Beginning when he was six years old, Criss Angel immersed
himself in a multitude of art forms, exploring different types of
creative endeavors from performance artist and musician to
mystifier and provocateur. A relentless work ethic combined with
enormous talent, skill and vision propelled Criss into the
spotlight - he is now recognized as one of the most provocative
artists of our day. From creator, producer and performer in his
television series and specials to his live shows, soundtracks,
other music and book, he has redefined the term artist for the 21st
century.
After studying the art of mysticism, music, martial arts, and dance
as an adolescent, the native New Yorker acquired state and federal
pyrotechnic licenses at 18 and 21, the youngest ages allowed to
carry such permits. In 1994, Criss made his prime-time television
debut in a featured appearance that captivated audiences in the ABC
one-hour special titled "Secrets." In 1998, Criss Angel: World of
Illusion headlined Madison Square Garden's annual Halloween
spectacle. The sold-out 12-day run received an overwhelming
response from an audience of over 80,000.
Countless additional live performances on a variety of stages led
Criss to his critically acclaimed Broadway production Criss Angel
Mindfreak at The World Underground Theater in Times Square. The
groundbreaking production brought a new breed of entertainment to
Broadway. The show opened to rave reviews and continued night after
night bringing the seemingly impossible up close and in your face.
Criss performed nearly 600 shows before completing his extended
engagement on January 6, 2003. As part of the marketing campaign
for the show, in February 2002, Criss astounded more than 75,000
people in Times Square when he set a world record for body
suspension as he hung for five hours and 40 minutes from eight
fishhooks while passersby stared in wonder and amazement.
During his Times Square run, Criss' television career began to
really take off. In October 2002, Criss' first-ever hour-long
television special, "Criss Angel Mindfreak," debuted on the ABC
Family channel, which led the network's "13 Nights of Halloween"
campaign as the highest-rated original program. While filming that
special, in August 2002, Criss captivated the country when he
submerged himself - chained and shackled - in a 220-gallon water
torture cell for 24 hours and escaped. The stunt garnered
international coverage in newspapers across the country including
the cover of the New York Daily News and The New York Sun. It was
also documented live for two days on national television show Good
Morning America and covered on countless local news stations across
the country. A subsequent two-hour television special aired on TBS
in Japan on October 4, 2003. The special resulted in Criss being
awarded the Silver Telly - the Telly Awards' highest honor - at the
25th Annual Telly Awards for the Criss Angel Made in Japan DVD.
Criss Angel's third one-hour television special, "Supernatural,"
aired on the Sci Fi Channel on Halloween night, October 31, 2003,
and received rave reviews.
Throughout the years, Criss Angel has been featured on CNN, FOX
News Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, E!, MTV, MSG, The Howard Stern
Show, Metro TV, WB Channel 11, NY1, TLC, UPN, TNN, and The
Discovery Channel and has garnered international coverage on the
highest-rated television networks in the world.
Criss has received numerous awards throughout his career and is the
first three-time recipient of the coveted Magician of the Year
Award (2001, 2004 & 2005). He is the only magician ever to
appear on both covers of Magic magazine (October 2003) and Genii
magazine (December 2003) almost simultaneously. Both Magic and
Genii hold reputations as the most popular and most respected magic
magazines worldwide. Criss was also unanimously selected as the
recipient of the 22nd Louie Award for outstanding achievement in
the art of magic.
Along with his successes in magic, Criss also has made many
achievements as a musician and composer. Criss wrote, produced and
performed the music currently available on four CDs from APITRAG
Records entitled Criss Angel: System 1, 2, 3 In The Trilogy and the
Mindfreak soundtrack. And in 2004 and 2005, Criss created and
designed much of the visual effects for the $105 million production
of Le Reve, the show created and directed by Franco Dragone for
Steve Wynn's new $2.6 billion casino resort named Wynn, which
opened in Las Vegas in April of 2005.
In July of 2005, Criss Angel opened a new chapter when A&E
Network premiered "Criss Angel Mindfreak." Each episode captivates
audiences with several extraordinary elements: reality, focusing on
Angel's street demonstrations and the way people are mentally
affected; surreality, a look into Angel's mind's eye as he
contemplates his upcoming feats; and behind-the-scene glimpses-a
candid and captivating look into Criss' secret world and the trials
and tribulations Criss and his team face from the moment he
conceives of impossible, death-defying stunts to the actual
performances of those stunts.
Some of the mind-blowing demonstrations on Mindfreak have included
"Burned Alive," "Bullet Catch" (in which Angel caught a bullet in a
cup held by his mouth), and "Body Suspension" (featuring Angel
suspended from a helicopter by four fish hooks through his skin
while being flown over the Nevada desert). Sometimes Criss has
special celebrity guests, such as Korn's Jonathan Davis (who also
co-produced the show's theme music), Rob Zombie, Amazing Jonathan,
Mandy Moore, Penn & Teller, and Lance Burton, who participate
in the series.
Criss recently published his first book, Criss Angel: Secret
Revelations, from Harper Collins. The hard cover book gives fans
the opportunity to see what makes the ultimate Mindfreak tick and
gives readers detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to master
40 Mindfreaks on their own.
To learn more about Criss visit www.crissangel.com.
