Derren Brown

This article is about the English mentalist and illusionist. For the baseball coach, see Daren Brown. For other people with a similar name, see Darren Brown (disambiguation).

Derren Brown
Brown in September 2018
Born (1971-02-27) 27 February 1971 (age 53)
London, England
Occupations
  • Mentalist
  • illusionist
  • writer
Years active1992–present
Websitederrenbrown.co.uk
Signature

Derren Brown (born 27 February 1971) is an English mentalist, illusionist, and writer. He is a self-described "psychological illusionist" whose acts are often designed to expose the methods of those who claim to possess supernatural powers, such as faith healers and mediums. His live performances, which heavily incorporate audience participation and comedy, usually begin with him reminding the audience that his results are achieved through a combination of psychology, showmanship, magic, misdirection, and suggestion.

Brown began performing in 1992, making his television debut with Mind Control (2000). He has since starred in several more shows for stage and television, including Something Wicked This Way Comes (2006) and Svengali (2012) which won him two Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment, as well as The Experiments (2011) which won him a BAFTA for Best Entertainment Programme at the 2012 awards. Brown made his Broadway debut with his 2019 stage show Secret. He has also written books for both magicians and the general public.