David Copperfield on AllMovie

Roundly and justly considered the preeminent magician of the 20th century, David Copperfield (born David Kotkin) elevated illusionism to new spheres by mounting and pulling off stunning feats before live audiences that most deemed impossible. Copperfield (who did pull his stage name from the Dickens novel) specialized in massively scaled deceptions that included the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty and a bizarre feat in which the performer appeared to "walk through" the Great Wall of China. In time, Copperfield culled such a massive fan base that Forbes magazine indicated him the 13th highest paid performer in the world. Cinematically, he participated in the 1999 documentary Houdini: People Came to See Him Die, and directed, produced and headlined the 2000 performance film David Copperfield: Illusion.