author
Harry Houdini
1874–1926
A showman who turned handcuffs, locked trunks, and underwater escapes into international spectacle, he became one of the best-known entertainers of the early 20th century. Offstage, he was just as driven, using his fame to challenge fraudulent spiritualists and defend the idea that wonder should not depend on deception.
3 Audiobooks
A Magician Among the Spirits
by Harry Houdini
The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin
by Harry Houdini
About the author
Born in Budapest on March 24, 1874, Harry Houdini was raised in the United States and became famous for escape acts that seemed impossible. He performed in vaudeville, built his reputation by challenging police to lock him up, and eventually became an international star known as "Handcuff King" and later for larger stunts involving straitjackets, water tanks, and suspended escapes.
His career kept expanding beyond stage magic. He appeared in films, wrote about magic, collected books on conjuring and spiritualism, and became a fierce public critic of mediums he believed were cheating grieving families. That mix of daring performance and relentless self-promotion helped make him more than a magician: he became a lasting popular legend.
Houdini died on October 31, 1926, but his name still stands for escape, nerve, and theatrical showmanship. Nearly a century later, he remains the figure most people picture when they think of an escape artist.