Editing Harry Houdini (section)

==Cultural depictions of Houdini==
There have been multiple depictions, references, homages, and tributes in pop culture entertainment/media, with some [[Non-fiction novel|taking liberties with biographical accuracy]].

===Television===
*In 1976, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] broadcast a television film called ''[[The Great Houdini (film)|The Great Houdini]]s'', starring [[Paul Michael Glaser]] as Harry and [[Sally Struthers]] as [[Bess Houdini]]. It also featured [[Ruth Gordon]] as Houdini's mother, Cecilia Weiss, and [[Vivian Vance]] as Minnie, Bess's nurse (as well as the narrator).

*A 1998 [[telefilm]] biopic, ''[[Houdini (1998 film)|Houdini]]'', aired on [[TNT (American TV network)|TNT]], starring [[Johnathon Schaech]] as adult Harry Houdini and [[Emile Hirsch]] as young Houdini, {{aka}} Erik Weisz. It also starred [[Grace Zabriskie]] as Cecilia; [[Mark Ruffalo]] as his brother, [[Theodore Hardeen]]; [[Stacy Edwards]] as his eventual wife, Bess; and [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]] as [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]].

*Houdini appears twice in the [[CBC Television|Canadian television]] period [[Detective fiction|detective series]] ''[[Murdoch Mysteries]]''.
**In episode 4 of season 2 "[[List of Murdoch Mysteries episodes#Season 2 (2009)|Houdini Whodunit]]" (February 24, 2009), he is portrayed by [[Joe Dinicol]]—performing escapes with another of his brothers, Leopold, and explaining the nature of illusion.
**In episode 11 of season 13 "[[List of Murdoch Mysteries episodes#Season 13 (2019–2020)|Staring Blindly into the Future]]" (January 13, 2020), he is portrayed by Grisha Pasternak—assisting the police when famous scientists disappear.

*In 2014, the [[History Channel]] premiered a [[List of films split into multiple parts|two-parter]] [[miniseries]] biopic, ''[[Houdini (miniseries)|Houdini]]'', about his life. [[Adrien Brody]] starred as Houdini, while [[Kristen Connolly]] portrayed Bess, and [[Evan Jones (actor)|Evan Jones]] played one of his [[magician's assistant]]s, Jim Collins.

*A 2016 TV series, ''[[Houdini & Doyle]]'', concentrated on the real-life friendship between Houdini and Doyle, author of the [[Sherlock Holmes]] [[Canon of Sherlock Holmes|detective literature series]]. [[Michael Weston]] portrayed Houdini and [[Stephen Mangan|Steven Mangan]] portrayed Doyle. The series was cancelled after one season.

===Film===
*The 1953 [[biopic]] film ''[[Houdini (1953 film)|Houdini]]'' (loosely adapted from the 1928 [[semi-biographical novel]] by Harold Kellock) featured real-life husband and wife, [[Tony Curtis]] and [[Janet Leigh]])—as Harry and Bess, respectively—in a [[Historical fiction|fictionalized outline]] of his life.

*Houdini's character is one of many real-life figures portrayed amongst the [[ensemble cast]] of [[Miloš Forman]]'s 1981 film, ''[[Ragtime (film)|Ragtime]]''. He is played by [[Jeffrey DeMunn]].

*The 2007 film ''[[Death Defying Acts]]'', directed by [[Gillian Armstrong]], starred [[Guy Pearce]] as Houdini, alongside [[Catherine Zeta-Jones]], [[Saoirse Ronan]], and [[Timothy Spall]]. It featured a fictional storyline of a mother/daughter [[con-artist]] team who make Houdini their mark during his quest for a [[Mediumship|medium]] to contact his deceased mother, paralleling his real-life [[Fortune telling fraud|crusade to debunk charlatans]].

===Play===
*A 2013 play, also titled ''[[Houdini (play)|Houdini]]'', focused on "The Brothers Houdini" and starred [[Stuart Brennan]], who also wrote the play, as Theodore. Magician Jim Nichols portrayed Harry, while Bess was portrayed by [[Evanna Lynch]].

===Residency===
*From 1995–2002, an [[extravaganza]] titled ''[[EFX (show)|EFX]]'' featuring Houdini as one character of a leading [[dual role|quadruple role]], established a [[concert residency|residency]] at the [[MGM Grand Hotel & Casino]] on the [[Las Vegas Strip]]. Over the span of eight years, in chronological order, the show's headliners were [[Michael Crawford]], [[David Cassidy]], [[Tommy Tune]], and [[Rick Springfield]].

===Music===
*[[Kate Bush]] recorded a song titled "[[Houdini (Kate Bush song)|Houdini]]" on her 1982 album, ''[[The Dreaming (album)|The Dreaming]]''—in which the [[cover art]] paid homage to Houdini as well.
*[[Dua Lipa]] released a 2023 single, "[[Houdini (Dua Lipa song)|Houdini]]", from her ''[[Radical Optimism]]'' (2024) album.
*[[Eminem]] also released a 2024 single, "[[Houdini (Eminem song)|Houdini]]", from his twelfth album, ''[[The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)]]''.