David Copperfield

David Seth Kotkin (born September 16, 1956), known professionally as David Copperfield, is an American stage magician and illusionist described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history.

Copperfield's television specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards, winning 21. Known for his combination of storytelling and illusion, his performance, in a career spanning more than 40 years, has earned 11 Guinness World Records, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a knighthood by the French government. He has been named a Living Legend by the US Library of Congress.

His illusions have included the disappearance of a Learjet aircraft (1981), the vanishing and reappearance of the Statue of Liberty (1983), levitating over the Grand Canyon (1984), walking through the Great Wall of China (1986), escaping from Alcatraz prison (1987), being locked in a safe and attempting to escape from Hotel Charlotte before it imploded (1989), the disappearance of an Orient Express train dining car (1991) and flying on stage for several minutes (1992).

As of 2006, he had sold 33 million tickets and grossed over US$4 billion, more than any other solo entertainer in history by a large margin. In 2015, Forbes listed his earnings at $63 million for the previous 12 months and ranked him the 20th highest-earning celebrity in the world.

Copperfield has faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including a 2007 federal investigation that was closed without charges and a 2018 accusation regarding an incident in 1988. In early 2024, unsealed documents identified him as an associate of Jeffrey Epstein and revealed photographs of him with Ghislaine Maxwell, though his lawyers denied he was a close friend. Subsequently, a May 2024 investigation by The Guardian detailed allegations from 16 women accusing Copperfield of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior spanning from the late 1980s to 2014, all of which his legal team has denied.