Anthony Martin (escape artist)
Encyclopedia
Anthony Martin is a professional escape artist, locksmith and Christian Evangelist most known for his daredevil skydiving and underwater escapes on network television.
U.S.A. His great grandfather fled Russia
just prior to the Russian Revolution. He is the first of two children born to David and Georgene Martin. Born to a working class family in a Midwestern town, Anthony began his career without the advantages of financial backing or theatrical connections. His early beginnings and news clippings indicate an unusually early effort to document and substantiate his escapes which has since become the cornerstone of his career. His first police substantiated escape was at the age of 12 while still in elementary school. He currently offers a reward to anyone who can prove he resorts to the use of any fake locks or handcuffs.
Martin is a member of several locksmithing organizations and is a bonded locksmith. He has acted as security consultant for both Folger Adam (detention equipment) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The escape artist is also responsible for having written several technical articles for a leading locksmith publication. As time allows he services and opens antique safes when not performing.
and Edward Gein of "Psyco
" fame. The Gein jail escape presented him with the task of circumventing 6 sets of handcuffs and 6 prison doors to reach freedom. His subsequent appearances in Ripley's Believe It Or Not have been translated into 17 languages world wide.
The aerial box escape required the escapist to free himself from a falling coffin, skydive away from it and open his parachute before impacting the ground. He freed himself at 6500 feet to accomplish the harrowing ordeal.
The frigid winters of Wisconsin
helped to provide another unique test for the daredevil when he was locked in a steel cage lowered beneath the ice of a water filled quarry. Chainsaws had to be used to cut a hole in the ice to create an entrance point for the steel cage. Locks were removed from their original factory packaging to secure the cage. One minute and forty five seconds later Anthony emerged from his would be watery grave.
For the Discovery Channel
he leaped shackled over the Snake River Canyon
and parachuted to safety on the north rim. Untested since Evel Knievel
s stunt, the Snake River Canyon presented Anthony with unusual wind and turbulence concerns. He had to free his hands in freefall in order to deploy his parachute. The handcuffs used in the attempt were purchased by the Jerome County Commissioners Office, verified by a locksmith and secured in a vault prior to the attempt.
For the ABC Television
Special "Secrets of the Worlds Greatest Escape Artist" he was buried alive at the Las Vegas Hilton
and escaped from beneath 2000 pounds of desert sand. The restraints used in all these escapes were verified by certified bonded locksmiths.
Besides having his own network special he has appeared on: Good Morning America
, Current Affair, Dick Clark Presents, The Late Show
and many others. His television appearances have been aired in over 40 countries. His first television appearance was at the age of 13.
beliefs. Ambassador In Chains ministries was launched in 1998 as a ministry tool for local churches. Anthony uses his escapes as a metaphor for escaping eternal death through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
Early Anthony
Todd Anthony Martin is of German Russian descent and was born March 4, 1966 in Sheboygan, WisconsinSheboygan, Wisconsin
-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...
U.S.A. His great grandfather fled Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
just prior to the Russian Revolution. He is the first of two children born to David and Georgene Martin. Born to a working class family in a Midwestern town, Anthony began his career without the advantages of financial backing or theatrical connections. His early beginnings and news clippings indicate an unusually early effort to document and substantiate his escapes which has since become the cornerstone of his career. His first police substantiated escape was at the age of 12 while still in elementary school. He currently offers a reward to anyone who can prove he resorts to the use of any fake locks or handcuffs.
Philosophy/Credentials
Martin adheres to a purest philosophy in regards to his work and rejects the use of trick or altered locks to achieve his escapes. This philosophy resulted in his exposing on his ABC Network Television Special some of the tricks used by magicians to perform their escapes.Martin is a member of several locksmithing organizations and is a bonded locksmith. He has acted as security consultant for both Folger Adam (detention equipment) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The escape artist is also responsible for having written several technical articles for a leading locksmith publication. As time allows he services and opens antique safes when not performing.
School of Hard Locks
The escape artists most notable jail escapes include over a dozen documented challenges of all steel cell blocks. He has escaped from cells that have held such infamous crime figures as Baby Face NelsonBaby Face Nelson
Lester Joseph Gillis , known under the pseudonym George Nelson, was a bank robber and murderer in the 1930s. Gillis was known as Baby Face Nelson, a name given to him due to his youthful appearance and small stature...
and Edward Gein of "Psyco
Psycho (1960 film)
Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch...
" fame. The Gein jail escape presented him with the task of circumventing 6 sets of handcuffs and 6 prison doors to reach freedom. His subsequent appearances in Ripley's Believe It Or Not have been translated into 17 languages world wide.
Escape or Die
Anthony's most dangerous stunts include a successful escape from a locked box thrown out of an airplane at 15,000 feet.The aerial box escape required the escapist to free himself from a falling coffin, skydive away from it and open his parachute before impacting the ground. He freed himself at 6500 feet to accomplish the harrowing ordeal.
The frigid winters of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
helped to provide another unique test for the daredevil when he was locked in a steel cage lowered beneath the ice of a water filled quarry. Chainsaws had to be used to cut a hole in the ice to create an entrance point for the steel cage. Locks were removed from their original factory packaging to secure the cage. One minute and forty five seconds later Anthony emerged from his would be watery grave.
For the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
he leaped shackled over the Snake River Canyon
Snake River Canyon (Idaho)
Snake River Canyon is a large canyon formed by the Snake River in the Magic Valley region of southern Idaho. It is well known as the site of an unsuccessful 1974 attempt by Evel Knievel to jump it in the Skycycle X-2....
and parachuted to safety on the north rim. Untested since Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel , born Robert Craig Knievel, was an American daredevil and entertainer. In his career he attempted over 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps between 1965 and 1980, and in 1974, a failed jump across Snake River Canyon in the Skycycle X-2, a steam-powered rocket...
s stunt, the Snake River Canyon presented Anthony with unusual wind and turbulence concerns. He had to free his hands in freefall in order to deploy his parachute. The handcuffs used in the attempt were purchased by the Jerome County Commissioners Office, verified by a locksmith and secured in a vault prior to the attempt.
For the ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
Special "Secrets of the Worlds Greatest Escape Artist" he was buried alive at the Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent...
and escaped from beneath 2000 pounds of desert sand. The restraints used in all these escapes were verified by certified bonded locksmiths.
Besides having his own network special he has appeared on: Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, Current Affair, Dick Clark Presents, The Late Show
The Late Show
The Late Show may refer to:* The Late Show , the Australian comedy television show of 1992–1993* The Late Show , a late-night American talk show broadcast by the Fox Network from 1986–1988...
and many others. His television appearances have been aired in over 40 countries. His first television appearance was at the age of 13.
Ambassador in Chains
In recent years he has been using his talents to evangelize and promote his ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
beliefs. Ambassador In Chains ministries was launched in 1998 as a ministry tool for local churches. Anthony uses his escapes as a metaphor for escaping eternal death through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.