Blaine, David (1973– )

US magician who rose to stardom at the end of the 1990s. Known for his talent, charm, and penchant for extreme endurance tests, he appeared in the US television specials David Blaine: Street Magic (1997) and David Blaine: Magic Man (1999). His videos Mystifier (2000) and Showman (2001) established a following in the UK.

His performances have included burying himself under the Trump Place building in New York City for seven days with no food and water; freezing himself in a six-ton block of ice in Times Square, New York, for 61 hours; hoisting himself onto an 80-foot pillar, remaining on top of the 22-inch circular platform for 35 hours before jumping off onto a pile of boxes; and surviving on nothing but water for 44 days, in a Perspex box suspended next to Tower Bridge, London, England.