Harry Houdini

Hungarian-born American illusionist, escapologist, and stunt performer (1874–1926)

Fame69.7
Momentum10.7
Actors rank#92

Source-basedStable

Fame69.7
Momentum10.7
Actors rank#92
Wikipedia115.7K

Lived 1874–1926, aged 52

ActorsActor

Wikipedia
85 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1874–1926
Aged 52
Known for
Lo and Behold: Reverie…
2016

Summary

Updated 2026-06-10

He locked himself in milk cans full of water, dangled from skyscrapers in a straitjacket, and once kept a crowd in suspense for an hour trying to escape handcuffs built specifically to trap him. The escapes were real — and he spent the rest of his time hunting the fakes.

Biography

About

Erik Weisz left Hungary for American vaudeville, but the real break came in Europe, where he billed himself as Harry "Handcuff" Houdini and challenged police forces to lock him up. He couldn't be held. The act expanded: chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets underwater, sealed milk cans. In 1904, thousands in London watched him struggle for an hour against handcuffs commissioned by the Daily Mirror. Another stunt buried him alive; he clawed to the surface half-broken. While some thought it was all rigged, Houdini turned his fury on actual frauds — spiritualists peddling fake séanc…

Voice