Criss Angel, a famous magician, started practicing magic at the age of 7 and never stopped. He began performing professionally at 14, and his parents, who initially supported his hobby, were later disappointed when he decided to pursue magic full-time instead of attending college. Angel has also explored music, releasing albums with his industrial band Angeldust, and has studied multiple martial arts styles. He has been open about sharing his magic techniques, releasing instructional DVDs and a book. Angel has won several awards, including the International Magicians Society's "Magician of the Year" award five times, "Magician of the Decade," and "Magician of the Century." He has also been involved in charity work, particularly with his organization HELP, which focuses on pediatric cancer research and awareness.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Criss Angel started practicing magic at the age of 7.
2. Criss Angel's real name is Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos.
3. He was inspired to learn magic after his aunt showed him a card trick.
4. By the age of 12, Criss Angel had enough material for a whole show and performed his first show for a fee of $10.
5. By the time he was 14, Criss Angel was already performing professionally in bars and restaurants.
6. He was a favorite at a bar-restaurant called the Wine Gallery, where he could earn up to $100 in tips per night.
7. Criss Angel's parents were supportive of his magic hobby, but not his decision to become a full-time professional magician.
8. Criss Angel skipped college to pursue a life on the road as a magician.
9. He formed an industrial band called Angeldust in 1998 and released several albums.
10. Criss Angel is adept at five styles of martial arts: kung fu, wu-shu, karate, kenpo, and taekwondo.
11. He wrote a book called "Mindfreak: Secret Revelations" in 2009, which teaches people how to perform magic.
12. Criss Angel starred in a special episode of CSI: New York, where he played a murderer.
13. He has a reputation for having a bad temper and has been described as "explosive" and "jealous" by his ex-girlfriend Holly Madison.
14. Criss Angel has won several awards from the International Magicians Society, including "Magician of the Year" five times, "Magician of the Decade" in 2009, and "Magician of the Century" in 2010.
15. Criss Angel has two children with his second wife Shaunyl Benson, who they divorced in 2016 but reconciled in 2019.
16. Their son Johnny Christopher was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2015, but was declared cancer-free in 2019.
17. In 2017, Criss Angel founded the Criss Angel Heal Every Life Possible (HELP) charity, which raises money for pediatric cancer research and awareness.