David Merlini

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David Merlini is a Hungarian escape artist. He was born in Budapest in 1978, October. This is his real name, after his Italian father.

[edit] Highlights of his career

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1995. First escape show in Hungary at the Island’95 Festival. David is strapped into a straitjacket, then hanged upside down under a burning rope at 30ft of height. The rope is set alight. David is free in less than 100 seconds, descending to the huge stage with a second rescue cord in the crossfire of robotic lights, and the cameras of the Hungarian National TV.

1996. The Chainbridge, one of Hungary’s most beautiful bridges is bard from traffic, and David is welded in a steel perfored steel case, after being chained and padlocked. The World”s strongest man, László Fekete, lowered the metal container into the Danube. David is free in 3 minutes, appearing all wet in an armoured vehicle of In-Kal Security on the bridge. TV and Magazines supported massively the event.

1997. David was handcuffed by five sets of regular police handcuffs, locked with 60 pounds of chains, then padlocked in a metal cage he was lowered into a transparent tank of water, which top was locked with a by a glass top. David is free again.

1998. David is handcuffed to the steering wheel of a Mercedes 500, the doors are welded shut, the car is set alight and lifted up to 100ft. The car fell At a specific part of the stunt, crashing and exploding on the ground. David is strapped into a straitjacket, then lifted upside down under a speeding helicopter at 1000ft. The rope is connected to time explosives, and it is winter.

2000. Strapped in a special underwater straitjacket, David ankles are secured by handcuffs, padlocks and massive lead weights. He jumps in the huge transparent tank of water, where 6 tiger sharks are awaiting for him. David is free within 2,30 minutes, and smiles at his audience sticked to the glass outside the pool.

2001. Hyberna 2001. David is welded in a special steel tank of water, wearing only a straitjacket, covered by a thermic glass, then filled with water and locked in a refrigerator cell at –38.3 Fahrenheit. During the 33 hours of the stunt David freezes completely in ice, to get then unfrozen by huge industrial blowtorches for a live crowd of thousands.

2002. The North sea escape, broadcast live by MTV from Sweden, Karlskrona, where David jumped handcuffed and strapped into a regular straitjacket by the Royal Swedish Navy, into the world’s coldest sea, reaching 160ft underwater, in the crossfire of the above and underwater cameras.

2003. David is handcuffed to a metal cross, upside down, then lowered in a special glass tank set alight… Bubbles and underwater screams to get read of the cuffs on his ankle and wrist and emerge before loosing consciousness. (MTV London, MTV Hungary)

2004. The Breakthrough. Embedded in 3,5 tons of liquid concrete, up his neck, David was lowered after the concrete had been allowed to solidify for more than ten hours from the Chainbridge into the ice cold river „Danube”. David’s underwater escape, was witnessed live by thousands of live spectators at the location, and reached 49% share on RTL KLUB’s primetime slot with several million viewers.

2005. The Countdown. Budapest. Launched with the largest non-governmental, non-military rocket ever built in history. He escapes before explosion at 10.000 feet, parachuting and landing in the river.

2006. Merlini's first autobiographical book is out in stores. Szabadíts ki! (Free me).

2007. Hollywood. Merlini breaks the World Record for the longest underwater escape ever, emerging free after escaping several sets of handcuffs and chains, spending underwater a dyzzing time of 10 minutes and 17 seconds. No pure oxygen was inhaled before the performance.

David Merlini is awarded Best Escape Artist at the World Magic Awards 2007 in Los Angeles, after being freezed instantly with more then 300 gallons of liquid nitrogen.