Criss Angel
Criss Angel
Criss Angel was born Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos on December 19, 1967. He grew up in a close-knit Greek-American family in East Meadow, New York.
He first became interested in magic at age 6 when his Aunt Stella did a card trick for him. When he was 12, he performed his first paid show for $15. By age 19 he was earning a lucrative $3000 a week performing at children’s parties and nightclubs.
Like David Blaine, Criss Angel has broken away from the stereotype of the traditional magician with tailcoats and a scantily dressed assistant. Even so, his image and magic is still uniquely different from David Blaine’s. At first glance, Criss Angel looks more like a rock musician than a magician. Indeed, his vision is to combine magic, music and big illusions in a spectacular way.
Career timeline:
1994: Prime-time television debut in the ABC one-hour special “Secrets”.
1998: “Criss Angel: World of Illusion” headlined Madison Square Garden’s annual Halloween spectacle. The sold-out 12-day run received an overwhelming response from an audience of over 80,000.
2001: Acclaimed off-Broadway production Criss Angel Mindfreak opened at The World Underground Theater in Times Square. The show opened to rave reviews and continued night after night bringing the seemingly impossible up close and in your face. Criss performed nearly 600 shows before completing his extended engagement on January 6, 2003.
October 2002: “Criss Angel Mindfreak”, an hour-long television special, debuted on the ABC Family channel, which led the network’s “13 Nights of Halloween” campaign as the highest-rated original program.
October 2003: A two-hour television special aired on TBS in Japan. His television special “Supernatural” aired on the Sci Fi Channel on Halloween night.
July 2005: “Criss Angel Mindfreak” premiered on the A&E Network.
Official site: www.crissangel.com
Performance DVDs:
- MindFreak (one hour special)
- Made In Japan
- Supernatural
- MindFreak (A&E’s Special Season 1 Double DVD set)
Teaching DVDs:
- Mastermind 1- Sinful Coin in Soda Can
- Mastermind 2- Criss Angel Levitation
Book: Secret Revelations
