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1[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-HarryHoudini1899_2898.jpg]]
2Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, illusionist, and stunt performer, better known as Harry Houdini.
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4A native of Budapest, he moved with his family to the U.S. as a child. The preeminent StageMagician of his time and the greatest EscapeArtist of ''all'' time, Houdini (who based his stage name on the French magician, Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin) was one of the great entertainers in {{Vaudeville}} and became one of the highest paid in the industry. He also accepted dares to see if he could escape various police jail cells, secure transports and personal restraints, and usually did, and sometimes while nude to "prove" he wasn't carrying tools.[[note]]In reality, he was often [[StomachOfHolding hiding them in the back of his throat]], and could cough them up at any time.[[/note]] Authorities noted that they were very lucky he never decided to turn his talents to crime, as it would be impossible to keep him imprisoned.
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6In addition to stage craft, Houdini also starred in films although that career path proved unsuccessful and even had some notoriety as an airplane pilot, doing the first flight in Australia.[[note]]Though some Australian aviation historians dispute whether he was indeed the first.[[/note]]
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8Houdini married his stage partner Wilhelmina Beatrice "Bess" Rahner three times. Once in secret and then once in each of their houses of worship, as Houdini was Jewish ([[PreachersKid the son of a rabbi]]) and Bess Roman Catholic.
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10Houdini had some interest in the supernatural, but was disgusted to find the only ones available were frauds. As a result, Houdini dedicated himself to debunking claims of the paranormal by infiltrating seances to expose the fakery and showing how the fakers did it on stage. It cost him his friendship with believer Sir Creator/ArthurConanDoyle who was seriously convinced that Houdini actually had paranormal powers and nothing Houdini could say or do would change that in his eyes. All the while, Houdini dearly hoped to find the real thing in this crusade and even arranged a secret signal that he would try to use after he died. After his death, his wife would regularly do seances trying to contact him until she gave up in 1936, saying "Ten years is enough for any man."
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12In addition to stagecraft and escape artistry, Houdini worked as a circus strongman, and that played a big role in his career as an escape artist. Take a look at that picture up there. Houdini didn't ''always'' work naked (though he frequently did publicity stunts where he proved he wasn't hiding keys anywhere... but only in the presence of gentlemen. Even so, he was always MrFanservice, and that was the key to his act, even more than the daring escapes.
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14Namesake for tropes where a character escapes retribution for whatever reason (IdiotHoudini, EliminationHoudini, KarmaHoudini, KarmaHoudiniWarranty).
15----
16!Filmography
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18[[AC:Films]]
19* ''Merveilleux Exploits du Célébre Houdini à Paris'' — Cinema Lux (1909), [[AsHimself playing himself]].
20* ''Film/TheMasterMystery'' — Octagon Films (1918), playing Quentin Locke.
21* ''The Grim Game'' — Famous Players-Lasky / [[Creator/{{Paramount}} Paramount Pictures]] (1919), playing Harvey Handford.
22* ''Terror Island'' — Famous Players-Lasky / Paramount (1920), playing Harry Harper.
23* ''The Man from Beyond'' — Houdini Picture Corporation (1922), playing Howard Hillary.
24* ''Haldane of the Secret Service'' — Houdini Picture Corporation / Film Booking Offices of America (1922), playing Heath Haldane.
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26!Portrayal in fiction
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28[[AC: Comic Books]]
29* He appears in the backstory of ''ComicBook/AtomicRobo'' as part of a DreamTeam of historical adventurers, alongside the likes of Annie Oakley, Wong Kei-ying and Nikola Tesla.
30* Houdini is a recurring character in ''ComicBook/AmericanDreams2021'', where he helps protagonist Jake Gold break into show business.
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32[[AC:Films]]
33* In ''Houdini'' (1953) by Paramount Pictures, he was portrayed by Creator/TonyCurtis.
34* In ''Ragtime'' (1981) by Paramount Pictures, he was portrayed by Jeffery [=DeMunn=].
35* In ''A Night at the Magic Castle'' (1988), he was portrayed by Arte Johnson.
36* In ''Film/FairytaleATrueStory'' (1997), he was portrayed by Creator/HarveyKeitel.
37* In ''Cremaster 2'' (1999), he was portrayed by Creator/NormanMailer.
38* In ''Death Defying Acts'' (2007), he was portrayed by Creator/GuyPearce
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40[[AC:Literature]]
41* ''Imprisoned with the Pharaohs'' by Creator/HPLovecraft is based on a tale Houdin told written in Houdini's [[FirstPersonPerspective perspective]].
42* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' has an offhanded remark by Chiron saying Houdini once went down to the Underworld, had himself chained, and escaped to tell the tale. Whether he could pull this off due to being a halfblood (demigod) or he was just a normal mortal who happened to be able to see through the Mist, the reality-distorting field maintaining TheMasquerade, is not said.
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44[[AC:Live Action TV]]
45* In ''Film/TheGreatHoudinis'' (1976) MadeForTVMovie, he was portrayed by Paul Micheal Glaser.
46* In the ''Houdini'' (1998) TV Movie, he was portrayed by Johnathon Schaech.
47* In the ''Series/{{Houdini}}'' (2014) miniseries, he was portrayed by Creator/AdrienBrody.
48* In ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' (2015-16), Houdini appears as one of the 15 Heroic Spirits. Objects that represent him are his Eyecon with a bike called Machine Hoodie. In a two part episode Houdini possesses a girl and claims that ghosts don't exist, only to be pointed out that he himself and the protagonist are ghosts.
49* In ''Series/TheMinistryOfTime'' (2015-17), he's featured in one episode, as the plot involves him putting Joaquín María Argamasilla's alleged XRayVision to the test. Portrayed by Gary Piquer.
50* In ''Series/HoudiniAndDoyle'' (2016), Harry Houdini appears as one of two titular male protagonists. He was portrayed by Creator/MichaelWeston.
51* One death on ''Series/OneThousandWaysToDie'' covered his eventual death.
52* He appears in ''Series/MurdochMysteries'' being framed as a suspect for a bank robbery and homicide. He was portrayed by Creator/JoeDinicol.
53* ''Series/DrunkHistory'' covers Houdini's hatred and skepticism on spiritualism. He was portrayed by Creator/KenMarino.
54* He appears in an episode of ''Series/{{Timeless}}'' as part of the World's Columbia exhibition in Chicago (as in RealLife) and an unknowing neighbor of serial killer H. H. Holmes. He was portrayed by Creator/MichaelDrayer.
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56[[AC: Multiple]]
57* [[Series/DoctorWho The Doctor]] has name-dropped Houdini more than once; he thus appears several times over across the show's [[Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse expanded universe]].
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59[[AC:Music]]
60* Music/KateBush's [[Music/TheDreaming "Houdini"]] tells a fictionalized version of Houdini's death, in which he is killed during a trick GoneHorriblyWrong rather than dying from peritonitis induced by a punch to the gut.
61* Spanish neoclassical metal band ''Dark Moor'' have "Houdini's Great Escapade" as a song on their album ''Beyond the Sea''.
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63[[AC:Web Video]]
64* ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'' pits him against fellow magician David Copperfield.
65* ''WebVideo/FreshyKanal'' pits him against Marvel villain Mysterio.
66* ''WebAnimation/HunterTheParenting'' Big-D claims to have killed him.
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68[[AC:Western Animation]]
69* The ghost of Houdini appears in an episode of ''WesternANimation/TheRealGhostbusters''. Good thing he's not malevolent because [[NoSell he can escape from every trap the heroes try to use to catch him]].
70* Appeared on ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad'' where he used his skills to pull heists. It was Time Squad's job to get him to [[CutLexLuthorACheck use his magic acts legitimately as a way to earn money.]]
71* He was featured in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/XavierRiddleAndTheSecretMuseum''.
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73[[AC:Other]]
74* One of several [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prizes_for_evidence_of_the_paranormal paranormal challenges]] that exist now, the Harry Hodinin Prize based in Russia, is named after Houdini in tribute to his work on debunking phony psychics.

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