Harry Houdini 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 9-year-old trapeze artist, calling himself "Ehrich, the Prince of the Air". He was also a champion cross country runner in his youth. When Weiss became a professional magician he began calling himself "Harry Houdini", after the French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, after reading Robert-Houdin's autobiography in 1890. Weiss incorrectly believed that an "i" at the end of a name meant "like" in French. In
Silvan (illusionist) Silvan (illusionist) Silvan (born May 18, 1937) is an Italian illusionist, writer and television personality. Born Aldo Savoldello in Venice, Silvan started his career at 20 years old and made his television debut in 1956, in the RAI show "Primo applauso" ("First applause"). He gained mainstream popularity in 1973 hosting the RAI Saturday night magic and illusionism show "Sim Sala Bim". Silvan won two Merlin Awards, in 1998 and in 2011, being the first Italian illusionist to win the award. The Academy of Magical Arts awarded him "Magician of the Year" twice, in 1990 and in 1999. He is also