When he was four, little Ehrich emigrated with his family from Hungary to the USA. Although they had reached a world of great opportunity, the family lived in poverty and Ehrich had no choice but to go to work from a young age. When he was just nine, Ehrich worked as a trapeze artist, and this experience led him into a life of entertainment.
As he grew older, Ehrich continued to play to audiences with fascinating card tricks. But when working as a locksmith by day and honing his magic skills at night, Ehrich realised that he would need more than a deck of cards to really 'wow' people... and so, the great Harry Houdini came to be.