Philippe Petit

Famous – extremely famous – for his high wire walk between the towers of the World Trade Center in 1974, Philippe Petit is a tightwire artist and street performer who's since turned his hand to writing, producing several books (among them To Reach the Clouds). He is currently an artist in residence at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York and gives lectures, presentations and (very occasional and exclusive) workshops around the world. James Marsh's film Man on Wire documents the WTC walk.