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Harry Houdini (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was
the stage name of Ehrich Weiss, one of the most famous
magicians, escapologists, and stunt performers of all
time as well as an investigator of spiritualists. He
legally changed his name to "Harry Houdini" in 1913.
Harry Houdini became world-renowned for his stunts
and feats of escapology even moreso than his magical
illusions.
In 1891, Ehrich became a professional magician, and
began calling himself Harry Houdini as a tribute to
the French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. Initially,
his magical career met with little success, though he
met fellow performer Wilhelmina Beatrice (Bess) Rahner
in 1893, and married her three weeks later. For the
rest of his performing career, Bess would work as his
stage assistant.
Houdini initially focused on cards and other traditional
card acts. At one point he billed himself as the King
of Cards. One of his most notable non-escape stage illusions
was performed in London's hippodrome: he vanished a
full-grown elephant (with its trainer) from a stage,
beneath which was a swimming pool. He soon began experimenting
with escape acts, however. Harry Houdini's "big break"
came in 1899, when he met the showman Martin Beck.
Impressed by Houdini's handcuffs act, Beck advised him
to concentrate on escape acts and booked him on the
Orpheum vaudeville circuit. Within months, he was performing
at the top vaudeville houses in the country. In 1900,
Houdini travelled to Europe to perform. By the time
he returned in 1904, he had become a sensation. (wikipedia)
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