Dorothy Dietrich

Dorothy Dietrich
BornApril 1, 1948 (1948-04) (age 76)
Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)magician, illusionist, escapologist, stunt performer, actor, historian
Websitedorothydietrich.com

Dorothy Dietrich (born April 1, 1948[1]) is an American stage magician and escapologist, best known for performing the bullet catch in her mouth (although Adelaide Herrmann reputedly did this earlier) and the first woman to perform a straitjacket escape while suspended hundreds of feet in the air from a burning rope.[2][3] She was the first woman to gain prominence as an escape artist since the days of Houdini, breaking the glass ceiling for women in the field of escapes and magic.

The 2006 Columbia Encyclopedia[4][5] included Dietrich among their "eight most noted magicians of the late 20th century", and entertainment writer Samantha Hart in Hollywood Walk of Fame: 2000 Sensational Stars, Star Makers and Legends, called her a "world-class magician" and "one of the world's leading female magicians".[6] Early on, as a teenager, she already was referred to as "The First Lady of Magic", a reference later copied by others.[7][8] Dietrich, often called the female Houdini, has duplicated many of Houdini's original escapes, and has gone one step further by doing the Jinxed Bullet Catch Stunt – the one that Houdini backed away from.

  1. ^ "About Us". Houdini Museum. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Robinson, Ben (1987). Twelve Have Died. The History of the Bullet Catch. Ray Goulet's Magic Art Book Co. ASIN B00071NB3K.
  3. ^ Jay, Joshua (2008). Magic: The Complete Course. Workman Publishing. p. 278. ISBN 9780761149873.
  4. ^ Columbia Encyclopedia. Columbia University Press. 2006.
  5. ^ "Magic (In Entertainment)". The Columbia University Press. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  6. ^ Hart, Samantha (2000). The Hollywood Walk of Fame: 2000 Sensational Stars, Star Makers and Legends. Crybaby Books and Entertainment. pp. 598, 599. ISBN 0-9665787-0-8.
  7. ^ "First Lady of Magic". Google Books. January 20, 1981.
  8. ^ Zagofsky, Al (July 22, 2006). The First Lady of Magic. New York: Times News. p. 7.