Criss Angel
Encyclopedia
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (born December 19, 1967), better known by the stage name
Criss Angel, is an American illusionist, writer, director, musician, and actor. He is best known for starring in the television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak
and his live performance illusion show Criss Angel Believe
in artistic collaboration with Cirque du Soleil
at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas
, Nevada
. Criss is also the creator of the MagicPlace.com a website designed as a ‘one-stop’ life-style portal for all things magic. MagicPlace.com is also the home of Criss’ most ambitious venture to date, The Magic broadcasting Network as well as a place to purchase his coveted magic kits.
, Long Island
, New York
, with two brothers, Costa and J.D. His father owned a restaurant and doughnut shop and was devoted to personal fitness before dying of cancer in 1998. Angel was first introduced to magic at age 6, after his Aunt Stella taught him a card trick
. His interest grew and by the time he graduated from East Meadow High School
, he was not interested in attending college. He aimed at becoming a professional magician.
show Criss Angel Mindfreak
. Seasons 1 and 2 were filmed at The Aladdin
in Las Vegas
, with Season 3 at the Luxor Las Vegas. Premiering on July 20, 2005, and lasting six seasons, the illusions have included walking on water
, levitating
, walking up the side of Luxor Hotel (in the light of 39 focused lamps that can be seen from space), floating
between two buildings, causing a Lamborghini
to disappear, surviving in an exploding C4
Crate, cutting himself in half
in full view of an audience and getting run over by a steamroller while lying on a bed of broken glass. Also in season 3 he was known for jumping out of a moving car. Angel was injured and stopped production for 3 weeks.
Lasting six seasons, Criss Angel Mindfreak
was the longest running prime time magic program in television history and more than 100 million people in over 90 countries viewed each season of the show. To date Criss Angel has performed more hours of primetime television than any other magician in TV history.
He is the most watched magician in web history and a YouTube
sensation with over 41 Million views of his walk on water clip alone. Collectively he has over 150 Million views on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBQLq2VmZcA
and MGM Resorts International to serve as writer/director, illusions creator and designer, original concept creator and star of his spectacular live show Criss Angel Believe
, a live show at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas
,
He made numerous special television guest appearance
s on WWE Raw
, The Oprah Winfrey Show
, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Megan Mullally Show
, The Ellen Show
, AVN Awards Show 2007 and Larry King Live
on CNN
. The Tonight Show
, The Late Show
, America's Got Talent
", The Rosie O'Donnell Show
", and introducing legendary honoree "Ozzy Ozbourne" on "VH1
"'s Rock Honors awards. He also made a guest acting appearance on the hit television shows CSI: NY
, Las Vegas
and Rules of Engagement
The show was originally developed for a Broadway
and was titled Criss Angel MINDFREAK. During its 14 month off Broadway run the show recorded the highest advance ticket sales, more than any other show to date. Eventually, the show evolved into Believe when he entered a partnership with Cirque du Soleil and the Luxor's parent company, MGM Mirage
, financed the show with $100 million.
The initial preview performance was not received well; audience reactions were thoroughly negative.[16][17] The show opened to equally harsh reviews, citing a lack of the magic Angel is known for as well as a confusing and uninteresting theme; reviewers felt neither Angel nor Cirque du Soleil were able to perform their capabilities.[18][19][20][21] By December 17, two months into the show's run, the Luxor was offering a 40% discount on show tickets.[22] In lieu of quotes from theater critics, by January 2009 the Believe website used positive critical quotes from selected celebrities, including Angel's then-girlfriend, Holly Madison.[23]
In the first 12 weeks Criss sold over 500,000 Magic Kits in, making it one of the most successful merchandise products for magic. Due to great demand in 2011 the kits will launch in multiple countries. The Magic Kit is designed to teach people of all ages and levels the art of illusion and includes a 500-plus trick Ultimate Magic Kit and a 250-plus trick Platinum Magic Kit.
Angle.
, with Uri Geller
and in a CNN interview about the show he told Larry King
"no one has the ability, that I'm aware of, to do anything supernatural, psychic, talk to the dead. And that was what I said I was going to do with Phenomenon. If somebody goes on that show and claims to have supernatural psychic ability, I'm going to bust [him] live and on television."
On the October 31, 2007 episode of the reality show Phenomenon, Paranormalist
Jim Callahan performed a summoning
, purportedly of author Raymond Hill
, to help discover the contents of a locked box. Although fellow judge Uri Geller
praised the performance, Angel called it "comical" and subsequently challenged both Callahan and Geller to guess the contents of two envelopes he pulled out of his pocket, offering a million dollars of his own money to whoever could do so. This led to an argument between Callahan and Angel, during which Callahan walked toward Angel and called him an "ideological bigot", with the two pulled apart as the show promptly went to a commercial break. Angel has since revealed the contents of one envelope and at the unveiling he challenged Geller one more time. Geller responded, "Although we were born one day apart - I was born on the 20th of December and you on the 19th - a lot of years between us - 40 years, you were one year old when I came out with my spoon bending..." Criss Angel cut him off at this point, saying, "I guess this is a 'no,'" and proceeded to open the envelope. The envelope contained an index card
with the numbers "911" printed on it for September 11, 2001. Criss' explanation was this: "If on 9-10 somebody could have predicted that 9-11 was going to happen, they could have saved thousands of lives". Some Geller supporters point out Geller did mention the numbers one and 19 and count it as a success since he did get the digits right. Geller in fact mentioned five digits in his speech (0, 1, 2, 4, 9) as well as the month of December. The other envelope's contents was scheduled to be revealed on the first episode of Season 4 of Criss Angel: Mindfreak. However, the contents of the other envelope were never revealed and remain a mystery to this day.
episode The Great Simpsina
, via an extremely talented but sleazy and obnoxious magician named "Cregg Demon".
Angel was loosely parodied in Ugly Americans
episode "Kill Mark Kill" as Christ Angel, Leonard's older yet younger-looking brother.
Angel was parodied in Robot Chicken
. In the episode "I Love Her", he becomes a substitute teacher
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he tries to use Mindfreak
on Harry Potter
and his friends.
Angel was parodied in the Supernatural
episode "Criss Angel is a Douche Bag." Although he is named explicitly in the title, the character representing him is "Jeb Dexter," a magician and "flashy young punk" who is killed by another magician via an enchanted deck of tarot
cards.
On March 8, 2010, Angel was a special guest star on the WWE.
In 2011, Angel appeared in an Orville Redenbacher
popcorn commercial. The same year, he appeared as himself in an episode of Rules of Engagement
.
, former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner
. The relationship ended in February 2009.
He proposed to Sandra Gonzalez on September 7, 2011 in Cabo San Lucas during a sunset dinner. Fireworks followed the evening along with Gonzalez's whole family.
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (born December 19, 1967), better known by the stage name
Criss Angel, is an American illusionist, writer, director, musician, and actor. He is best known for starring in the television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak
and his live performance illusion show Criss Angel Believe
in artistic collaboration with Cirque du Soleil
at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas
, Nevada
. Criss is also the creator of the MagicPlace.com a website designed as a ‘one-stop’ life-style portal for all things magic. MagicPlace.com is also the home of Criss’ most ambitious venture to date, The Magic broadcasting Network as well as a place to purchase his coveted magic kits.
, Long Island
, New York
, with two brothers, Costa and J.D. His father owned a restaurant and doughnut shop and was devoted to personal fitness before dying of cancer in 1998. Angel was first introduced to magic at age 6, after his Aunt Stella taught him a card trick
. His interest grew and by the time he graduated from East Meadow High School
, he was not interested in attending college. He aimed at becoming a professional magician.
show Criss Angel Mindfreak
. Seasons 1 and 2 were filmed at The Aladdin
in Las Vegas
, with Season 3 at the Luxor Las Vegas. Premiering on July 20, 2005, and lasting six seasons, the illusions have included walking on water
, levitating
, walking up the side of Luxor Hotel (in the light of 39 focused lamps that can be seen from space), floating
between two buildings, causing a Lamborghini
to disappear, surviving in an exploding C4
Crate, cutting himself in half
in full view of an audience and getting run over by a steamroller while lying on a bed of broken glass. Also in season 3 he was known for jumping out of a moving car. Angel was injured and stopped production for 3 weeks.
Lasting six seasons, Criss Angel Mindfreak
was the longest running prime time magic program in television history and more than 100 million people in over 90 countries viewed each season of the show. To date Criss Angel has performed more hours of primetime television than any other magician in TV history.
He is the most watched magician in web history and a YouTube
sensation with over 41 Million views of his walk on water clip alone. Collectively he has over 150 Million views on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBQLq2VmZcA
and MGM Resorts International to serve as writer/director, illusions creator and designer, original concept creator and star of his spectacular live show Criss Angel Believe
, a live show at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas
,
He made numerous special television guest appearance
s on WWE Raw
, The Oprah Winfrey Show
, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Megan Mullally Show
, The Ellen Show
, AVN Awards Show 2007 and Larry King Live
on CNN
. The Tonight Show
, The Late Show
, America's Got Talent
", The Rosie O'Donnell Show
", and introducing legendary honoree "Ozzy Ozbourne" on "VH1
"'s Rock Honors awards. He also made a guest acting appearance on the hit television shows CSI: NY
, Las Vegas
and Rules of Engagement
The show was originally developed for a Broadway
and was titled Criss Angel MINDFREAK. During its 14 month off Broadway run the show recorded the highest advance ticket sales, more than any other show to date. Eventually, the show evolved into Believe when he entered a partnership with Cirque du Soleil and the Luxor's parent company, MGM Mirage
, financed the show with $100 million.
The initial preview performance was not received well; audience reactions were thoroughly negative.[16][17] The show opened to equally harsh reviews, citing a lack of the magic Angel is known for as well as a confusing and uninteresting theme; reviewers felt neither Angel nor Cirque du Soleil were able to perform their capabilities.[18][19][20][21] By December 17, two months into the show's run, the Luxor was offering a 40% discount on show tickets.[22] In lieu of quotes from theater critics, by January 2009 the Believe website used positive critical quotes from selected celebrities, including Angel's then-girlfriend, Holly Madison.[23]
In the first 12 weeks Criss sold over 500,000 Magic Kits in, making it one of the most successful merchandise products for magic. Due to great demand in 2011 the kits will launch in multiple countries. The Magic Kit is designed to teach people of all ages and levels the art of illusion and includes a 500-plus trick Ultimate Magic Kit and a 250-plus trick Platinum Magic Kit.
Angle.
, with Uri Geller
and in a CNN interview about the show he told Larry King
"no one has the ability, that I'm aware of, to do anything supernatural, psychic, talk to the dead. And that was what I said I was going to do with Phenomenon. If somebody goes on that show and claims to have supernatural psychic ability, I'm going to bust [him] live and on television."
On the October 31, 2007 episode of the reality show Phenomenon, Paranormalist
Jim Callahan performed a summoning
, purportedly of author Raymond Hill
, to help discover the contents of a locked box. Although fellow judge Uri Geller
praised the performance, Angel called it "comical" and subsequently challenged both Callahan and Geller to guess the contents of two envelopes he pulled out of his pocket, offering a million dollars of his own money to whoever could do so. This led to an argument between Callahan and Angel, during which Callahan walked toward Angel and called him an "ideological bigot", with the two pulled apart as the show promptly went to a commercial break. Angel has since revealed the contents of one envelope and at the unveiling he challenged Geller one more time. Geller responded, "Although we were born one day apart - I was born on the 20th of December and you on the 19th - a lot of years between us - 40 years, you were one year old when I came out with my spoon bending..." Criss Angel cut him off at this point, saying, "I guess this is a 'no,'" and proceeded to open the envelope. The envelope contained an index card
with the numbers "911" printed on it for September 11, 2001. Criss' explanation was this: "If on 9-10 somebody could have predicted that 9-11 was going to happen, they could have saved thousands of lives". Some Geller supporters point out Geller did mention the numbers one and 19 and count it as a success since he did get the digits right. Geller in fact mentioned five digits in his speech (0, 1, 2, 4, 9) as well as the month of December. The other envelope's contents was scheduled to be revealed on the first episode of Season 4 of Criss Angel: Mindfreak. However, the contents of the other envelope were never revealed and remain a mystery to this day.
episode The Great Simpsina
, via an extremely talented but sleazy and obnoxious magician named "Cregg Demon".
Angel was loosely parodied in Ugly Americans
episode "Kill Mark Kill" as Christ Angel, Leonard's older yet younger-looking brother.
Angel was parodied in Robot Chicken
. In the episode "I Love Her", he becomes a substitute teacher
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he tries to use Mindfreak
on Harry Potter
and his friends.
Angel was parodied in the Supernatural
episode "Criss Angel is a Douche Bag." Although he is named explicitly in the title, the character representing him is "Jeb Dexter," a magician and "flashy young punk" who is killed by another magician via an enchanted deck of tarot
cards.
On March 8, 2010, Angel was a special guest star on the WWE.
In 2011, Angel appeared in an Orville Redenbacher
popcorn commercial. The same year, he appeared as himself in an episode of Rules of Engagement
.
, former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner
. The relationship ended in February 2009.
He proposed to Sandra Gonzalez on September 7, 2011 in Cabo San Lucas during a sunset dinner. Fireworks followed the evening along with Gonzalez's whole family.
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (born December 19, 1967), better known by the stage name
Criss Angel, is an American illusionist, writer, director, musician, and actor. He is best known for starring in the television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak
and his live performance illusion show Criss Angel Believe
in artistic collaboration with Cirque du Soleil
at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas
, Nevada
. Criss is also the creator of the MagicPlace.com a website designed as a ‘one-stop’ life-style portal for all things magic. MagicPlace.com is also the home of Criss’ most ambitious venture to date, The Magic broadcasting Network as well as a place to purchase his coveted magic kits.
, Long Island
, New York
, with two brothers, Costa and J.D. His father owned a restaurant and doughnut shop and was devoted to personal fitness before dying of cancer in 1998. Angel was first introduced to magic at age 6, after his Aunt Stella taught him a card trick
. His interest grew and by the time he graduated from East Meadow High School
, he was not interested in attending college. He aimed at becoming a professional magician.
show Criss Angel Mindfreak
. Seasons 1 and 2 were filmed at The Aladdin
in Las Vegas
, with Season 3 at the Luxor Las Vegas. Premiering on July 20, 2005, and lasting six seasons, the illusions have included walking on water
, levitating
, walking up the side of Luxor Hotel (in the light of 39 focused lamps that can be seen from space), floating
between two buildings, causing a Lamborghini
to disappear, surviving in an exploding C4
Crate, cutting himself in half
in full view of an audience and getting run over by a steamroller while lying on a bed of broken glass. Also in season 3 he was known for jumping out of a moving car. Angel was injured and stopped production for 3 weeks.
Lasting six seasons, Criss Angel Mindfreak
was the longest running prime time magic program in television history and more than 100 million people in over 90 countries viewed each season of the show. To date Criss Angel has performed more hours of primetime television than any other magician in TV history.
He is the most watched magician in web history and a YouTube
sensation with over 41 Million views of his walk on water clip alone. Collectively he has over 150 Million views on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBQLq2VmZcA
and MGM Resorts International to serve as writer/director, illusions creator and designer, original concept creator and star of his spectacular live show Criss Angel Believe
, a live show at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas
,
He made numerous special television guest appearance
s on WWE Raw
, The Oprah Winfrey Show
, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Megan Mullally Show
, The Ellen Show
, AVN Awards Show 2007 and Larry King Live
on CNN
. The Tonight Show
, The Late Show
, America's Got Talent
", The Rosie O'Donnell Show
", and introducing legendary honoree "Ozzy Ozbourne" on "VH1
"'s Rock Honors awards. He also made a guest acting appearance on the hit television shows CSI: NY
, Las Vegas
and Rules of Engagement
The show was originally developed for a Broadway
and was titled Criss Angel MINDFREAK. During its 14 month off Broadway run the show recorded the highest advance ticket sales, more than any other show to date. Eventually, the show evolved into Believe when he entered a partnership with Cirque du Soleil and the Luxor's parent company, MGM Mirage
, financed the show with $100 million.
The initial preview performance was not received well; audience reactions were thoroughly negative.[16][17] The show opened to equally harsh reviews, citing a lack of the magic Angel is known for as well as a confusing and uninteresting theme; reviewers felt neither Angel nor Cirque du Soleil were able to perform their capabilities.[18][19][20][21] By December 17, two months into the show's run, the Luxor was offering a 40% discount on show tickets.[22] In lieu of quotes from theater critics, by January 2009 the Believe website used positive critical quotes from selected celebrities, including Angel's then-girlfriend, Holly Madison.[23]
In the first 12 weeks Criss sold over 500,000 Magic Kits in, making it one of the most successful merchandise products for magic. Due to great demand in 2011 the kits will launch in multiple countries. The Magic Kit is designed to teach people of all ages and levels the art of illusion and includes a 500-plus trick Ultimate Magic Kit and a 250-plus trick Platinum Magic Kit.
Angle.
, with Uri Geller
and in a CNN interview about the show he told Larry King
"no one has the ability, that I'm aware of, to do anything supernatural, psychic, talk to the dead. And that was what I said I was going to do with Phenomenon. If somebody goes on that show and claims to have supernatural psychic ability, I'm going to bust [him] live and on television."
On the October 31, 2007 episode of the reality show Phenomenon, Paranormalist
Jim Callahan performed a summoning
, purportedly of author Raymond Hill
, to help discover the contents of a locked box. Although fellow judge Uri Geller
praised the performance, Angel called it "comical" and subsequently challenged both Callahan and Geller to guess the contents of two envelopes he pulled out of his pocket, offering a million dollars of his own money to whoever could do so. This led to an argument between Callahan and Angel, during which Callahan walked toward Angel and called him an "ideological bigot", with the two pulled apart as the show promptly went to a commercial break. Angel has since revealed the contents of one envelope and at the unveiling he challenged Geller one more time. Geller responded, "Although we were born one day apart - I was born on the 20th of December and you on the 19th - a lot of years between us - 40 years, you were one year old when I came out with my spoon bending..." Criss Angel cut him off at this point, saying, "I guess this is a 'no,'" and proceeded to open the envelope. The envelope contained an index card
with the numbers "911" printed on it for September 11, 2001. Criss' explanation was this: "If on 9-10 somebody could have predicted that 9-11 was going to happen, they could have saved thousands of lives". Some Geller supporters point out Geller did mention the numbers one and 19 and count it as a success since he did get the digits right. Geller in fact mentioned five digits in his speech (0, 1, 2, 4, 9) as well as the month of December. The other envelope's contents was scheduled to be revealed on the first episode of Season 4 of Criss Angel: Mindfreak. However, the contents of the other envelope were never revealed and remain a mystery to this day.
episode The Great Simpsina
, via an extremely talented but sleazy and obnoxious magician named "Cregg Demon".
Angel was loosely parodied in Ugly Americans
episode "Kill Mark Kill" as Christ Angel, Leonard's older yet younger-looking brother.
Angel was parodied in Robot Chicken
. In the episode "I Love Her", he becomes a substitute teacher
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he tries to use Mindfreak
on Harry Potter
and his friends.
Angel was parodied in the Supernatural
episode "Criss Angel is a Douche Bag." Although he is named explicitly in the title, the character representing him is "Jeb Dexter," a magician and "flashy young punk" who is killed by another magician via an enchanted deck of tarot
cards.
On March 8, 2010, Angel was a special guest star on the WWE.
In 2011, Angel appeared in an Orville Redenbacher
popcorn commercial. The same year, he appeared as himself in an episode of Rules of Engagement
.
, former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner
. The relationship ended in February 2009.
He proposed to Sandra Gonzalez on September 7, 2011 in Cabo San Lucas during a sunset dinner. Fireworks followed the evening along with Gonzalez's whole family.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Criss Angel, is an American illusionist, writer, director, musician, and actor. He is best known for starring in the television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
and his live performance illusion show Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel Believe is a 2008 theatrical production involving a collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Criss Angel, a magician best known for his own television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak...
in artistic collaboration with Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Criss is also the creator of the MagicPlace.com a website designed as a ‘one-stop’ life-style portal for all things magic. MagicPlace.com is also the home of Criss’ most ambitious venture to date, The Magic broadcasting Network as well as a place to purchase his coveted magic kits.
Early life
Son of Greek-Americans John and Dimitra Sarantakos, Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos was raised in East MeadowEast Meadow, New York
East Meadow is a hamlet in Nassau County , New York, United States. East Meadow is an unincorporated area in the Town of Hempstead....
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, with two brothers, Costa and J.D. His father owned a restaurant and doughnut shop and was devoted to personal fitness before dying of cancer in 1998. Angel was first introduced to magic at age 6, after his Aunt Stella taught him a card trick
Card manipulation
Card magic is the branch of conjuring that deals with creating magical effects using a deck of playing cards. Card magic is commonplace in magical performances, especially in close up magic or parlor magic and street magic. Some of the most recognized names in this field include John Scarne, Juan...
. His interest grew and by the time he graduated from East Meadow High School
East Meadow High School
East Meadow High School is a high school in the East Meadow school district. East Meadow High School was founded in 1953, as part of what is currently the third largest school district in New York State. There are approximately 1,650 students in grades 9-12...
, he was not interested in attending college. He aimed at becoming a professional magician.
Television
Criss Angel was the creator, director, and executive producer of the A&E NetworkA&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
show Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
. Seasons 1 and 2 were filmed at The Aladdin
Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas, previously known as The Aladdin, is a casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip, in the unincorporated locale of Paradise, Nevada, United States. Westgate Resorts operates the condo portion of the property, known as PH Towers by Westgate.Planet Hollywood is owned by Caesars...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, with Season 3 at the Luxor Las Vegas. Premiering on July 20, 2005, and lasting six seasons, the illusions have included walking on water
Walking on water
Jesus' walks on water, or Jesus walking on water, is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. Accounts of the miracle appear in three Gospels: Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52 and...
, levitating
Levitation
Levitation is the process by which an object is suspended by a physical force against gravity, in a stable position without solid physical contact...
, walking up the side of Luxor Hotel (in the light of 39 focused lamps that can be seen from space), floating
Flight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
between two buildings, causing a Lamborghini
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...
to disappear, surviving in an exploding C4
C-4 (explosive)
C4 or Composition C4 is a common variety of the plastic explosive known as Composition C.-Composition and manufacture:C4 is made up of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer and usually marker or odorizing taggant chemicals such as 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane to help detect the explosive and...
Crate, cutting himself in half
Sawing a woman in half
Sawing a woman in half is a generic name for a number of different stage magic tricks in which a person is apparently sawn or divided into two or more pieces.-History:...
in full view of an audience and getting run over by a steamroller while lying on a bed of broken glass. Also in season 3 he was known for jumping out of a moving car. Angel was injured and stopped production for 3 weeks.
Lasting six seasons, Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
was the longest running prime time magic program in television history and more than 100 million people in over 90 countries viewed each season of the show. To date Criss Angel has performed more hours of primetime television than any other magician in TV history.
He is the most watched magician in web history and a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
sensation with over 41 Million views of his walk on water clip alone. Collectively he has over 150 Million views on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBQLq2VmZcA
Criss Angel BeLIEve
Criss Angel collaborated with Cirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
and MGM Resorts International to serve as writer/director, illusions creator and designer, original concept creator and star of his spectacular live show Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel Believe is a 2008 theatrical production involving a collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Criss Angel, a magician best known for his own television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak...
, a live show at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
,
He made numerous special television guest appearance
Guest appearance
In show business , a guest appearance is a participation of an outsider performer , usually called guest artist , in an event , i.e., the participation of a performer which does not belong to the regular crew In performance...
s on WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Megan Mullally Show
The Megan Mullally Show
The Megan Mullally Show is an American talk show hosted by Megan Mullally that debuted in syndication on September 18, 2006, and was cancelled in January 2007 due to its low ratings. Early promotions for the program featured Mullally as herself and as her Will & Grace character, Karen Walker...
, The Ellen Show
The Ellen Show
The Ellen Show is a television sitcom starring Ellen DeGeneres that aired during the 2001–2002 season on CBS. It was DeGeneres's second attempt at a sitcom, after Ellen on ABC , but it was unable to garner strong ratings and was quickly cancelled.After coming out of the closet as a lesbian on her...
, AVN Awards Show 2007 and Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
, The Late Show
The Late Show
The Late Show may refer to:* The Late Show , the Australian comedy television show of 1992–1993* The Late Show , a late-night American talk show broadcast by the Fox Network from 1986–1988...
, America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
", The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
", and introducing legendary honoree "Ozzy Ozbourne" on "VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
"'s Rock Honors awards. He also made a guest acting appearance on the hit television shows CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas (TV series)
Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...
and Rules of Engagement
Rules of Engagement (TV series)
Rules of Engagement is a sitcom that debuted on CBS on February 5, 2007, as a midseason replacement, immediately following Two and a Half Men, in the time slot that was occupied by now-cancelled The New Adventures of Old Christine...
The show was originally developed for a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and was titled Criss Angel MINDFREAK. During its 14 month off Broadway run the show recorded the highest advance ticket sales, more than any other show to date. Eventually, the show evolved into Believe when he entered a partnership with Cirque du Soleil and the Luxor's parent company, MGM Mirage
MGM Mirage
Not to be confused with the Las Vegas, Nevada based casino/resort operator Resorts International Holdings.MGM Resorts International is a Paradise, Nevada based corporation that brands itself as a global hospitality company. It is the second largest gaming company in the world by revenue - about...
, financed the show with $100 million.
The initial preview performance was not received well; audience reactions were thoroughly negative.[16][17] The show opened to equally harsh reviews, citing a lack of the magic Angel is known for as well as a confusing and uninteresting theme; reviewers felt neither Angel nor Cirque du Soleil were able to perform their capabilities.[18][19][20][21] By December 17, two months into the show's run, the Luxor was offering a 40% discount on show tickets.[22] In lieu of quotes from theater critics, by January 2009 the Believe website used positive critical quotes from selected celebrities, including Angel's then-girlfriend, Holly Madison.[23]
Magic Kit
Criss Angel has also created a successful and sought after magic kit line, which are featured in 40,000 retail stores in the US alone and to date have sold more than 1 million units.In the first 12 weeks Criss sold over 500,000 Magic Kits in, making it one of the most successful merchandise products for magic. Due to great demand in 2011 the kits will launch in multiple countries. The Magic Kit is designed to teach people of all ages and levels the art of illusion and includes a 500-plus trick Ultimate Magic Kit and a 250-plus trick Platinum Magic Kit.
Awards
Criss has received numerous awards throughout his career. He has been named Magician of the Year an unprecedented six times including one from The Magic Castle, far more than any other magician. This spring, Criss was the youngest magician inducted into the International Magicians Society Hall of Fame and received the prestigious Elite Diamond Merlin Award. Criss was also presented with a lifetime achievement award, The World Magic Legacy Award “A Living Legend,” at The World of Magic Seminar in Las Vegas. Additionally, Criss was recently named the first time ever Magician of the Decade as well as Magician of the Century and Innovator of the Decade. Criss received an International Magic Lifetime Achievement Award and was also unanimously selected as the recipient of the 22nd Louie Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Art of Magic.Angle.
Charity
Criss is tireless in his efforts to help children through his BeLIEve Foundation 'Believe Anything is Possible - A JDS Foundation For his work he as received the male wish grantor of the year award and the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award for his dedication to the Make a wish foundation.Phenomenon
Starting in October 2007 he appeared as a judge on PhenomenonPhenomenon (TV series)
Phenomenon is a competition show judged by mystifier Uri Geller and illusionist Criss Angel and hosted by Tim Vincent which debuted live on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 on NBC. The show featured ten contestants competing to become the next great mentalist, to be determined by viewers voting by phone...
, with Uri Geller
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
and in a CNN interview about the show he told Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
"no one has the ability, that I'm aware of, to do anything supernatural, psychic, talk to the dead. And that was what I said I was going to do with Phenomenon. If somebody goes on that show and claims to have supernatural psychic ability, I'm going to bust [him] live and on television."
On the October 31, 2007 episode of the reality show Phenomenon, Paranormalist
Mentalism
Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats and rapid...
Jim Callahan performed a summoning
Conjuration
Conjuration is used in many video games, mainly RPGs, where it is usually referred to as summoning.* A notable example is the Final Fantasy franchise which incorporates summoning of monsters to fight alongside the characters....
, purportedly of author Raymond Hill
Ray Hill
Ray Hill was a leading figure in the British far right who went on to become a well-known informant.Born in Lancashire, he spent three years in the army before making his first steps in the far right with the Racial Preservation Society in Leicester in the late 1960s...
, to help discover the contents of a locked box. Although fellow judge Uri Geller
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
praised the performance, Angel called it "comical" and subsequently challenged both Callahan and Geller to guess the contents of two envelopes he pulled out of his pocket, offering a million dollars of his own money to whoever could do so. This led to an argument between Callahan and Angel, during which Callahan walked toward Angel and called him an "ideological bigot", with the two pulled apart as the show promptly went to a commercial break. Angel has since revealed the contents of one envelope and at the unveiling he challenged Geller one more time. Geller responded, "Although we were born one day apart - I was born on the 20th of December and you on the 19th - a lot of years between us - 40 years, you were one year old when I came out with my spoon bending..." Criss Angel cut him off at this point, saying, "I guess this is a 'no,'" and proceeded to open the envelope. The envelope contained an index card
Index card
An index card consists of heavy paper stock cut to a standard size, used for recording and storing small amounts of discrete data. It was invented by Carl Linnaeus, around 1760....
with the numbers "911" printed on it for September 11, 2001. Criss' explanation was this: "If on 9-10 somebody could have predicted that 9-11 was going to happen, they could have saved thousands of lives". Some Geller supporters point out Geller did mention the numbers one and 19 and count it as a success since he did get the digits right. Geller in fact mentioned five digits in his speech (0, 1, 2, 4, 9) as well as the month of December. The other envelope's contents was scheduled to be revealed on the first episode of Season 4 of Criss Angel: Mindfreak. However, the contents of the other envelope were never revealed and remain a mystery to this day.
Other media
Angel was parodied in The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode The Great Simpsina
The Great Simpsina
"The Great Simpsina" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-second season. It aired on April 10, 2011. It was written by Matt Warburton and directed by Chris Clements...
, via an extremely talented but sleazy and obnoxious magician named "Cregg Demon".
Angel was loosely parodied in Ugly Americans
Ugly Americans (TV series)
Ugly Americans is an American animated television series created by Devin Clark and developed by David M. Stern. The program focuses on the life of Mark Lilly, a social worker employed by the Department of Integration, in an alternate reality version of New York City inhabited by monsters and other...
episode "Kill Mark Kill" as Christ Angel, Leonard's older yet younger-looking brother.
Angel was parodied in Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
. In the episode "I Love Her", he becomes a substitute teacher
Substitute teacher
A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, or other reasons. "Substitute teacher" is the most commonly used phrase in the United States, Canada and Ireland, while supply teacher is the most commonly...
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he tries to use Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
on Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
and his friends.
Angel was parodied in the Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
episode "Criss Angel is a Douche Bag." Although he is named explicitly in the title, the character representing him is "Jeb Dexter," a magician and "flashy young punk" who is killed by another magician via an enchanted deck of tarot
Tarot
The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
cards.
On March 8, 2010, Angel was a special guest star on the WWE.
In 2011, Angel appeared in an Orville Redenbacher
Orville Redenbacher
Orville Clarence Redenbacher was an American businessman most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name.-Early life:...
popcorn commercial. The same year, he appeared as himself in an episode of Rules of Engagement
Rules of Engagement (TV series)
Rules of Engagement is a sitcom that debuted on CBS on February 5, 2007, as a midseason replacement, immediately following Two and a Half Men, in the time slot that was occupied by now-cancelled The New Adventures of Old Christine...
.
Personal life
In 2002, Angel married his longtime girlfriend JoAnn Winkhart (now JoAnn Sarantakos). The couple filed for divorce four years later. Although Angel was seen with his wife in the buried alive illusion (season 1, episode 6, 2005) and the body suspension illusion (season 1, episode 5, 2005), she was not credited as his wife; rather, she was listed as "Criss's Girl". In November 2008, Angel began dating Holly MadisonHolly Madison
Hollin Sue Cullen, professionally known as Holly Madison, is an American model, showgirl and television personality. She is widely known for being one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends on the reality television series The Girls Next Door...
, former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
. The relationship ended in February 2009.
He proposed to Sandra Gonzalez on September 7, 2011 in Cabo San Lucas during a sunset dinner. Fireworks followed the evening along with Gonzalez's whole family.
Books
Angel is the author of the book Mindfreak: Secret Revelations, published by HarperEntertainment, 2007 (ISBN 978-0061137617). He is the subject of the book Criss Angel (Modern Role Models), written by Gail Stewart and published by Mason Crest, 2008 (ISBN 1422207846).External links
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (born December 19, 1967), better known by the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Criss Angel, is an American illusionist, writer, director, musician, and actor. He is best known for starring in the television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
and his live performance illusion show Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel Believe is a 2008 theatrical production involving a collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Criss Angel, a magician best known for his own television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak...
in artistic collaboration with Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Criss is also the creator of the MagicPlace.com a website designed as a ‘one-stop’ life-style portal for all things magic. MagicPlace.com is also the home of Criss’ most ambitious venture to date, The Magic broadcasting Network as well as a place to purchase his coveted magic kits.
Early life
Son of Greek-Americans John and Dimitra Sarantakos, Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos was raised in East MeadowEast Meadow, New York
East Meadow is a hamlet in Nassau County , New York, United States. East Meadow is an unincorporated area in the Town of Hempstead....
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, with two brothers, Costa and J.D. His father owned a restaurant and doughnut shop and was devoted to personal fitness before dying of cancer in 1998. Angel was first introduced to magic at age 6, after his Aunt Stella taught him a card trick
Card manipulation
Card magic is the branch of conjuring that deals with creating magical effects using a deck of playing cards. Card magic is commonplace in magical performances, especially in close up magic or parlor magic and street magic. Some of the most recognized names in this field include John Scarne, Juan...
. His interest grew and by the time he graduated from East Meadow High School
East Meadow High School
East Meadow High School is a high school in the East Meadow school district. East Meadow High School was founded in 1953, as part of what is currently the third largest school district in New York State. There are approximately 1,650 students in grades 9-12...
, he was not interested in attending college. He aimed at becoming a professional magician.
Television
Criss Angel was the creator, director, and executive producer of the A&E NetworkA&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
show Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
. Seasons 1 and 2 were filmed at The Aladdin
Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas, previously known as The Aladdin, is a casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip, in the unincorporated locale of Paradise, Nevada, United States. Westgate Resorts operates the condo portion of the property, known as PH Towers by Westgate.Planet Hollywood is owned by Caesars...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, with Season 3 at the Luxor Las Vegas. Premiering on July 20, 2005, and lasting six seasons, the illusions have included walking on water
Walking on water
Jesus' walks on water, or Jesus walking on water, is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. Accounts of the miracle appear in three Gospels: Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52 and...
, levitating
Levitation
Levitation is the process by which an object is suspended by a physical force against gravity, in a stable position without solid physical contact...
, walking up the side of Luxor Hotel (in the light of 39 focused lamps that can be seen from space), floating
Flight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
between two buildings, causing a Lamborghini
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...
to disappear, surviving in an exploding C4
C-4 (explosive)
C4 or Composition C4 is a common variety of the plastic explosive known as Composition C.-Composition and manufacture:C4 is made up of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer and usually marker or odorizing taggant chemicals such as 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane to help detect the explosive and...
Crate, cutting himself in half
Sawing a woman in half
Sawing a woman in half is a generic name for a number of different stage magic tricks in which a person is apparently sawn or divided into two or more pieces.-History:...
in full view of an audience and getting run over by a steamroller while lying on a bed of broken glass. Also in season 3 he was known for jumping out of a moving car. Angel was injured and stopped production for 3 weeks.
Lasting six seasons, Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
was the longest running prime time magic program in television history and more than 100 million people in over 90 countries viewed each season of the show. To date Criss Angel has performed more hours of primetime television than any other magician in TV history.
He is the most watched magician in web history and a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
sensation with over 41 Million views of his walk on water clip alone. Collectively he has over 150 Million views on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBQLq2VmZcA
Criss Angel BeLIEve
Criss Angel collaborated with Cirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
and MGM Resorts International to serve as writer/director, illusions creator and designer, original concept creator and star of his spectacular live show Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel Believe is a 2008 theatrical production involving a collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Criss Angel, a magician best known for his own television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak...
, a live show at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
,
He made numerous special television guest appearance
Guest appearance
In show business , a guest appearance is a participation of an outsider performer , usually called guest artist , in an event , i.e., the participation of a performer which does not belong to the regular crew In performance...
s on WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Megan Mullally Show
The Megan Mullally Show
The Megan Mullally Show is an American talk show hosted by Megan Mullally that debuted in syndication on September 18, 2006, and was cancelled in January 2007 due to its low ratings. Early promotions for the program featured Mullally as herself and as her Will & Grace character, Karen Walker...
, The Ellen Show
The Ellen Show
The Ellen Show is a television sitcom starring Ellen DeGeneres that aired during the 2001–2002 season on CBS. It was DeGeneres's second attempt at a sitcom, after Ellen on ABC , but it was unable to garner strong ratings and was quickly cancelled.After coming out of the closet as a lesbian on her...
, AVN Awards Show 2007 and Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
, The Late Show
The Late Show
The Late Show may refer to:* The Late Show , the Australian comedy television show of 1992–1993* The Late Show , a late-night American talk show broadcast by the Fox Network from 1986–1988...
, America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
", The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
", and introducing legendary honoree "Ozzy Ozbourne" on "VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
"'s Rock Honors awards. He also made a guest acting appearance on the hit television shows CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas (TV series)
Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...
and Rules of Engagement
Rules of Engagement (TV series)
Rules of Engagement is a sitcom that debuted on CBS on February 5, 2007, as a midseason replacement, immediately following Two and a Half Men, in the time slot that was occupied by now-cancelled The New Adventures of Old Christine...
The show was originally developed for a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and was titled Criss Angel MINDFREAK. During its 14 month off Broadway run the show recorded the highest advance ticket sales, more than any other show to date. Eventually, the show evolved into Believe when he entered a partnership with Cirque du Soleil and the Luxor's parent company, MGM Mirage
MGM Mirage
Not to be confused with the Las Vegas, Nevada based casino/resort operator Resorts International Holdings.MGM Resorts International is a Paradise, Nevada based corporation that brands itself as a global hospitality company. It is the second largest gaming company in the world by revenue - about...
, financed the show with $100 million.
The initial preview performance was not received well; audience reactions were thoroughly negative.[16][17] The show opened to equally harsh reviews, citing a lack of the magic Angel is known for as well as a confusing and uninteresting theme; reviewers felt neither Angel nor Cirque du Soleil were able to perform their capabilities.[18][19][20][21] By December 17, two months into the show's run, the Luxor was offering a 40% discount on show tickets.[22] In lieu of quotes from theater critics, by January 2009 the Believe website used positive critical quotes from selected celebrities, including Angel's then-girlfriend, Holly Madison.[23]
Magic Kit
Criss Angel has also created a successful and sought after magic kit line, which are featured in 40,000 retail stores in the US alone and to date have sold more than 1 million units.In the first 12 weeks Criss sold over 500,000 Magic Kits in, making it one of the most successful merchandise products for magic. Due to great demand in 2011 the kits will launch in multiple countries. The Magic Kit is designed to teach people of all ages and levels the art of illusion and includes a 500-plus trick Ultimate Magic Kit and a 250-plus trick Platinum Magic Kit.
Awards
Criss has received numerous awards throughout his career. He has been named Magician of the Year an unprecedented six times including one from The Magic Castle, far more than any other magician. This spring, Criss was the youngest magician inducted into the International Magicians Society Hall of Fame and received the prestigious Elite Diamond Merlin Award. Criss was also presented with a lifetime achievement award, The World Magic Legacy Award “A Living Legend,” at The World of Magic Seminar in Las Vegas. Additionally, Criss was recently named the first time ever Magician of the Decade as well as Magician of the Century and Innovator of the Decade. Criss received an International Magic Lifetime Achievement Award and was also unanimously selected as the recipient of the 22nd Louie Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Art of Magic.Angle.
Charity
Criss is tireless in his efforts to help children through his BeLIEve Foundation 'Believe Anything is Possible - A JDS Foundation For his work he as received the male wish grantor of the year award and the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award for his dedication to the Make a wish foundation.Phenomenon
Starting in October 2007 he appeared as a judge on PhenomenonPhenomenon (TV series)
Phenomenon is a competition show judged by mystifier Uri Geller and illusionist Criss Angel and hosted by Tim Vincent which debuted live on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 on NBC. The show featured ten contestants competing to become the next great mentalist, to be determined by viewers voting by phone...
, with Uri Geller
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
and in a CNN interview about the show he told Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
"no one has the ability, that I'm aware of, to do anything supernatural, psychic, talk to the dead. And that was what I said I was going to do with Phenomenon. If somebody goes on that show and claims to have supernatural psychic ability, I'm going to bust [him] live and on television."
On the October 31, 2007 episode of the reality show Phenomenon, Paranormalist
Mentalism
Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats and rapid...
Jim Callahan performed a summoning
Conjuration
Conjuration is used in many video games, mainly RPGs, where it is usually referred to as summoning.* A notable example is the Final Fantasy franchise which incorporates summoning of monsters to fight alongside the characters....
, purportedly of author Raymond Hill
Ray Hill
Ray Hill was a leading figure in the British far right who went on to become a well-known informant.Born in Lancashire, he spent three years in the army before making his first steps in the far right with the Racial Preservation Society in Leicester in the late 1960s...
, to help discover the contents of a locked box. Although fellow judge Uri Geller
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
praised the performance, Angel called it "comical" and subsequently challenged both Callahan and Geller to guess the contents of two envelopes he pulled out of his pocket, offering a million dollars of his own money to whoever could do so. This led to an argument between Callahan and Angel, during which Callahan walked toward Angel and called him an "ideological bigot", with the two pulled apart as the show promptly went to a commercial break. Angel has since revealed the contents of one envelope and at the unveiling he challenged Geller one more time. Geller responded, "Although we were born one day apart - I was born on the 20th of December and you on the 19th - a lot of years between us - 40 years, you were one year old when I came out with my spoon bending..." Criss Angel cut him off at this point, saying, "I guess this is a 'no,'" and proceeded to open the envelope. The envelope contained an index card
Index card
An index card consists of heavy paper stock cut to a standard size, used for recording and storing small amounts of discrete data. It was invented by Carl Linnaeus, around 1760....
with the numbers "911" printed on it for September 11, 2001. Criss' explanation was this: "If on 9-10 somebody could have predicted that 9-11 was going to happen, they could have saved thousands of lives". Some Geller supporters point out Geller did mention the numbers one and 19 and count it as a success since he did get the digits right. Geller in fact mentioned five digits in his speech (0, 1, 2, 4, 9) as well as the month of December. The other envelope's contents was scheduled to be revealed on the first episode of Season 4 of Criss Angel: Mindfreak. However, the contents of the other envelope were never revealed and remain a mystery to this day.
Other media
Angel was parodied in The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode The Great Simpsina
The Great Simpsina
"The Great Simpsina" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-second season. It aired on April 10, 2011. It was written by Matt Warburton and directed by Chris Clements...
, via an extremely talented but sleazy and obnoxious magician named "Cregg Demon".
Angel was loosely parodied in Ugly Americans
Ugly Americans (TV series)
Ugly Americans is an American animated television series created by Devin Clark and developed by David M. Stern. The program focuses on the life of Mark Lilly, a social worker employed by the Department of Integration, in an alternate reality version of New York City inhabited by monsters and other...
episode "Kill Mark Kill" as Christ Angel, Leonard's older yet younger-looking brother.
Angel was parodied in Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
. In the episode "I Love Her", he becomes a substitute teacher
Substitute teacher
A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, or other reasons. "Substitute teacher" is the most commonly used phrase in the United States, Canada and Ireland, while supply teacher is the most commonly...
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he tries to use Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
on Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
and his friends.
Angel was parodied in the Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
episode "Criss Angel is a Douche Bag." Although he is named explicitly in the title, the character representing him is "Jeb Dexter," a magician and "flashy young punk" who is killed by another magician via an enchanted deck of tarot
Tarot
The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
cards.
On March 8, 2010, Angel was a special guest star on the WWE.
In 2011, Angel appeared in an Orville Redenbacher
Orville Redenbacher
Orville Clarence Redenbacher was an American businessman most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name.-Early life:...
popcorn commercial. The same year, he appeared as himself in an episode of Rules of Engagement
Rules of Engagement (TV series)
Rules of Engagement is a sitcom that debuted on CBS on February 5, 2007, as a midseason replacement, immediately following Two and a Half Men, in the time slot that was occupied by now-cancelled The New Adventures of Old Christine...
.
Personal life
In 2002, Angel married his longtime girlfriend JoAnn Winkhart (now JoAnn Sarantakos). The couple filed for divorce four years later. Although Angel was seen with his wife in the buried alive illusion (season 1, episode 6, 2005) and the body suspension illusion (season 1, episode 5, 2005), she was not credited as his wife; rather, she was listed as "Criss's Girl". In November 2008, Angel began dating Holly MadisonHolly Madison
Hollin Sue Cullen, professionally known as Holly Madison, is an American model, showgirl and television personality. She is widely known for being one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends on the reality television series The Girls Next Door...
, former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
. The relationship ended in February 2009.
He proposed to Sandra Gonzalez on September 7, 2011 in Cabo San Lucas during a sunset dinner. Fireworks followed the evening along with Gonzalez's whole family.
Books
Angel is the author of the book Mindfreak: Secret Revelations, published by HarperEntertainment, 2007 (ISBN 978-0061137617). He is the subject of the book Criss Angel (Modern Role Models), written by Gail Stewart and published by Mason Crest, 2008 (ISBN 1422207846).External links
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (born December 19, 1967), better known by the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Criss Angel, is an American illusionist, writer, director, musician, and actor. He is best known for starring in the television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
and his live performance illusion show Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel Believe is a 2008 theatrical production involving a collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Criss Angel, a magician best known for his own television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak...
in artistic collaboration with Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Criss is also the creator of the MagicPlace.com a website designed as a ‘one-stop’ life-style portal for all things magic. MagicPlace.com is also the home of Criss’ most ambitious venture to date, The Magic broadcasting Network as well as a place to purchase his coveted magic kits.
Early life
Son of Greek-Americans John and Dimitra Sarantakos, Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos was raised in East MeadowEast Meadow, New York
East Meadow is a hamlet in Nassau County , New York, United States. East Meadow is an unincorporated area in the Town of Hempstead....
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, with two brothers, Costa and J.D. His father owned a restaurant and doughnut shop and was devoted to personal fitness before dying of cancer in 1998. Angel was first introduced to magic at age 6, after his Aunt Stella taught him a card trick
Card manipulation
Card magic is the branch of conjuring that deals with creating magical effects using a deck of playing cards. Card magic is commonplace in magical performances, especially in close up magic or parlor magic and street magic. Some of the most recognized names in this field include John Scarne, Juan...
. His interest grew and by the time he graduated from East Meadow High School
East Meadow High School
East Meadow High School is a high school in the East Meadow school district. East Meadow High School was founded in 1953, as part of what is currently the third largest school district in New York State. There are approximately 1,650 students in grades 9-12...
, he was not interested in attending college. He aimed at becoming a professional magician.
Television
Criss Angel was the creator, director, and executive producer of the A&E NetworkA&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
show Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
. Seasons 1 and 2 were filmed at The Aladdin
Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas, previously known as The Aladdin, is a casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip, in the unincorporated locale of Paradise, Nevada, United States. Westgate Resorts operates the condo portion of the property, known as PH Towers by Westgate.Planet Hollywood is owned by Caesars...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, with Season 3 at the Luxor Las Vegas. Premiering on July 20, 2005, and lasting six seasons, the illusions have included walking on water
Walking on water
Jesus' walks on water, or Jesus walking on water, is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. Accounts of the miracle appear in three Gospels: Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52 and...
, levitating
Levitation
Levitation is the process by which an object is suspended by a physical force against gravity, in a stable position without solid physical contact...
, walking up the side of Luxor Hotel (in the light of 39 focused lamps that can be seen from space), floating
Flight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
between two buildings, causing a Lamborghini
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...
to disappear, surviving in an exploding C4
C-4 (explosive)
C4 or Composition C4 is a common variety of the plastic explosive known as Composition C.-Composition and manufacture:C4 is made up of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer and usually marker or odorizing taggant chemicals such as 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane to help detect the explosive and...
Crate, cutting himself in half
Sawing a woman in half
Sawing a woman in half is a generic name for a number of different stage magic tricks in which a person is apparently sawn or divided into two or more pieces.-History:...
in full view of an audience and getting run over by a steamroller while lying on a bed of broken glass. Also in season 3 he was known for jumping out of a moving car. Angel was injured and stopped production for 3 weeks.
Lasting six seasons, Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
was the longest running prime time magic program in television history and more than 100 million people in over 90 countries viewed each season of the show. To date Criss Angel has performed more hours of primetime television than any other magician in TV history.
He is the most watched magician in web history and a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
sensation with over 41 Million views of his walk on water clip alone. Collectively he has over 150 Million views on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBQLq2VmZcA
Criss Angel BeLIEve
Criss Angel collaborated with Cirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
and MGM Resorts International to serve as writer/director, illusions creator and designer, original concept creator and star of his spectacular live show Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel Believe is a 2008 theatrical production involving a collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Criss Angel, a magician best known for his own television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak...
, a live show at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
,
He made numerous special television guest appearance
Guest appearance
In show business , a guest appearance is a participation of an outsider performer , usually called guest artist , in an event , i.e., the participation of a performer which does not belong to the regular crew In performance...
s on WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Megan Mullally Show
The Megan Mullally Show
The Megan Mullally Show is an American talk show hosted by Megan Mullally that debuted in syndication on September 18, 2006, and was cancelled in January 2007 due to its low ratings. Early promotions for the program featured Mullally as herself and as her Will & Grace character, Karen Walker...
, The Ellen Show
The Ellen Show
The Ellen Show is a television sitcom starring Ellen DeGeneres that aired during the 2001–2002 season on CBS. It was DeGeneres's second attempt at a sitcom, after Ellen on ABC , but it was unable to garner strong ratings and was quickly cancelled.After coming out of the closet as a lesbian on her...
, AVN Awards Show 2007 and Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
, The Late Show
The Late Show
The Late Show may refer to:* The Late Show , the Australian comedy television show of 1992–1993* The Late Show , a late-night American talk show broadcast by the Fox Network from 1986–1988...
, America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
", The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
", and introducing legendary honoree "Ozzy Ozbourne" on "VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
"'s Rock Honors awards. He also made a guest acting appearance on the hit television shows CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas (TV series)
Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...
and Rules of Engagement
Rules of Engagement (TV series)
Rules of Engagement is a sitcom that debuted on CBS on February 5, 2007, as a midseason replacement, immediately following Two and a Half Men, in the time slot that was occupied by now-cancelled The New Adventures of Old Christine...
The show was originally developed for a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and was titled Criss Angel MINDFREAK. During its 14 month off Broadway run the show recorded the highest advance ticket sales, more than any other show to date. Eventually, the show evolved into Believe when he entered a partnership with Cirque du Soleil and the Luxor's parent company, MGM Mirage
MGM Mirage
Not to be confused with the Las Vegas, Nevada based casino/resort operator Resorts International Holdings.MGM Resorts International is a Paradise, Nevada based corporation that brands itself as a global hospitality company. It is the second largest gaming company in the world by revenue - about...
, financed the show with $100 million.
The initial preview performance was not received well; audience reactions were thoroughly negative.[16][17] The show opened to equally harsh reviews, citing a lack of the magic Angel is known for as well as a confusing and uninteresting theme; reviewers felt neither Angel nor Cirque du Soleil were able to perform their capabilities.[18][19][20][21] By December 17, two months into the show's run, the Luxor was offering a 40% discount on show tickets.[22] In lieu of quotes from theater critics, by January 2009 the Believe website used positive critical quotes from selected celebrities, including Angel's then-girlfriend, Holly Madison.[23]
Magic Kit
Criss Angel has also created a successful and sought after magic kit line, which are featured in 40,000 retail stores in the US alone and to date have sold more than 1 million units.In the first 12 weeks Criss sold over 500,000 Magic Kits in, making it one of the most successful merchandise products for magic. Due to great demand in 2011 the kits will launch in multiple countries. The Magic Kit is designed to teach people of all ages and levels the art of illusion and includes a 500-plus trick Ultimate Magic Kit and a 250-plus trick Platinum Magic Kit.
Awards
Criss has received numerous awards throughout his career. He has been named Magician of the Year an unprecedented six times including one from The Magic Castle, far more than any other magician. This spring, Criss was the youngest magician inducted into the International Magicians Society Hall of Fame and received the prestigious Elite Diamond Merlin Award. Criss was also presented with a lifetime achievement award, The World Magic Legacy Award “A Living Legend,” at The World of Magic Seminar in Las Vegas. Additionally, Criss was recently named the first time ever Magician of the Decade as well as Magician of the Century and Innovator of the Decade. Criss received an International Magic Lifetime Achievement Award and was also unanimously selected as the recipient of the 22nd Louie Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Art of Magic.Angle.
Charity
Criss is tireless in his efforts to help children through his BeLIEve Foundation 'Believe Anything is Possible - A JDS Foundation For his work he as received the male wish grantor of the year award and the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award for his dedication to the Make a wish foundation.Phenomenon
Starting in October 2007 he appeared as a judge on PhenomenonPhenomenon (TV series)
Phenomenon is a competition show judged by mystifier Uri Geller and illusionist Criss Angel and hosted by Tim Vincent which debuted live on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 on NBC. The show featured ten contestants competing to become the next great mentalist, to be determined by viewers voting by phone...
, with Uri Geller
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
and in a CNN interview about the show he told Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
"no one has the ability, that I'm aware of, to do anything supernatural, psychic, talk to the dead. And that was what I said I was going to do with Phenomenon. If somebody goes on that show and claims to have supernatural psychic ability, I'm going to bust [him] live and on television."
On the October 31, 2007 episode of the reality show Phenomenon, Paranormalist
Mentalism
Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats and rapid...
Jim Callahan performed a summoning
Conjuration
Conjuration is used in many video games, mainly RPGs, where it is usually referred to as summoning.* A notable example is the Final Fantasy franchise which incorporates summoning of monsters to fight alongside the characters....
, purportedly of author Raymond Hill
Ray Hill
Ray Hill was a leading figure in the British far right who went on to become a well-known informant.Born in Lancashire, he spent three years in the army before making his first steps in the far right with the Racial Preservation Society in Leicester in the late 1960s...
, to help discover the contents of a locked box. Although fellow judge Uri Geller
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
praised the performance, Angel called it "comical" and subsequently challenged both Callahan and Geller to guess the contents of two envelopes he pulled out of his pocket, offering a million dollars of his own money to whoever could do so. This led to an argument between Callahan and Angel, during which Callahan walked toward Angel and called him an "ideological bigot", with the two pulled apart as the show promptly went to a commercial break. Angel has since revealed the contents of one envelope and at the unveiling he challenged Geller one more time. Geller responded, "Although we were born one day apart - I was born on the 20th of December and you on the 19th - a lot of years between us - 40 years, you were one year old when I came out with my spoon bending..." Criss Angel cut him off at this point, saying, "I guess this is a 'no,'" and proceeded to open the envelope. The envelope contained an index card
Index card
An index card consists of heavy paper stock cut to a standard size, used for recording and storing small amounts of discrete data. It was invented by Carl Linnaeus, around 1760....
with the numbers "911" printed on it for September 11, 2001. Criss' explanation was this: "If on 9-10 somebody could have predicted that 9-11 was going to happen, they could have saved thousands of lives". Some Geller supporters point out Geller did mention the numbers one and 19 and count it as a success since he did get the digits right. Geller in fact mentioned five digits in his speech (0, 1, 2, 4, 9) as well as the month of December. The other envelope's contents was scheduled to be revealed on the first episode of Season 4 of Criss Angel: Mindfreak. However, the contents of the other envelope were never revealed and remain a mystery to this day.
Other media
Angel was parodied in The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode The Great Simpsina
The Great Simpsina
"The Great Simpsina" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-second season. It aired on April 10, 2011. It was written by Matt Warburton and directed by Chris Clements...
, via an extremely talented but sleazy and obnoxious magician named "Cregg Demon".
Angel was loosely parodied in Ugly Americans
Ugly Americans (TV series)
Ugly Americans is an American animated television series created by Devin Clark and developed by David M. Stern. The program focuses on the life of Mark Lilly, a social worker employed by the Department of Integration, in an alternate reality version of New York City inhabited by monsters and other...
episode "Kill Mark Kill" as Christ Angel, Leonard's older yet younger-looking brother.
Angel was parodied in Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
. In the episode "I Love Her", he becomes a substitute teacher
Substitute teacher
A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, or other reasons. "Substitute teacher" is the most commonly used phrase in the United States, Canada and Ireland, while supply teacher is the most commonly...
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he tries to use Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
on Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
and his friends.
Angel was parodied in the Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
episode "Criss Angel is a Douche Bag." Although he is named explicitly in the title, the character representing him is "Jeb Dexter," a magician and "flashy young punk" who is killed by another magician via an enchanted deck of tarot
Tarot
The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
cards.
On March 8, 2010, Angel was a special guest star on the WWE.
In 2011, Angel appeared in an Orville Redenbacher
Orville Redenbacher
Orville Clarence Redenbacher was an American businessman most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name.-Early life:...
popcorn commercial. The same year, he appeared as himself in an episode of Rules of Engagement
Rules of Engagement (TV series)
Rules of Engagement is a sitcom that debuted on CBS on February 5, 2007, as a midseason replacement, immediately following Two and a Half Men, in the time slot that was occupied by now-cancelled The New Adventures of Old Christine...
.
Personal life
In 2002, Angel married his longtime girlfriend JoAnn Winkhart (now JoAnn Sarantakos). The couple filed for divorce four years later. Although Angel was seen with his wife in the buried alive illusion (season 1, episode 6, 2005) and the body suspension illusion (season 1, episode 5, 2005), she was not credited as his wife; rather, she was listed as "Criss's Girl". In November 2008, Angel began dating Holly MadisonHolly Madison
Hollin Sue Cullen, professionally known as Holly Madison, is an American model, showgirl and television personality. She is widely known for being one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends on the reality television series The Girls Next Door...
, former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
. The relationship ended in February 2009.
He proposed to Sandra Gonzalez on September 7, 2011 in Cabo San Lucas during a sunset dinner. Fireworks followed the evening along with Gonzalez's whole family.
Books
Angel is the author of the book Mindfreak: Secret Revelations, published by HarperEntertainment, 2007 (ISBN 978-0061137617). He is the subject of the book Criss Angel (Modern Role Models), written by Gail Stewart and published by Mason Crest, 2008 (ISBN 1422207846).External links