Dynamo (magician)
| Dynamo | |
|---|---|
 Portrait | |
| Born |
Steven Frayne 17 December 1982 Bradford, West Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation | Magician |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Website | dynamoworld.com |
Steven Frayne (born 17 December 1982), commonly known by his stage name "Dynamo", is an English magician,[1] best known for his award winning television show Dynamo: Magician Impossible.
Early years
Frayne (Dynamo) was born to a young mother (only 17 at the time of his birth) in Bradford, England. His father left the family when he was young, and they only reconnected once he was an adult. His father is now deceased.
Frayne suffers from Crohn’s disease, which has made him small in stature his whole life. He was bullied as a kid, and one of the first magic tricks he learned was something his great-grandfather taught him to make it seem as though he was very heavy so that the other kids couldn't toss him around.[2]
Media appearances
Dynamo's first television appearances were on Richard & Judy, followed by a Channel 4 special entitled Dynamo's Estate of Mind. He then released a DVD[3] and has since appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Fatherhood, and at the MTV EMAs (where he performed for the Foo Fighters, Nelly Furtado, and Joss Stone).
He has appeared in ads for Adidas, Nokia, and Pepsi and appeared on the catwalk for Naomi Campbell's Fashion for Relief. In May 2009, Dynamo levitated Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas four feet off the ground in front of a crowd at the Emirates Stadium in London.
On 25 December 2009, Dynamo appeared on the Soccer AM Christmas Special and performed magic for the show's presenters Max Rushden and Helen Chamberlain, as well as fellow guests David Haye and Neil Ruddock. On 19 March 2010, he appeared on BBC One in aid of Sport Relief, where he appeared to turn lottery tickets into cash in front of Robbie Williams and Davina McCall. Later in the show, he performed a levitation in front of James Corden and a live studio audience.
On 18 March 2011, Dynamo appeared on BBC One for Comic Relief to highlight the work that British Airways had done to raise money. On 25 June 2011, he was photographed and videotaped apparently walking on water of the River Thames on foot in front of the Palace of Westminster, to publicise his forthcoming series Dynamo: Magician Impossible. This series featured appearances by Rio Ferdinand, Ian Brown, Noel Fielding, David Haye, Tinie Tempah, Mat Horne, Travis Barker, Natalie Imbruglia, and Robert Sheehan.[4]
In September 2011, Dynamo appeared on sports television program ESPN where he performed card tricks. On 23 October 2011, Dynamo announced that he had joined the magicians' society the Magic Circle. The next day, he appeared as a guest panellist for Noel Fielding's team on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. In November 2011, he appeared on the BBC's Young Apprentice, giving a prize performance in the London Eye for the winning team. He also appeared on Children in Need, performing magic for Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.
The second series of Dynamo: Magician Impossible featured appearances from Wretch 32, Labrinth, Will Smith, Rio Ferdinand and others.
The third series of Dynamo: Magician Impossible began on Watch on 11 July 2013, and featured appearances by Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Keith Lemon.
On 1 August 2013, Dynamo released an autobiography called 'Nothing is Impossible'.
On 23 November 2013, he performed card tricks during the 1D Day, with One Direction's members, Harry Styles and Liam Payne.
On 14 December 2013, Dynamo appeared in the semi-final of Strictly Come Dancing, as part of a dance routine.
Magic awards
On 5 July 2012, Dynamo was promoted by the magicians' society, The Magic Circle, to Associate of the Inner Magic Circle with Silver Star for Performance.[5] In the same year, Dynamo: Magician Impossible won the Best Entertainment Programme award at the Broadcast Awards.[6]
Series 2 of Dynamo: Magician Impossible won the Broadcast Award for Best Entertainment Programme for the second year in a row and won TV show of the year at the Virgin Media Awards.
Releases
- Dynamo's Underground Magic (DVD)[7]
- Dynamo's Estate of Mind Channel 4
- Dynamo's Concrete Playground (DVD)
- Dynamo: Magician Impossible (DVD/Blu-ray)
References
- ↑ "Celebrity answers with Dynamo". 6336.com. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
- ↑ Miranda Sawyer, And for Dynamo’s next trick? A live tour, The Guardian, 27 September 2015.
- ↑ Burt, Josh (17 May 2007). "Watch Dynamo's street magic". The Sun (London). Retrieved 6 July 2008.
- ↑ Trick or feat? Magician Dynamo 'walks across Thames', The Guardian, 27 June 2011.
- ↑ http://themagiccircle.co.uk/news/716-dynamo-wins-best-entertainment-programme
- ↑ "Fred West drama Appropriate Adult wins TV award". BBC. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ↑ "The ace in the pack". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 6 July 2008.
