Extravagant actions bordering on insanity attract the attention of normal people. However, it is not entirely clear what motivates the person who commits inappropriate actions. Philippe Petit is one such eccentric.
Carefree childhood
When a child dreams of becoming an actor or astronaut, almost everyone around him supports his desire. There are young creatures with more mundane aspirations. Someone wants to become a firefighter, and someone, influenced by watching documentaries about love, is a plumber. Philippe Petit in this respect was a non-standard child. He did not make long-term plans. From an early age, the boy liked it when people around him paid attention to him. For example, he went outside and juggled with four oranges recklessly.
Philip was born on August 13, 1949 in an ordinary family. Parents at that time lived in the small French town of Nemours. My father served in the Air Force. Mother worked as a telegraph operator at a local communications center. From an early age, the boy had a peculiar character. He could not sit still for a long time when the wisdom of mathematical formulas was explained to him. But he was able to sit on a stool for hours and work out a specific card trick to automatism. Or doing an exercise for ligament flexibility.
It is important to note that from a young age, Petit showed heightened ambition. When the boy was praised for his virtuoso juggling with ping-pong balls, he experienced pleasure above sexual. According to rough estimates, Philip changed five schools before completing his secondary education. He devoted all his strength and time to training and rehearsals. Already in his youth, the future tightrope walker realized that most of all he wanted applause, turning into ovation and admiration of others.
Artistic madness
One fine day, quite by accident, Philip saw a man walking on a stretched wire. This man turned out to be the famous tightrope walker Papu Rudi. The trick made a deep impression on the sixteen-year-old boy. Without putting the matter on the back burner, he pulled a rope between the trees and tried to walk along it. The son of a military pilot had an excellent vestibular apparatus. Philip, without much tension, kept his balance on the rope and could make certain movements. It was at this moment that Petya realized that he had found something to do for the rest of his life.
With his lack of education, Philip had an excellent view. The first thing he did was put together a detailed training plan. With his inherent perseverance and pedantry, the beginner tightrope walker practiced famous tricks and came up with his own. Petit toured the country a lot, showing card tricks and juggling various objects. These numbers brought in good income, but he wanted to create a large-scale show. The tightrope walker career began with his debut performance in the French capital. An unknown performer walked the tightrope between the towers of Notre Dame de Paris.
The tightrope walker was arrested by the police, but Petya was satisfied with the result: all the newspapers wrote about him. The creativity of the tightrope walker developed from simple tricks to more complex ones. He toured countries and continents, demonstrating his unique capabilities. In 1973, Philip repeated his Parisian performance at the festivals of magicians and equilibrists in Sydney. This time the whole action was filmed by invited photographers and TV crews. After this attraction, the French tightrope walker was known all over the world. However, the main achievement was accomplished a year later.
Personal life plots
Great and dispassionate New York fell into a brief stupor on August 7, 1974. On this day, after targeted preparation, which is worthy of a detective story, Philippe Petit walked a tightrope between two skyscrapers of the World Trade Center. The "track" ran at an altitude of 450 meters from the surface of the earth. The performer walked back and forth between the towers eight times. In total, this "walk" lasted forty-five minutes. In the finale of the performance, the tightrope walker was taken to the police station to the applause of the audience. But they were immediately released under a solemn promise to show their show at a children's party for free.
The career of a tightrope walker did not end there, however, there were no suitable objects on the Planet to break their own record at that moment. At the next stage, in order not to lose shape, Philip entered the circus. And immediately he began to prepare a grand show, which had no analogues at that time. However, during the rehearsal, he landed unsuccessfully, breaking his arm, leg and a couple of ribs. To the surprise of all doctors and envious people, he recovered quickly. Meticulous journalists have calculated that after the injury, Petit performed almost eighty times at various events and holidays.
Philippe Petit's personal life was not very smooth. For a long time he maintained a close relationship with the singer Annie Alpix. It was she who helped and supported him in the main event. Why they broke up, there is no information. The tightrope walker is currently married to television producer Katie Donnell. They have no children. The husband and wife try to spend as much time as possible together. Philip is regularly distracted by communication with agents who prepare publications for newspapers and television. Deals with young thrill-seekers. Several biographical books came out from under his pen.
