The interest in magic, for David Blaine, began at an early age when he saw a stranger performing, to his young mind, miracles to passing members of the public. The stranger was doing simple magic tricks but to a young David Blaine, it was awe-inspiring. Not content with just watching, he wanted to help the magic man. In the end, the stranger let David help with a simple trick and there and then, a spark was ignited in his mind.

David Blaine made his name as a street magician and you may be wondering how his brand of street magic became so popular and got onto the small screen.
After honing his skills at card and close-up magic, David Blaine the magician had to put his magic on hold as he had also taken a keen interest in acting, becoming David Blaine the actor.

Whilst he was still a relative unknown in magic circles, he managed to mix in the right acting circles, performing his magic to well known actors.
David Blaine wanted to become as well known as his actor friends and that meant getting exposure on television.
David never forgot the delight he had remembered from watching that stranger all those years ago so he, and a friend of his, decided to go filming on the streets of New York, stop passers-by in the street and perform magic tricks in front of them. The secret was not in the magic tricks but the spectator’s reactions.

He sent the tape of his routines, complete with spectator’s reactions to the television network ABC. They liked what they saw, so much so, that he was given a substantial contract to produce David Blaine : Street Magic.
The reaction was such that, two years later, he also went on to produce David Blaine : Magic Man.

By now, the popularity of David Blaine was getting bigger and bigger but he wanted to do something more. He embarked on a series of bizarre stunts which has sent his career in a somewhat different direction as an endurance artist:
“Buried Alive” was his first stunt where he spent a week buried inside a glass coffin.
“Frozen in Time” was another David Blaine television special. Encased in a cube of ice with special tubes to breathe, drink and relieve himself - he lasted nearly 62 hours.
“Vertigo” – imagine being balanced atop a 90 feet high and 22 inches wide pillar without food or water. David Blaine managed this for over 34 hours.
“Above the Below” saw David Blaine spend 44 days inside a transparent box, 30 feet above the ground.
“Drowned Alive” was where David lasted a week immersed in an 8 feet, water-filled sphere using tubes to breathe.
“Gyroscope” was his latest stunt. Suspended 40-50 feet in the air and spinning 8 times per minute inside a huge gyroscope for 52 hours.

For his endurance feats, he has his fans and critics alike, but as a magician, David Blaine is up there with the best of them.