Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( hoo-DEE-nee), was an American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts.
Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in the United States and then as Harry "Handcuff" Houdini on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets under water, and having to escape from and hold his breath inside a sealed milk can with water in it.
In 1904, thousands watched as Houdini tried to escape from special handcuffs commissioned by London's Daily Mirror, keeping them in suspense for an hour. Another stunt saw him buried alive and only just able to claw himself to the surface, emerging in a state of near-breakdown. While many suspected that these escapes were faked, Houdini presented himself as the scourge of fake spiritualists, pursuing a personal crusade to expose their fraudulent methods. As president of the Society of American Magicians, he was keen to uphold professional standards and expose fraudulent artists. He was also quick to sue anyone who imitated his escape stunts.
Houdini made several movies but quit acting when it failed to bring in money. He was also a keen aviator and became the first man to fly a powered aircraft in Australia.
Weisz was born in Budapest, then part of Austria-Hungary, to a Jewish family. His parents were Rabbi Mayer Sámuel Weisz and Cecelia Steiner. Houdini was fourth of seven children: Herman M., who was Houdini's half-brother by Rabbi Weisz's first marriage; Nathan J.; Gottfried William; Theodore; Leopold D.; and Carrie Gladys, who was left almost blind after a childhood accident.
The Weisz family left Hungary to escape antisemitic discrimination. They arrived in the United States on July 3, 1878, on the SS Frisia with his mother (who was pregnant) and his four brothers. The family changed their name to the German spelling Weiss, and Erik became Ehrich. The family lived in Appleton, Wisconsin, where his father served as rabbi of the Zion Reform Jewish Congregation.
According to the 1880 US census, the family lived on Appleton Street in an area which is now known as Houdini Plaza. On June 6, 1882, Rabbi Weiss became an American citizen. Losing his job at Zion in 1882, Rabbi Weiss and family moved to Milwaukee and fell into dire poverty. In 1887, Rabbi Weiss moved with Ehrich to New York City, where they lived in a boarding house on East 79th Street. He was joined by the rest of the family once Rabbi Weiss found permanent housing. As a child, Ehrich Weiss took several jobs, making his public début as a nine-year-old trapeze artist, calling himself "Ehrich, the Prince of the Air."
When Weisz became a professional magician, he began calling himself "Harry Houdini" after the French magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, whose autobiography he read in 1890. In later life, Houdini claimed the first part of his new name, Harry, was an homage to American magician Harry Kellar whom he also admired – though it was likely adapted from "Ehri", a nickname for "Ehrich", which is how he was known to his family.
A teenage Houdini was coached by magician Joseph Rinn at the Pastime Athletic Club.
Houdini began his magic career in 1891, but had little success. He appeared in a tent act with strongman Emil Jarrow. He performed in dime museums and sideshows, and even doubled as "The Wild Man" at a circus. Initially, Houdini focused on traditional card tricks. At one point, he billed himself as the "King of Cards". Some – but not all – professional magicians came to regard Houdini as a competent but not particularly skilled sleight-of-hand artist, lacking the grace and finesse required to achieve excellence in that craft. He soon began experimenting with escape acts.
In the early 1890s, Houdini and his brother "Dash" (Theodore) were performing as "The Brothers Houdini". They performed at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 before returning to New York City and working at Huber's Dime Museum for "near-starvation wages".
In 1894 Houdini met a fellow performer, Wilhelmina Beatrice "Bess" Rahner. Bess was initially courted by Dash but fell in love with and married Harry. She replaced Dash in the act, which became known as The Houdinis. Bess worked as her husband's stage assistant for the rest of Houdini's performing career.
On January 11, 1899, Houdini was defeated by a pair of handcuffs while performing at Middleton's Clark St Dime Museum in Chicago,
Houdini's big break came in 1899 when he met manager Martin Beck in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Impressed by Houdini's handcuffs act, Beck advised him to concentrate on escape acts and booked him on the Orpheum vaudeville circuit. Within months he was performing at the top vaudeville houses in the country.
In 1900 Beck arranged for Houdini to tour Europe. After some days of unsuccessful interviews in London, Houdini's British agent Harry Day helped him to get an interview with C. Dundas Slater, then manager of the Alhambra Theatre. He was introduced to William Melville and gave a demonstration of escape from handcuffs at Scotland Yard. He succeeded in baffling the police so effectively that he was booked at the Alhambra for six months. His show was an immediate hit and his salary rose to $300 a week (equivalent to $11,610 in 2025).
Between 1900 and 1920 Houdini appeared in theatres all over Great Britain performing escape acts, illusions, card tricks and outdoor stunts, becoming one of the world's highest-paid entertainers. He also toured the Netherlands, Germany, France and Russia and became widely known as The Handcuff King. In each city Houdini challenged local police to restrain him with shackles and lock him in their jails. In many of these challenge escapes he was first stripped nude and searched. In Moscow he escaped from a Siberian prison transport van, claiming that, had he been unable to free himself, he would have had to travel to Siberia, where the only key was kept.
In Cologne Houdini sued a police officer, Werner Graff, who alleged that he made his escapes via bribery. Houdini won the case when he opened the judge's safe. (He later said the judge had forgotten to lock it.) With his new-found wealth Houdini purchased a dress said to have been made for Queen Victoria, then arranged a grand reception where he presented his mother, wearing the dress, to all their relatives. Houdini said it was the happiest day of his life. In 1904 Houdini returned to the U.S. and purchased a house for $25,000 (equivalent to $895,833 in 2025), a brownstone at 278 W. 113th Street in Harlem, New York City.
While on tour in Europe in 1902 Houdini visited Blois with the aim of meeting the widow of Emile Houdin, the son of Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, for an interview and permission to visit his grave. He did not receive permission but visited the grave regardless. Houdini felt he had been dealt with unfairly and later wrote a negative account of the incident in his magazine, claiming he was "treated most discourteously by Madame W. Emile Robert-Houdin". In 1906 he sent a letter to the French magazine L'Illusionniste stating: "You will certainly enjoy the article on Robert Houdin I am about to publish in my magazine. Yes, my dear friend, I think I can finally demolish your idol, who has so long been placed on a pedestal that he did not deserve."