|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwzvNAAqH3g| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/QwzvNAAqH3g| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live|access-date=September 2, 2020|website=Media|language=en}}{{cbignore}}

In 2025, Blaine teamed with Hulu and Disney+ for the series entitled David Blaine: Do Not Attempt, in which he trains under an array of people with death-defying skills and performs several feats around the world.

File:David Blaine meeting his fans.jpg

In 2014, Blaine embarked on his first ever live tour, in which he took his tricks and stunts on the road to audiences in the Middle East and North America.

In June 2019, Blaine brought his 'Real or Magic' tour to the UK & Ireland, in which he performed in Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Bournemouth and London, throughout June.

Blaine had planned to take the bullet catch trick on tour, although, after the successful/unsuccessful live attempt, in the MGM Grand Arena, in 2015, he shelved this idea and went with the main stunt of the underwater breath hold for these shows. This was the stunt he carried out in his 2006 'Drowned Alive' TV special and of which he also performed again, in a live world record attempt, in 2009, on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

In September 2022, Blaine began his first ever Las Vegas residency, with his 'David Blaine Live' show at the Resorts World hotel, which had an extended run through to June 2023. After the success of this stint on the strip, he then announced his 'Impossible' residency at The Encore theatre, Wynn, would begin in December 2023. This show is still running today,{{update inline|date=August 2024}} with Blaine performing an array of his favourite tricks and stunts over the course of three shows, on 3 days, of each month.

On October 29, 2002, Villard published Mysterious Stranger: A Book of Magic,Mysterious Stranger, Copyright 2002 by David Blaine. Published 2002, in the United States and Canada, by Villard Books, a division of Random House, Inc. {{ISBN|0-375-50573-3}}. First Edition. an autobiography and armchair treasure hunt with instructions on performing magic tricks. The treasure hunt was created by game designer Cliff Johnson and solved by Sherri Skanes on March 20, 2004.{{cite web|url=http://www.treasureclub.net/publichunts/mysteriousstranger/index.html|title=The Armchair Treasure Hunt Club – Mysterious Stranger: A Book of Magic|work=treasureclub.net|access-date=May 9, 2016}}

file:David Blaine hospital 2005.jpg, 2005]]

In November 2006, Blaine performed a stunt in New York's Times Square in support of The Salvation Army. After 52 hours, Blaine escaped from the shackles that had held him in a spinning gyroscope suspended above the ground. Blaine said this stunt was particularly important to him since The Salvation Army had provided him with clothing while he was growing up.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400157_pf.html?noredirect=on|title=Magician Blaine Ends Times Square Stunt|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=August 23, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=August 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824034342/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400157_pf.html?noredirect=on|url-status=live}}

On January 15, 2010, Blaine returned to Times Square to perform "Magic for Haiti", a performance lasting 72 hours which raised nearly US$100,000 for Haiti earthquake relief.{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/david-blaines-times-square-marathon-haiti/story?id=9575666 |title=David Blaine's Times Square Marathon for Haiti |first1=Carrie |last1=Halperin |date=January 15, 2010 |work=ABC News | access-date=October 6, 2010}}

Blaine also donated two $1 million Tesla coils to Liberty Science Center after performing a massive electricity stunt.{{cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/david-blaine-to-donate-two-1-million-tesla-coils-to-liberty-science-center-after-electrified-event-172643401.html|title=David Blaine to Donate Two $1 Million Tesla Coils to Liberty Science Center After ELECTRIFIED Event|publisher=Liberty Science Center|location=New Jersey|via=PR Newswire|language=en|date=October 4, 2012|access-date=August 23, 2018|archive-date=March 31, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190331194100/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/david-blaine-to-donate-two-1-million-tesla-coils-to-liberty-science-center-after-electrified-event-172643401.html|url-status=live}}

Blaine and his former girlfriend, French model Alizée Guinochet, have a daughter born on January 27, 2011.{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/04/01/david-blaine-magic-way-abc-special-introduces-daughter-dessa/5101128002/|title=David Blaine on introducing his magical daughter in Wednesday's new ABC special|first=Erin|last=Jensen|newspaper=USA Today|date=April 1, 2020|access-date=August 12, 2020|archive-date=August 12, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200812214933/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/04/01/david-blaine-magic-way-abc-special-introduces-daughter-dessa/5101128002/|url-status=live|quote=...Blaine's 9-year-old daughter Dessa. ... [H]is child with his former partner, French model Alizée Guinochet, [appears] in his new ABC special, David Blaine: The Magic Way}} He dated Fiona Apple in 1997 and had relationships with Madonna, Bijou Phillips, Josie Maran, Daryl Hannah and Lonneke Engel.

Multiple reports of sexual misconduct by Blaine have been reported and investigated, without charges filed.

An October 2017 report published in The Daily Beast in the wake of the Me Too movement resulted in renewed scrutiny of alleged misconduct.

Subsequently, British news outlets reported that London's Metropolitan Police had asked Blaine to travel to the UK for interview under caution regarding allegations by former model Natasha Prince that Blaine had raped her at a house in Chelsea, West London in 2004.

Speaking through his lawyer, Blaine "vehemently denies" the allegations and confirmed that he would "fully co-operate" with a police inquiry. Detectives later declined to take further action after investigating her claim.{{Cite news |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-former-model-accuses-david-blaine-of-rape |title=Exclusive: Former Model Accuses David Blaine of Rape |work=The Daily Beast |date=October 19, 2017 |access-date=July 3, 2020 |last1=Ebner |first1=Mark |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105112842/https://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-former-model-accuses-david-blaine-of-rape |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/apr/01/david-blaine-magician-investigation-sexual-assault |title=David Blaine: magician under investigation over sexual assault claims |work=The Guardian |date=April 2, 2019 |access-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-date=July 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703202352/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/apr/01/david-blaine-magician-investigation-sexual-assault |url-status=live }}

In April 2019, Blaine was investigated by the New York City Police Department over allegations that he sexually assaulted at least two women.{{Cite news |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/david-blaine-under-nypd-investigation-over-sexual-assault-allegations |title=David Blaine Under NYPD Investigation Over Sexual-Assault Allegations |work=The Daily Beast |date=April 2019 |access-date=September 7, 2019 |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105112842/https://www.thedailybeast.com/david-blaine-under-nypd-investigation-over-sexual-assault-allegations |url-status=live }} No charges were made.{{Cite news |url=https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/david-blaine-accused-of-hypnotising-women-to-perform-sex-acts-on-him |title=David Blaine Accused Of 'Hypnotising Women To Perform Sex Acts On Him' |work=Unilad |date=April 2019 |access-date=June 25, 2022 |archive-date=April 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407195352/https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/david-blaine-accused-of-hypnotising-women-to-perform-sex-acts-on-him/ |url-status=dead }}

{{Portal|Biography|New Jersey|New York City|Puerto Rico}}

• {{annotated link|Escapology}}
• {{annotated link|Hunger artist}}
• {{annotated link|Super Best Friends}}

{{clear}}

{{reflist}}

{{sister project links|n=no|wikt=no|c=Category:David Blaine|d=Q353983|species=no|m=no|mw=no|s=no|voy=no|v=no|b=no}}

• {{official website}}
• {{IMDb name|86145}}
• {{TED speaker}}
• [https://www.ted.com/talks/david_blaine_how_i_held_my_breath_for_17_min "How I held my breath for 17 minutes" (TEDMED 2009)] (also {{YouTube|id=XFnGhrC_3Gs}})

{{Academy of Magical Arts Magician of the Year |state=autocollapse}}

{{Performance art}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blaine, David}}

Category:1973 births

Category:American autobiographers

Category:American magicians

Category:American people of Italian descent

Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent

Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent

Category:American performance artists

Category:American street performers

Category:American stunt performers

Category:Artists from Brooklyn

Category:Living people

Category:Mentalists

Category:Passaic Valley Regional High School alumni

Category:People from Little Falls, New Jersey

Category:Philanthropists from New York (state)

Category:Academy of Magical Arts Magician of the Year winners