David Copperfield (illusionist)
He turned stage magic into blockbuster spectacle, making the Statue of Liberty vanish and walking through the Great Wall of China.
Born 1956 (age 70)·American magician·Birthday: September 16·Baby Boomers
Biography
David Copperfield didn't just perform tricks; he engineered wonders on a scale television had never seen. Moving beyond the traditional tuxedoed magician, he became a producer of prime-time magic specials where the stakes were the world's landmarks. His illusions were cinematic events: he made a Learjet disappear on stage, appeared to fly over the Grand Canyon, and most famously, caused the Statue of Liberty to seemingly vanish for a live audience. This fusion of narrative, theater, and engineering created a new template for illusion, making him a global household name. Beyond television, his long-running Las Vegas residency broke box office records, blending grand illusions with intimate sleight-of-hand. His career is a testament to transforming a centuries-old craft into a modern, mass-market art form of awe.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
David was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Has received 21 Emmy Awards for his television magic specials.
- Made the Statue of Liberty appear to vanish in a 1983 television special watched by millions.
- Became the first living illusionist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Holds the record for the most tickets sold worldwide by any solo entertainer in history.
Did You Know?
He began performing magic professionally at the age of 12 under the name 'Davino the Boy Magician.'
He owns the International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas, one of the world's largest collections of magic memorabilia.
He was knighted by the French government as a 'Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.'
The illusion where he walks through the Great Wall of China was filmed on location and broadcast in 1986.
“Magic is the only honest profession. A magician promises to deceive you and he does.”
