Gérard Louis-Dreyfus
Encyclopedia
William Louis-Dreyfus is a French
-born American
businessman. With his family's net worth
estimated at $2.9 billion
by Forbes
, he is one of the richest men in the world. He is the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services and the great grandson of Léopold Louis-Dreyfus, founder of Louis Dreyfus Group
. He is the father of Emmy and Golden Globe
winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus
.
. His father was Pierre Louis-Dreyfus (1908-2011), a French Jew who fought in the French Resistance during World War II. In 1940, he moved to the United States
with his American mother after her divorce from Pierre. By 1945 he had adopted the name William as a symbol of his integration into American society.
While in France he retains the name Gérard; in the United States he is William. After graduating from Trinity College of Arts and Sciences
at Duke University
and Duke University School of Law
, he worked at the law firm of Dewey Ballantine
, New York, before joining Louis Dreyfus in 1965.
His primary home is in Bedford, New York on a farm called Lulu Farm. Louis-Dreyfus opens Lulu Farm to the public for Garden Tours each spring and summer. The farm features a sizable vegetable garden, miniature evergreen conifer garden, a terraced perennials garden, an herb garden in the round, many specimen tree and shrub plantings, as well as a few cows, sheep and chickens.
Child With Judith Bowles:
Second Wife: Phyllis B. Louis-Dreyfus.
Children With Phyllis Louis-Dreyfus:
Gérard Louis-Dreyfus also has a son, Raphael.
, the former chief executive officer of Adidas
.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman. With his family's net worth
Net worth
In business, net worth is the total assets minus total outside liabilities of an individual or a company. For a company, this is called shareholders' preference and may be referred to as book value. Net worth is stated as at a particular year in time...
estimated at $2.9 billion
1000000000 (number)
1,000,000,000 is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001.In scientific notation, it is written as 109....
by Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
, he is one of the richest men in the world. He is the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services and the great grandson of Léopold Louis-Dreyfus, founder of Louis Dreyfus Group
Louis Dreyfus Group
Louis Dreyfus Group is a diversified French private company that is involved in agriculture and energy commodities...
. He is the father of Emmy and Golden Globe
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
.
Life and career
Louis-Dreyfus was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. His father was Pierre Louis-Dreyfus (1908-2011), a French Jew who fought in the French Resistance during World War II. In 1940, he moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with his American mother after her divorce from Pierre. By 1945 he had adopted the name William as a symbol of his integration into American society.
While in France he retains the name Gérard; in the United States he is William. After graduating from Trinity College of Arts and Sciences
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences is the undergraduate liberal arts college at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The college is currently one of two undergraduate divisions at Duke, the other being the Edmund T...
at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
and Duke University School of Law
Duke University School of Law
The Duke University School of Law is the law school and a constituent academic unit of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law began as the Trinity College School of Law in 1868. In 1924, following the renaming of Trinity...
, he worked at the law firm of Dewey Ballantine
Dewey Ballantine
Dewey Ballantine LLP was a white shoe corporate law firm headquartered in New York City. In 2007, Dewey Ballantine merged with LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae to form Dewey & LeBoeuf...
, New York, before joining Louis Dreyfus in 1965.
His primary home is in Bedford, New York on a farm called Lulu Farm. Louis-Dreyfus opens Lulu Farm to the public for Garden Tours each spring and summer. The farm features a sizable vegetable garden, miniature evergreen conifer garden, a terraced perennials garden, an herb garden in the round, many specimen tree and shrub plantings, as well as a few cows, sheep and chickens.
Immediate family
First Wife: Judith Bowles. Separated, 1962.Child With Judith Bowles:
- actress Julia Louis-DreyfusJulia Louis-DreyfusJulia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
, born January 13, 1961, co-star, in the role of Elaine BenesElaine BenesElaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
, of the hit NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television sitcom SeinfeldSeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, and Emmy winning star of the CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom The New Adventures of Old ChristineThe New Adventures of Old ChristineThe New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...
.
Second Wife: Phyllis B. Louis-Dreyfus.
Children With Phyllis Louis-Dreyfus:
- social worker Phoebe Émilie Dominique Louis-Dreyfus Eavis, born May, 1968.
- social worker Emma R. Louis-Dreyfus, born 1974.
Gérard Louis-Dreyfus also has a son, Raphael.
Cousins
One cousin is Jean Louis-Dreyfus, grandson of the family business founder, Léopold Louis-Dreyfus. Another cousin is Robert Louis-DreyfusRobert Louis-Dreyfus
Robert Louis-Dreyfus was a businessman who had major success as Chief Executive Officer of Adidas-Salomon and Saatchi & Saatchi. He was a majority shareholder of the French football team Olympique de Marseille, and during his tenure they re-emerged as a major European football club.- Early life...
, the former chief executive officer of Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
.