Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdiniwas an American illusionist and stunt performer, noted for his sensational escape acts. He first attracted notice in vaudeville in the US and then as "Harry Handcuff Houdini" on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets under water, and having to escape from and hold his breath inside a sealed milk can...
NationalityHungarian
ProfessionMagician
Date of Birth24 March 1874
CityBudapest, Hungary
I think that in a year I may retire. I cannot take my money with me when I die and I wish to enjoy it, with my family, while I live. I should prefer living in Germany to any other country, though I am an American, and am loyal to my country.
I make the most money, I think, in Russia and Paris, for the people of those countries are so willing to be amused, so eager to see something new and out of the ordinary.
The secret of showmanship consists not of what you really do, but what the mystery-loving public thinks you do.
My brain is the key that sets my mind free.
My business has given me an intimate knowledge of stage illusions, together with many years of experience among show people of all types.
A common pickpocket trick is for the operator to carry a shawl or overcoat carelessly over the left arm, and to take a seat on the right side of the person they intend to rob in a streetcar or other vehicle.
What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes.
I am a great admirer of mystery and magic. Look at this life - all mystery and magic.
I'm tired of fighting.
Anyone who believes in magic is a fool.
I am not an irretrievable skeptic. I am not hopelessly prejudiced. I am perfectly willing to believe, and my mind is wide open; but I have, as yet, to be convinced. I am perfectly willing, but the evidence must be sane and conclusive.
The great trouble with magicians is the fact that they believe when they have bought a certain trick or piece of apparatus, and know the method of procedure, that they are full-fledged mystifiers.
Only one man ever betrayed my confidence, and that only in a minor matter.
It is still an open question, however, as to what extent exposure really injures a performer.