Hardeen – Escape Artist and Brother of Houdini

Everyone knows who Houdini was. But many people don’t know that there were two escape artists and magicians in Houdini’s family. His younger brother Theo Weiss, nicknamed “Dash” made a name for himself as Hardeen “The Monarch of Manacles”.

Theodore Hardeen was born on March 4th, 1876 (though he always claimed it was February 29th) in Budapest Hungary as Ferenc Dezső  Weisz (or Weiss). He was a couple of years younger than his brother Ehrich Weiss, who the world knows to this day as Harry Houdini. His family immigrated to America when both boys were young.

Houdini on left, Hardeen on right.  Photo image from "Wikimedia Commons"

In 1893 Dash was working with his brother, calling themselves “The Brothers Houdini”. It was about