Criss angel magician biography

American magician, illusionist and musician (born 1967)

Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (Greek: Χριστόφορος Νικόλαος Σαραντάκος; born December 19, 1967), known professionally as Criss Angel, is an American magician, illusionist and musician. He is often referred to as one of the world's most successful illusionists, generating in excess of $150 million in tourism revenue for Las Vegas in one year.

Angel began his career in New York City, before moving his base of operations to the Las Vegas Valley. He is known for starring in the hit television show Criss Angel Mindfreak and the stage show Criss Angel MINDFREAK LIVE! (previously Criss Angel Believe) at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas. Following his departure from The Luxor after a decade-long run, Angel opened the new MINDFREAK show in the Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. He also produced and starred in the TV series Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars on CW, Criss Angel BeLIEve on Spike TV, a one-hour special Trick'd on A&E, and the reality competition show Phenomenon on NBC.

He also holds multiple world records made during his magic performances, and was named Magician of the Decade in 2009, Magician of the Century in 2010 by the International Magicians Society. In 2017, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Vanish magazine awarded him the "Greatest of All Time" award in 2019. In addition to his career as an il

Criss Angel (b.1967) is an American magician, musician, mentalist, hypnotist, escapologist, stunt performer, and actor. He is best known for starring in his own television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak.

Books

• Mindfreak: Secret Revelations. Harper Entertainment (April 24, 2007) ISBN 0061137618 and ISBN 978-0061137617 - The trick section of this book is written by Richard Kaufman with photographs by Pete Biro.

References

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Master illusionist Criss Angel rocketed to international fame with his cable series "Criss Angel: Mindfreak" (A&E, 2005-10) and went on to become one of the most awarded and widely viewed magicians in history. A native of New York, Angel began performing in local bars and restaurants while still in his teens before eventually taking part in a grueling 12-day performance schedule at the 1998 World of Illusion convention.

Shortly thereafter, he mounted an early stage version of what would become his signature TV series "Criss Angel: Mindfreak" at Times Square's World Underground Theater. With the success of his A&E series, Angel became an instant sensation on television and the Internet, marveling fans with such feats as his famous walking on water illusion. Other endeavors included the illusionist competition series "Phenomenon" (NBC, 2007-08) and a long-delayed $100 million Las Vegas stage production in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil called "Believe" in 2008.

By the end of the decade, Angel had been named "Magician of the Year" multiple times, in addition to being the youngest magician in history to be inducted into the Magic Hall of Fame and named the "Magician of the Century" by the International Magicians Society. Despite his modest beginnings as a young illusionist who earned $10 for his first paid performance, Angel was well on his way to attaining recognition on par with that of his personal idol, legendary escape artist Harry Houdini.

Born Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos on Dec. 19, 1967 in Long Island, NY to parents Dimitra and John, he and his two brothers were raised in the Long Island hamlet of East Meadow. After being taught a card trick by a relative at the age of six, he was instantly enthralled by magic and began studying the art obsessively. Angel began performing illusions for tips at various functions and local restaurants, and at the age of 12, charged his first fee ($10) to perform at a birthday party.

At a time when he m

Criss Angel is often considered a magician for a new generation. The classic image of a magician wearing a tuxedo and performing in a nightclub was somewhat shattered by Criss as he presented a much more cutting edge style and approach. His unique style helped make his television program – Criss Angel: Mindfreak enormously successful and entertaining.

Early Years

Criss Angel was actually born with the name Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos in Hempstead, NY, on December 19, 1967. At a very young age, he developed a huge interest in magic. When Angel was only seven years old, his aunt showed him a card trick and a lifelong interest in magic soon commenced after that. His professional career started at the age of ten when he charged $12 for a magic show in the neighborhood.

Angel began to study the art as a teen while enrolled in high school in Long Island. He was not pursuing a mere hobby in magic, but he was offering his services as a magician to local restaurants all throughout his high school years.

After graduating from high school, Angel opted not to go to college. Instead, he chose to follow the path of being a professional magician. He practiced his trade in relative obscurity until he caught a big break in 1994.

Big Break on TV

In 1994, Angel appeared on a major prime time television special titled Secrets. This helped draw a lot of attention to his unique performance style. In 1998, he took part in the annual New York City Halloween celebration. At Madison Square Garden, his show Criss Angel: World of Illusion headlined the event.

No one could deny that Angel’s popularity was massively on the rise. He was soon being asked to appear on numerous daytime talk shows to perform his unique style of magic. The great television exposure he gained helped him garner more and more bookings for his live show. Eventually, his popularity grew s