Thomas Solomon

Thomas Solomon (born 1969 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American escape artist and magician.

As a boy he was fascinated with mechanical devices . . . especially locks. At the age of thirteen, too young to acquire a legal work permit, he was apprenticed (as a favor) to a local locksmith for the summer with the "enviable" and unpaid job requirement of answering the phone and sweeping the floors. Endearing himself to the lock professionals with his quest for knowledge, they gradually took him 'under their wing' teaching him the 'real work'; how to open basic lever, warded, disc and pin tumbler locks without keys; how to fashion lock-opening tools from everyday objects; and how to crack safes. Solomon never forgot what he learned and has thus afforded a knowledge of locks that today is among the best in the world. It is said he is able to fashion a tool to open a lock with only a quick glance at the key.

Around age sixteen, a separate interest in stage magic began to blossom. To Solomon, the modus operandi of most illusions and stage magic ran parallel with his interest in mechanics. He's also said it helped him to overcome his shyness and meet girls! He began experimenting with a magic act of self-working mechanical apparatus and sleight-of-hand.

As an escape artist, Thomas Solomon is a performer of many "firsts and onlys". He is the first escape artist to be profiled in The New York Times He is the only escape artist to have performed twice at The White House for Presidents Ronald Reagan and later George HW Bush. Solomon is the only escape artist to have had his own network television special on CH4 in Great Britain. Solomon is the only escape artist to have escaped the leg irons of Billy the Kid at the Lincoln County Courthouse and to have escaped the jail cell of Al Capone at Eastern State Penitentary, Solomon remains the only escape artist to have escaped a titanium burglar proof bank safe (for television) underwater with cameras planted inside the safe with him and the only escape artist to have freed himself from the leather and canvas money bag previously used by the Metropolitan Transit Authority Subway system in New York City.

In addition, Solomon is the only escape artist to have received a citation from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (May, 2011) citing his remarkable abilities as an escape artist and his work through his organization, Patriotic Performers, in which he leads a group of performers who donate their time to entertain wounded service members from all branches of the military. He, along with these individuals have entertained at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Fort Detrick, the US Marine Base in Quantico, Virginia, McGuire Air Force Base, the Wounded w\Warrior Unit at Fort Dix Army Base and many others. In 2012, Solomon was the first escape artist to receive a Proclamation from Brooklyn, NY Borough President, Marty Markowitz for his exceptional performance in promoting and supporting the revitalization of New York's Coney Island.

On another occasion, he thrilled spectators with an underwater handcuff performance at the New York Aquarium in which members of the New York Police Department locked him in four pairs of handcuffs. In forty degree frigid water, he escaped in less than three minutes thrilling onlookers. His escape, itself a promotion to help bring attention to the Aquarium's 100 million dollar rehabilitation was widely covered by the media.

In May of 2011, the Society of American Magicians selected Thomas Solomon to perform at the annual "Salute To Magic", a high-profile show performed once a year in which the performer or performers, are selected by the Board of Directors of the Society of American Magicians. It is considered to be an honor to attain such status. Solomon combined award-winning escapes and magic into a highly theatrical two hour show that was reminiscent of a Broadway production. Stage sets were designed by acclaimed set designer and producer, George Allison, lighting design by Paul Hackenmueller and costumes by Karen Ann Ledger. The show was performed at El Teatro--El Museo Del Barrio Theatre, New York's City landmark theatre on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Solomon recently performed live on the Plaza outside for Fox Television network's "Fox and Friends" in which he escaped five pairs of handcuffs in full view of the audience in under one minute. (Fox and Friends, November, 25, 2012)