Criss Angel

Background

Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos was born in New York on December 19, 1967, to Dimitra and John Sarantakos. Of Greek descent, his father managed a profitable doughnut shop and restaurant. When he was seven years old, one of his aunts taught him a card trick, which piqued his interest in magic. He began practicing magic tricks until he quickly mastered a number of them. At the age of 12, he performed his magic tricks at a birthday celebration.

In 1994, he made his first appearance on television in “Secrets.” Angel also collaborated with film director Clive Barker on the film “Lord of Illusions.” In 2001, he began performing in the stage production “Criss Angel Mindfreak” at the World Underground Theater doing over 600 performances between 2001 and 2003. In 2003, SciFi Channel aired his television show “Supernatural.” Turning “Criss Angel Mindfreak” into a television show in 2005, Angel “walked” on water, “split a lady in half” in a public park, and “flew above” the Valley of Fire. He enjoyed international celebrity status after the show’s success until it ended in 2010. Angel teamed up with Cirque du Soleil in 2006 to produce the stage performance “Criss Angel Believe,” which became the world’s best-selling live magic show in 2008. He is also a singer who has performed with the heavy metal band Angel. He composed the music for his television show “Mindfreak.”

Angel married JoAnn Winkhart in 2002 but they filed for divorce in 2006. He has been married to Shaunyl Benson since 2012; they have three children. Angel founded the Believe Foundation whose motto is “Believe Anything is Possible.” In 2007, he received the foundation’s Chris Greicius Celebrity Award. Angel’s commercial interests are estimated at $70 million per year since 2016.