Although people think of him as David Blaine, Blaine is really his middle name. From his mothers last name most people know him as David White.

He has used several pseudonyms in the past so people will not know who he is.

When Blaine was ten his mother got remarried to John Bukalo, a banker and moved to Jerseyville, New Jersey, where half brother Michael, now 15, was born. Blaine began to get interested in acting whilst in his teens and travelled to Manhattan everyday to go to an acting school. He did a few commercials and made several small appearances in soap operas.

By the time he was 16, he was levitating in front of his doctor who immediately took him in for examination. When he was17, he moved back to New York by himself and lived in Hell's Kitchen, a place which quickly sorts the men from the boys. Unfortunately, his 48 year old mother died of ovarian cancer in 1994.

David began performing at upper-class parties and performed to the likes of Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Geffen, Mike Tyson and Madonna. He became good friends with Robert De Niro and Leonardo De Caprio and also befriended director Harmony Korine, who he calls harmful.