Name	Philippe Petit
Height	5' 7"
Naionality	French
Date of Birth	13 August 1949
Place of Birth	Nemours, France
Famous for

Born in France on August 13, 1949, Philippe Petit fell in love with magic and juggling at an early age. Not much of a student, he was expelled from five different schools and ended up teaching himself everything. Consequently, he became adept at horseback riding, fencing, pantomime, carpentry, rock-climbing, drawing, and even bullfighting.

Supporting himself by performing on the sidewalks of Paris, he developed a wild, witty and silent street persona, character traits which continue to beguile all who encounter him to this day. And because his travels took him around the world, Philippe also learned numerous languages, including Spanish, German, Russian and English. Plus, he developed a deep appreciation of architecture and engineering.


Over the years, his interests extended into the realms of theater, music, writing, poetry, drawing and filmmaking, although he will forever be remembered as the intrepid high-wire artist who at 24 years of age pulled off the death-defying feat of the millennium when he went on a walk between the Twin Towers at 1368 feet in the air, and without the benefit of a harness or formal training.

Here, Philippe talks about Man on Wire, a breathtaking documentary revisiting the events of the morning of August 7, 1974, the historic day that he stepped off the roof of the World Trade Center, and proceeded to entertain New York City in the sky for the next 40 minutes.