Who is Uri Geller? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Uri Gellar, Yuri Geller, Yuri Gerâ, Geller Uri

Age: 77 Years, 77 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Hanna Geller

father: Itzhaak Geller

mother: Manzy Freud

children: Daniel Geller, Natalie Geller

Magicians Israeli Men

Height: 1.83 m

City: Tel Aviv, Israel

Recommended For You

1

What is Uri Geller famous for?

Uri Geller is famous for his claims of having psychic abilities, particularly in the field of spoon bending and metal bending using only the power of his mind.
2

Has Uri Geller ever been involved in any scientific studies?

Yes, Uri Geller has been involved in various scientific studies and experiments over the years to test his claimed psychic abilities, although results have been mixed and controversial.
3

Did Uri Geller ever demonstrate his abilities on television?

Yes, Uri Geller gained widespread fame by demonstrating his supposed psychic abilities on television shows, where he would bend spoons and perform other feats using his mind.
4

Are there skeptics who challenge Uri Geller's claims?

Yes, there are skeptics and critics who challenge Uri Geller's claims of having psychic abilities, citing various explanations such as sleight of hand and trickery.
5

Has Uri Geller been involved in any legal controversies?

Yes, Uri Geller has been involved in legal controversies over the years, including lawsuits related to his claims and public demonstrations of his psychic abilities.

Childhood & Early Life

Uri Geller was born to a Hungarian father and an Austrian mother who were both Jewish. He was born in Tel Aviv when it was still part of the British Mandate of Palestine.

Geller's family moved to Nicosia, Cypress, where he grew up and graduated high school. When he was 18 he joined the military, served as a paratrooper in the Israeli Army, and was wounded in the 1967 ‘Six-Day War’.

After he was injured during service, Geller began performing in nightclubs for small audiences. Between 1968 and 1969, he worked as a photographic model before his stage performances began to earn him more popularity.

Continue Reading Below

Career

Geller's career began with early television appearances in the '70s, wherein he performed many different illusions including bending spoons, describing hidden drawings, and other mysterious tricks. Although he claimed that he achieved these effects through feats of telekinesis and other psychic abilities, many critics and skeptics were quick to debunk his techniques.

A great deal of the public recognition that Geller has achieved comes in the form of litigation and lawsuits against his claimed abilities and the potential for fraud. In 1971 he was sued by a mechanical engineer who claimed that Geller's show promised him psychic abilities and he saw only stage tricks. The engineer won the case and was awarded the price of his ticket, about $5.

Despite facing many criticism, a scientific experiment conducted in 1974 by the ‘Stanford Research Institute’ found what they deemed to be enough evidence to warrant authenticity of Geller’s skills, and coined the phrase the 'Geller effect'.

Although throughout his career he claimed to be a true psychic and dowser, Geller admitted in his autobiography 'My Story' that he originally began doing stage magic tricks as a nightclub performer to make his act last a little longer.

He still maintained his identity as a psychic in the face of many outspoken skeptics. Published in 1975, his autobiography was the first of 16 books, both fiction and non-fiction, that he published.

In the '80s Geller was making a substantial living using his purported psychic powers to perform mineral dowsing for mining companies. He quickly became a millionaire by offering his claimed supernatural mineral finding powers at a standard fee of £1 million.

During the '00s, Geller returned to his television appearance roots with several movie and television appearances, most notably in the realm of reality TV. In 2007 he hosted an Israeli reality TV show called 'The Successor' that was dedicated to finding people with supernatural or psychic powers, although the show received a lot of criticism from professional magicians who claimed that it was all stage tricks.

That same year he was also signed by NBC to host the show 'Phenomenon' alongside illusionist Criss Angel, wherein they conducted a search for the next great mentalist.

Major Works

Geller’s career as a psychic is rife with controversies and much of his fame rests on the speculation around the authenticity of his proclaimed supernatural powers. He had amassed huge fortune working as a mining-dowser, predicting availability of mines for businesses, a fact he confesses to in his autobiography.

Awards & Achievements

The Berglas Foundation honored Geller wait the ‘Services to Promotion of Magic Award’, for his efforts to popularize magic among the masses.

Personal Life & Legacy

Geller married Hannah Shtrang, the sister of his stage manager, in 1979 and they have two children together. Pop singer Michael Jackson was best man at Geller's wedding, and the two of them had a famous friendship.

Since the 1970's, Geller has billed himself as a genuine psychic, rather than a stage magician or entertainer. His claims in his early career that his psychic abilities were granted by extraterrestrials made him the subject of widespread criticism.

Throughout his career, Geller tried to use his psychic powers to predict or affect the outcomes of sports games. His almost unbroken track record of incorrect predictions caused a fan of skeptic James Randi to describe Geller's endorsement as 'the curse of Uri Geller'.

Facts About Uri Geller

Uri Geller is known for his alleged psychic abilities, including spoon bending, which has fascinated audiences worldwide.

He has claimed to have worked with various law enforcement agencies and governments to assist in criminal investigations using his psychic powers.

In addition to his psychic talents, Geller is also an accomplished artist and has exhibited his artwork in galleries around the world.

Geller has published several books on topics ranging from the paranormal to self-help and has a strong following of fans who believe in his abilities.

Uri Geller Biography

You wanted to know

What is Uri Geller famous for?

Has Uri Geller ever been involved in any scientific studies?

Did Uri Geller ever demonstrate his abilities on television?

Are there skeptics who challenge Uri Geller's claims?

Has Uri Geller been involved in any legal controversies?