Ronald Owen Perelman (born January 1, 1943) is an American billionaire investor who made his fortune buying beleaguered corporations and re-selling them later for enormous profits. Once the richest man in America, he is now the 18th richest American, and 35th richest person in the world, with an estimated wealth of USD$10 billion. He has invested in grocery, cigar, licorice, makeup, car, photography, television, camping, security, lottery, jewelry, banks, and comic book companies.
Personal Life
Early Life
Ronald Perelman was born in Greensboro, North Carolina to Raymond and Ruth Perelman in 1943. His family practiced Judaism. Raymond was an accomplished businessman in his own right. Along with his father and brother, he controlled the American Paper Products corporation. Raymond eventually left the company and bought Belmont Iron Works, a manufacturer of structural steel.
On Raymond's knee, Perelman learned the fundamentals of business. By the time Ronald turned eleven years old he regularly sat in on board meetings of his father's company. Raymond was a rough teacher, harshly criticizing Ronald for even the slightest misstep.
Perelman attended The Haverford School and then the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he followed in his father's foot steps and majored in business. He graduated in 1964 and completed his master's in 1966.
Marriage
Perelman has been married four times. He married Sterling Bank heiress Faith Golding in 1965 and they divorced in 1984. His marriage to gossip columnist Claudia Cohen lasted from 1985 to 1994. He wed socialite Patricia Duff in 1994 and divorced in 1996. Most recently, he was married to actress Ellen Barkin from 2000 to 2006.
Faith Golding
Perelman met his first wife, Faith Golding, in 1965 while on a cruise to Israel. As the heir to a fortune made in real estate and banking, Faith Golding controlled a personal fortune of around $100 million at the time of their marriage. They adopted three children named Steven, Josh, and Hope, and Faith gave birth to a fourth child named Debra. Their marriage lasted until 1984 when Faith discovered Perelman was having an affair with a local florist after a bill for a Bulgari bracelet was sent to their home instead of Perelman's office. Faith threatened to scuttle Perelman's attempt to take MacAndrews & Forbes private in 1983 by staking a claim to a third of it due to a bank loan in her name. She further declared that Perelman defrauded the owners of the First Sterling Corporation (i.e. her) by buying thousands of dollars of gifts for the florist with the company's money, and made a very public spectacle of the divorce. Ronald Perelman responded by hiring Roy Cohn and flatly denying all of the allegations. The pair quickly settled the divorce with an estimated payout to Faith in excess of $8 million.
Claudia Cohen
Perelman met his second wife, Claudia Cohen, in 1984 at Le Cirque. Since Claudia Cohen worked in the gossip industry and Perelman was immensely wealthy, tales of their whirlwind courtship of less than a year appeared regularly in the gossip columns. They married in a private, Orthodox wedding. A daughter, Samantha, soon followed. Perelman bestowed love and jewelry upon his new-found love, blowing her kisses in the hallways of his office and home, receiving calls of "Ron! Oh, Ron!" in return. In August 1993, Ron filed for divorce. Claudia left the marriage with well over $80 million. In 2007, Claudia died after a secret seven-year battle with ovarian cancer. Perelman revealed during his speech at her funeral that he'd known about her cancer from the beginning and privately commissioned a vaccine as a part of his efforts to cure her. In March 2008, Perelman decided to change the name of Logan Hall, located at the University of Pennsylvania, to Cohen Hall, after his late ex-wife. He donated $20 million to the University to remodel what is now Perelman Quadrangle and as part of his donation, he had the option to change the name of Logan Hall. His decision to rename Logan Hall surprised some Penn faculty, alumni, and students.
Patricia Duff
Patricia Duff was Perelman's third wife and messiest divorce. The pair first met in a Paris hotel lobby when both were still married: Perelman to Cohen, and Duff to Mike Medavoy. After Duff divorced Medavoy, she soon married Perelman on January 25, 1995. She gave birth to his fourth daughter, Caleigh Sophia, before the wedding took place. When the marriage between Duff and Perelman disintegrated in 1996, custody over Caleigh became a major issue. Both Perelman and Duff wanted full custody and their prenuptial agreement did not address the subject of child support. Initially private, the divorce proceedings were opened to the public at the request of Duff. Neither party emerged with their reputations unscathed. The court psychiatrist found Duff to be paranoid and narcissistic and Perelman to have serious anger management issues, Perelman caught a great deal of flak for testifying that it cost about $3 a day to feed his daughter, and both sides alleged physical abuse by the other party. The judge's sealed decision means the public will never know the exact results of the case, but it's known that neither party actually won. Perelman is Caleigh's legal guardian, but Patricia has extensive visitation rights.
Ellen Barkin
Perelman met his fourth wife, actress Ellen Barkin, at a Vanity Fair Oscar after-party in 1999. After slightly more than a year of courtship, the two married in June 2000. All accounts indicate their five-year marriage was a stormy one. Much of the friction arose due to Ellen's acting career and her attendant travel schedule, but their mutually explosive tempers didn't help either. Perelman filed and obtained a divorce in early 2006. The press soundly mocked Perelman for his actions, the speed and timing of which suggested his real motivation was to avoid a clause in his prenuptial that would raise the amount in alimony he owed Ellen if he waited a few days longer. Depending on the source used, Ellen's yearly alimony ranges from $2 million to $3 million and the total payout ranged from $20 million to $65 million. In late 2007, the pair exchanged lawsuits. Part of the divorce settlement required Perelman to invest several million dollars in a film production company Ellen and her brother George (an aspiring screenwriter) had started. Perelman made only one of the payments, claiming that there was no evidence the two were actually producing films. Ellen sued for her money while Perelman counter-sued, alleging Ellen and her brother had looted the film company for themselves.
Philanthropy
Perelman gives extensively to charity. In 2008, the Chronicle of Philanthropy listed Perelman as the 26th largest donor in the USA. Mr. Perelman donated $63.5 million in 2008 to causes including, but not limited to: Weill Medical College of Cornell University Other key beneficiaries: Stand Up to Cancer, World Trade Center Memorial Fund and Ford's Theatre. Mr. Perelman pledged $25-million to Weill Medical College, in New York, to support research, education, and patient care at the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine. In addition, Mr. Perelman pledged $15-million to Stand Up to Cancer, a Pasadena, Calif., organization that supports cancer research and efforts to advance treatment for cancer patients; $5-million to the World Trade Center Memorial Fund, in New York; and $2.5-million to Ford's Theatre, in Washington. Mr. Perelman declined to provide details about payments on those pledges. He also gave a total of $16-million to 581 nonprofit organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, in Philadelphia; the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, in New York; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, in Baltimore; the Rainforest Foundation U.S., in New York; and other arts, education, Jewish, medical research, and women's-health groups.
In 2006 alone, he donated over $60 million to various charitable groups and causes including Carnegie Hall and the World Trade Center Memorial. Other notable donations include $20 million to the University of Pennsylvania for naming rights to the quadrangle, $10 million to New York University to create the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, $4.7 million to Princeton University to create the Ronald Perelman Institute for Jewish Studies, and $20 million to the Guggenheim Museum.
Cigars
The phrase 'cigar-chomping' tends to appear anywhere the name Ronald Perelman is written and with good reason. Perelman first lit up when he was 26 years old. Trapped in a meeting that refused to end, he noticed a lawyer named Laddie Montague light up a cigar and start happily puffing away. Perelman asked if he could try one. From that day until he quit in 1999, he smoked between one and five cigars a day. Perelman had Consolidated Cigar manufacture a custom 38-ring H. Upmann-style cigar just for him. The media speculated extensively about the exact reason he quit; New York magazine claimed his new wife, Ellen Barkin, made him quit, and Forbes suggested he qui
Children of Lir Jewelry from Ireland
Irish-made Children of Lir Jewelry from James Murtagh Jewellers, Westport, Ireland
THE LEGEND OF THE CHILDREN OF LIR
THE LEGEND OF THE CHILDREN OF LIR. Artwork and story research by Mary Teehan & Damhnait O'Connor ... Jewelry New Items Picture Frames Rosary Beads Sale Items Silver/Pewter Gifts
Children-of-Lir
Huge range, low prices and fast delivery for Celtic-Irish Jewelry and Wedding Rings from James Murtagh Jewellers, Ireland. Easy, secure ordering.
Children of Lir
Children of Lir . 12 inch diameter bowl crafted in sterling silver, brass, bronze, copper and ... Jewelry by TJH Made in Ireland: History and Symbolism: Family Inspiration for Celtic Art
Claddagh rings, celtic jewelry, waterford crystal and Lladro at ...
Claddagh rings, celtic and Irish jewelry and Waterford Crystal available online at Fallers of Galway, Ireland. Browse our online collections of Irish claddagh rings, claddagh ...
Promotion and Marketing: Search our extensive articles, knowledge, and ...
The faith of the children of Lir By: Paul Gibney. This haunting story has inspired Celtic jewelry makers for many years now as the swan theme embodies traditional Celtic designs and ...
R.E. Piland, Goldsmiths: Children of Lir Celtic Pendant (sterling)
R.E. Piland creates custom handmade Celtic jewelry in silver and gold. We make Celtic Earrings, Celtic Rings, Celtic Wedding Bands, Celtic Pendants and Celtic Torcs.
The Fate Of The Children Of Lir
The Fate Of The Children Of Lir ... Many Irish jewelry manufactures have incorporated the 4 swan theme into many stunning pieces of children of Lir jewelry.
Scottish-Irish Jewelry, Gifts - Quaich, Photo Frames - Children of ...
Children of Lir Swans ... The Children of Lir (or Children of Lear) is an Irish legend. The original Irish title is Clann Lir, but Lir is the genitive case of Lear.
Claddagh Rings Wedding Bands Ireland Irish Jewellery Blacoe Ireland ...
Children of Lir Ring 18ct Yellow Gold,Col Ring 18 Ct Yellow Gold,Children of Lir Collection ... This haunting story has inspired celtic jewelry makers for many years now as the swan ...