He famously freed himself from a straitjacket - in midair, shackled at the ankles and suspended upside down. With the realization of his skills as an escape artist, Houdini became resoundingly successful. Anyone who succeeded, he said, would receive $100 cash. His first big break came with the introduction of the “Challenge Act,” in which Houdini challenged his audience to present a set of handcuffs from which he could not escape.

Houdini performed common stage tricks and cards tricks before becoming an escape artist. The family eventually welcomed Rahner, though the rift was never completely healed. Houdini was the first person in his family to marry a non-Jew, a fact that, at the time, caused more commotion than when his sister-in-law left one of his brothers for another. She became his partner, first in his act, and then in life.

He got a job on Coney Island and adopted the stage name “Harry Houdini.” The name’s inspiration came from Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, a French magician known as the father of modern conjuring, whom Erich greatly admired.īefore long, Houdini met Wilhelmina Beatrice “Bess” Rahner, a singer and dancer in another Coney Island show. Weisz, along with their six children, moved to New York City.Īt the age of 17, in order to avoid the heavy-labor factory work that was expected of young men his age and social class, Erich started performing magic tricks. Erich’s father served at the Appleton Zion Reform Jewish Congregation for a few years, and then Rabbi and Mrs.

The Weisz family moved to America when Erich was 4 years old, as his father, a rabbi, sought a better job and a better life for the family. Though he often said that Appleton, Wisconsin was his hometown, he was actually born in Budapest, Hungary in 1874. The consummate American showman, he was able to amaze and please crowds of any size despite his height (he stood only 5’5″), his high-pitched voice and his status as an Eastern European immigrant. Houdini resisted labeling himself a “magician,” preferring instead the label “escape artist.” His most renowned talents included his ability to free himself from underwater tanks, prison cells, and handcuffs, and to withstand being buried alive. He delivered stage shows for thousands, and choreographed feats and performances that captured the public’s imagination. He was a movie star with a vast public following. My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help Donateīy the year 1919, Harry Houdini was the most famous magician in the world.

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