Dean Gunnarson

Dean Gunnarson

Dean Gunnarson
Born Dean L. Gunnarson
January 27, 1964
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Nationality Canadian
Other names "The World's Greatest Escape Artist "
Occupation Magician, escapologist
Years active 1987 - present
Website
www.alwaysescaping.com

Dean Gunnarson (born January 27, 1964) is an International award-winning Canadian escape artist also called an escapologist. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[1] He is noted for a series of large scale spectacular stunts done for television.[2] Gunnarson has appeared on television in over 165 countries around the world performing his daring escapes. He has taken his amazing escape shows into countries like India, Egypt, Iceland, Italy, France, Columbia, Venezuela, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and many more. Gunnarson has performed over 500 shows across China and his TV escapes have been seen by millions of people there. In 2012 the Chinese Government presented him with award of "The World's Top Escape Artist" after a successful escape on live TV. He has also performed across Canada and the US on TV, fairs, shopping malls, sporting events, and for many of the countries top corporations.

Gunnarson's most notable television appearances include the NBC TV specials The World's Most Dangerous Magic I & II, for which he escaped from a straitjacket while hanging upsidedown 726 feet above the ground from a trapeze suspended from the Hoover Dam. He has also appeared in the NBC TV special, Magic in The Magic Kingdom, filmed at Disneyland in 1988, and in The Spectacular World of Guinness Records, hosted by David Frost were set two world records for escaping.

He has successfully conquered many challenges and obstacles by taking his daring escapes to incredible limits. One of his most recent television specials, "World's Most Dangerous Magic II" on NBC, Gunnarson faced his greatest fear as he escaped suspended upside down over a swamp of 130 hungry alligators in the Florida everglades covered in chicken meat and blood.

Gunnarson narrowly escaped death in October 1983 during a stunt in which he was handcuffed and chained and nailed into a coffin which was then submerged in the Red River in Winnipeg. The stunt went wrong as the coffin was lowered into the water, leaving him unable to escape. He was eventually pulled from the river and freed by the support crew, at which point he was not breathing and had to be resuscitated by paramedics. The incident led Johnny Carson to refer to Gunnarson on The Tonight Show as "that crazy Canadian".[3]

Some of Dean's other television appearances include The Nashville Network's popular "Statler Brothers Show", the Disney Channel and Family Channel, where he is a favourite family entertainer. He also has appeared on many shows on Discovery Channel, TLC, Travel Channel and even on Food Network. One of Dean's personal career highlights was opening for Aerosmith at their CD Release Party of "Nine Lives" in New York City.

In February 2013 Ripley's Believe It or Not presented him with the Ripley's record "World's Most Daring Escape Artist" while in New York for the Anderson Cooper Live TV show with Anderson Cooper and co-host Stacey London. Gunnarson performed a difficult escape on the TV show. He has also been featured in many Ripley's books including a two-page colour spread in "Ripley's-The Remarable Revealed" pages 130–131, where he was buried alive in 2 1/2 tons of wet cement and escaped.

In 2012 Gunnarson won the Merlin Award for "World's Best Escape Artist". Presented in Shenzhen, China by The International Society of Magicians, the world's largest magic organization with over 37,000 members. Founded in 1968 it was the first time ever that they have given the award to an escape artist. Past winners are David Copperfield, Doug Henning, Penn & Teller, and Criss Angel.

Gunnarson was also the first recipient and only escape artist to ever win the "Houdini Award" presented on the Magic Stars television show in Tokyo, Japan. He became the youngest person and first Canadian to be awarded the U.C.T. "Humanitarian of the Year" for his devotion to raising money for various charities after being chosen out of 185,000 people nominated in North America.[4]

Major stunts

References

  1. ↑ "Philip's Magical Paradise". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  2. ↑ ""TV appearances" on Gunnarson's "alwaysescaping.com" website". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  3. ↑ ""Submerged Coffin" page on Gunnarson's "alwaysescaping.com" website". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  4. ↑ ""Quick facts" on Gunnarson's "alwaysescaping.com" website". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  5. ↑ ""Airplane jump" on Gunnarson's "alwaysescaping.com" website". Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  6. ↑ http://www.alwaysescaping.com/Articles/Tractor/Yahoo-NEWS-Tractor.pdf

Awards

Further reading

"The Magic World of the Amazing Randi", by James Randi, published Adams Media Corporation (September 1989), ISBN 978-1-55850-982-5

"The Remarkable Revealed", by Ripley's, published Miles Kelly Publihing Ltd (2007), pages 130-131, ISBN 978-1-893951-22-8

"Conjuring", by James Randi, published St. Martin's Press (1992), pages 185-188, ISBN 0-312-08634-2

"Religion, Magic, And The Supernatural", by William V. Rauscher, published Mystic Light Press (2006), pages 720-721, Libray of Congress ISBN 2005920869

"Crazy Canadian Trivia 3", by Pat Hancock, Publisher: Scholastic Canada (June 1, 2008), pages 42–43, ISBN 0545999952 ISBN 978-0545999953

"Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Extreme Edition", by David Borgenicht & Joshua Piven, published Quirk Productions Inc. (September 1, 2005), pages 88–90,169, ISBN 9780811845380

"Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Expect...The Unexpected!", by Geoff Tibballs, Publisher: Ripley Publishing (August 1, 2006), page 72, ISBN 189395112X ISBN 978-1893951129

"Ripleys Believe It or Not!: Extremely Weird", by Ripley Entertainment, Publisher: Ripley Publishing/Ripley (April 2009), page 192, ISBN 1893951359 ISBN 978-1893951358

"Ripley's Believe It or Not! Special Edition 2009 Glow-In-The Dark Cover!", by Ripley Entertainment, Publisher: Miles Kelly Publishing (2009), page 74, ISBN 0545103207 ISBN 978-0545103206

"Ripley's Believe It or Not! Special Edition 2014", by Ripley Entertainment, Publisher: Ripley Publishing Ltd. (2013), page 32, ISBN 978-0-545-56647-6

"Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Dare To Look!", By Ripley Entertainment, Publisher: Ripley Publishing Ltd. (2013), page 167, ISBN 978-1-60991-077-8

External links