Biff Painter Escape Artist. My Early Career

My Career as Magician and Escape Artist.
Long before I began teaching Chinese martial arts, I was heavily involved as an actor on stage and in films. My main profession however was as a magician and escape artist. This long and winding road began around 1963 during High school and continued into college and then into my acting and night club career. I continued performing even after opening my Gong Fu (Kung Fu) school in 1972. I stopped performing around 1978 to devote more time to my school and family. The escape gig started when I was fortunate to be able to attend a magicians convention.
There I was befriended by an elderly former assistant of the greatest escape artist who every lived, Harry Houdini. This relationship set me on a path to becoming a professional magician and escape artist. Before I retired from the magic field I was fortunate to have received awards from The Texas Association of Magicians and had my photo as “The Worlds Fastest Escape Artist” featured in the Houdini room of the famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. All of my escapes unlike other magicians who used trick locks and straitjackets were real escapes, never tricks, they relied on skill and strength. The straitjackets, locks, chains and handcuffs were all supplied by police or audience members.
During my teen years I was also studying Chinese internal martial arts and meditation with a bonafide Chinese master. This knowledge was a huge help in my career as an escape arts. My internal martial arts training played a large part in achieving my goals as an escape artist. Meditation and Qigong practice allowed me to remain calm under very dangerous conditions while hanging upside down hundreds of feet in the air or holding my breath for long periods of time escaping from chains underwater.
Here is a short video with photos and old film clips of some of my adventures. Please enjoy! If you are interested in my meditation, martial arts or Daoist studies check out this link internalartsun... My Career as Magician and Escape Artist. Long before I began teaching Chinese martial arts I was heavily involved as an actor, magician and escape artist. While still learning Chinese internal martial arts I also began studying and performing magic. Beginning at age 16 I was fortunate to be able to attend a number of local and national magicians conventions.
At one convention I was befriended by an elderly former assistant of the greatest escape artist who every lived, Harry Houdini. This relationship set me on a path to becoming a professional magician and escape artist. Before I retired from the magic field I was fortunate to have received awards from The Texas Association of Magicians and had my photo as “The Worlds Fastest Escape Artist” featured in the Houdini room of the famous Magic Castle in Hollywood.
All of my escapes, unlike other magicians who used trick locks and straitjackets were real escapes, never tricks, they relied on skill and strength. The straitjackets, locks, chains and handcuffs were all supplied by police or audience members. My internal Chinese martial arts training played a large part in achieving my goals as an escape artist.
Meditation and Qigong practice allowed me to remain calm under very dangerous conditions while hanging upside down hundreds of feet in the air or holding my breath for long periods of time escaping from chains underwater. Here is a short video with photos and old film clips of some of my adventures. Please enjoy! If you are interested in my meditation, martial arts or Daoist studies check out Join me in the Li family Internal Arts University Online.
It’s been a long and winding road for my career and it is not over yet. Today we have the Li Family Internal Arts University Online offering total training in not only martial methods, but also the often neglected teachings of a Chinese internal martial art like meditation, philosophy of Daoism, healing methods, weapons training and more. The first section of the University is almost complete. It is focused on Li family Baguazhang and the Taoist Xinfudao philosophy. There is also a weapons training area and much more. Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, Ground Fighting and Tibetan Heron boxing will follow shortly. You can learn more about the University by clicking this link.
internalartsun...
Thank you for your kind attention.
John P. Painter