Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos, known professionally as Criss Angel, is an American magician, illusionist and musician.
60 Facts About Criss Angel
2.
Criss Angel holds multiple world records made during his magic performances, and was named Magician of the Decade in 2009 and Magician of the Century in 2010 by the International Magicians Society.
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Criss Angel was born on December 19,1967, at Hempstead General Hospital in Hempstead, on Long Island, New York.
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Criss Angel was raised in Elmont until fourth grade, when his family moved to East Meadow, New York.
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Criss Angel developed an interest in magic at age seven and performed his first show at age 12, for which he was paid $10.
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Early in his career he was helped by animal breeder and reality-television host Marc Morrone, who helped Criss Angel find and train a set of doves for his act.
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Criss Angel studied the art of mysticism, music, martial arts and even dance.
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One of the early supporters of Criss Angel was horror director Clive Barker.
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Criss Angel later recorded the intro to Angel's album World of Illusion: System One.
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Also that year, Criss Angel performed a 10-minute show over the course of the "World of Illusion" conference in Madison Square Garden, performing 60 shows per day.
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Criss Angel starred in the 1997 television movie The Science of Magic and its 2003 sequel The Science of Magic II.
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Criss Angel Mindfreak ran for more than 600 performances between 2001 and 2003 at the World Underground Theater in Times Square.
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Criss Angel has been known to actively discourage a belief in mediumship, stating that there is no way for mediums to speak with people beyond the dead.
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Criss Angel fasted for 24 hours before the performance to make it through the period without need to exit and use the bathroom.
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Under cover, Criss Angel apparently escaped from the shackles that bound his arms, legs and neck, before pulling himself from the watery chamber with a celebratory scream.
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Criss Angel reported afterwards that he had suffered from overheating, jaw fatigue, and semi-consciousness while in the tank.
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In 2003, Criss Angel was featured in the two-hour TBS special Made in Japan.
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In early 2003, Criss Angel performed at the release of the new branding for Miller Lite beer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the 80th anniversary of Houdini's last performance in that city.
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Criss Angel has changed the image of magic and made it cool.
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Criss Angel Mindfreak was the first weekly magic television show to air in 40 years.
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Keenly aware of the camera at all times, Criss Angel manages to offer some personality, especially where family is involved.
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In July 2008, Criss Angel escaped from a beachside hotel before its demolition in front of a crowd of about 50,000 people, an illusion that aired on the television program.
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Criss Angel first picked open a set of handcuffs that had him shackled to a balcony railing.
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Criss Angel then smashed the window of the room in order to enter the hotel, and picked padlocks on both the room's internal door and the door to the stairwell.
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In 2006, Angel partnered with Cirque du Soleil to produce the stage show Criss Angel Believe, premiering the show at the Luxor Las Vegas on September 26,2008.
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That month a cable television series based upon the show entitled Criss Angel BeLIEve was broadcast on Spike TV.
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Criss Angel did however host a new stage show featuring other magicians between February and March 2014 in lieu of performing in his own show.
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Criss Angel has since revealed the contents of one envelope and at the unveiling he challenged Geller one more time.
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Criss Angel's international touring with the show marked the first time that Angel had traveled with his show in about six years.
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The Supernaturalists premiered in June 2015 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino's The Fox Theater, with Criss Angel serving as creator, director and executive producer.
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Criss Angel has stated that the show is a culmination of ten years of development, which he began in 2005, and is intended as a global touring show and as a premiering venue for several new illusions from each magician.
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Criss Angel has made numerous special television guest appearances on WWE Raw, including acting as guest star on March 8,2010.
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Criss Angel appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, including the premiere episode of its 24th season.
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Criss Angel was a guest on The Tonight Show, Late Show with David Letterman, America's Got Talent, and The Rosie O'Donnell Show.
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Criss Angel made a guest acting appearance on the hit television shows CSI: NY, Las Vegas and Rules of Engagement.
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In 2011, Criss Angel appeared in an Orville Redenbacher Pop-Up Bowl popcorn commercial.
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In May 2005, Criss Angel introduced honoree Ozzy Osbourne at the VH1 Rock Honors awards, biting the head off a bat as a part of the introduction in homage to Osbourne's early career onstage antics.
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At the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, Criss Angel performed an illusion as a part of the musical performance by Britney Spears and helped to plan her stage show, which opened the television broadcast.
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Criss Angel was hired as the illusionist for the planned 2009 Michael Jackson O2 arena concerts before Jackson's death.
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In 2013, Criss Angel had a cameo in the feature film The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, and Jim Carrey's character in the movie "Steve Gray" has been said to be modeled after Criss Angel.
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Criss Angel has a passion for music and claims to have been a musician longer than a magician.
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In 1989 he fronted the short-lived heavy metal band Criss Angel and produced a promotional music video for the song "Don't You Want My Love", incorporating several magic tricks.
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Criss Angel later released the albums System 1, System 2, and System 3.
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Criss Angel is the author of the book Mindfreak: Secret Revelations, published by HarperEntertainment in 2007.
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Criss Angel is the most watched magician in Internet history since the late 2000s.
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Criss Angel's clip "Walk on Water" had received more than 39 million views by 2010, and more than 46 million by 2013.
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Criss Angel won the International Magician Society's Magician of the Year award in 2001,2004,2005,2007 and 2008, in addition to its "Magician of the Decade" title in 2009 and "Magician of the Century" title in 2010.
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Criss Angel was the 22nd recipient of the Louie Award for outstanding achievement in the art of magic.
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Criss Angel has appeared on the covers of Magic and Genii magazines.
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In 2008, Criss Angel was one of the inaugural nominees for the Harry Houdini Award, awarded by the Harry Houdini Museum.
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Criss Angel is the youngest magician to ever be inducted into the International Magician Society's Magic Hall of Fame.
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Criss Angel is the only man to have won the Merlin Magician of the Year award on two occasions, in 2001 and 2004.
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On July 20,2017, Criss Angel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is located next to The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
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Criss Angel is the holder of several world records, the longest body suspension at five hours 42 minutes, and the fastest time to perform the "Metamorphosis" illusion at less than one second.
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Criss Angel is the holder of the Guinness world record for "The most people to disappear in an illusion", for making 100 people disappear on May 26,2010, during a performance of Believe at the Luxor.
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In November 2008, Criss Angel began dating Holly Madison, former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner.
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Criss Angel proposed to Sandra Gonzalez on September 7,2011, in Cabo San Lucas during a sunset dinner.
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Since 2012, Criss Angel has been dating Australian singer Shaunyl Benson.
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Criss Angel had a Harley Davidson motorcycle built by Orange County Choppers, which he rode in the intro filmed for Criss Angel Mindfreak.
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Criss Angel was awarded the foundation's Chris Greicius Celebrity Award in 2007.