Who is Criss Angel? Meet the leading cast member of CW’s Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars Season 1

Criss Angel’s Magic with the Stars is set to reveal a host of magical secrets. The show is set to train celebrities and have them compete to win the Golden wand. Each episode will see two celebrities try and master three categories of the mystic arts and perform in front of a team of judges, including Criss Angel.

Criss has spent over two decades making a name for himself in the industry and is currently one of the biggest names in the world. He has grown into a bonafide superstar through his TV shows, Broadway productions, and Las Vegas stage shows.

The description of Criss Angel’s Magic with the Stars reads:

"In each episode of "Magic With the Stars," two celebrities train with professional magicians and compete to create a show-stopping series of magic performances.

It continues:

The celebrity competitors are tasked with mastering three major categories of magic, which they perform in front of a team of judges led by magician Criss Angel. Only the highest scoring celebrities are invited back to the finale, where they compete for the golden wand."

The show is set to premiere on October 22 on CW at 8 pm ET.

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Criss Angel’s Magic with the Stars star was a part of a heavy metal band

Criss Angel is set to return with another magic-centric show, and his fans are undoubtedly excited. While it is said that a magician never reveals his tricks, Criss has taken the opposite route and will help celebrities master three forms of magic in the upcoming Criss Angel’s Magic with the Stars.

The magician’s actual name is Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos, and he was born and raised in New York. His interest in magic flourished when his aunt taught him a magic trick at a young age. He was only seven at the time and felt an “incredible sense of power.”

In a conversation with the Las Vegas Sun, he spoke about his childhood and said he is a fan of master magician Harry Houdini. Angel further stated that his first paid performance was at 12.

He said:

"Throughout my childhood and into my early teen years, I regularly made the trek from our home in Long Island, New York to Manhattan, to go on auditions and go-see’s."

The leading cast member of Criss Angel’s Magic with the Stars regularly performed in bars and restaurants. This was also when he achieved his central illusion by making his mother “float in the family den.”

While the magician has been practically performing all his life, his first significant break came in 2001 with an off-Broadway show, Criss Angel Mindfreak. During this show, he gave more than 600 performances and actively participated in promoting the show. Following this, his television show, by the same name, came out in 2005, which was on air for five years and was shot in Las Vegas.

His Las Vegas show, Believe, premiered on his idol Houdini’s 82nd death anniversary and showcased his illusions with over-the-top costumes and magnificent choreography with Cirque du Soleil. His shows and TV appearances have contributed to his net worth of approximately $50 million.

In 1989, he was a lead singer of a heavy metal band called Angel, which incorporated magic tricks in their music videos. Angel was also a part of another band called Angeldust, which released multiple albums, further adding to his current net worth.

Criss Angel is now set to return to screens with a new series called Criss Angel’s Magic with the Stars, which will consist of 10 episodes of one hour each. Each episode will see two celebrities as they attempt to master three forms of magic.