Guy Laliberté facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Guy Laliberté
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Laliberté at the ,000 World Poker Tour No Limit Hold'em Championship
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| Born | 2 September 1959 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
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| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder of Cirque du Soleil |
| Political party | Rhinoceros (1980) |
| Spouse(s) | Rizia Moreira (ex de facto spouse) Claudia Barilla (ex-girlfriend) |
| Children | 5 |
| Nickname(s) | Ahtata (Full Tilt Poker) |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 2 |
| Space career | |
| Space Adventures tourist | |
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Time in space
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10d 21h 17m |
| Missions | Soyuz TMA-16 / TMA-14 |
Guy Laliberté (born September 2, 1959) is a Canadian businessman and poker player. He is famous for co-founding Cirque du Soleil in 1984 with Gilles Ste-Croix. This amazing circus company's shows have been watched by over 90 million people around the world! Before starting Cirque du Soleil, Guy was a street performer. He played the accordion, walked on stilts, and even ate fire!
In 2006, he was named the top entrepreneur in Canada. The next year, he was named the top entrepreneur in the world. In 2018, Forbes magazine said he was the 11th richest person in Canada.
Contents
Early Life and Adventures
Guy Laliberté was born in 1959 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. His love for shows began when his parents took him to see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. This made him want to learn all about circuses. He even read a book about P. T. Barnum, a famous showman. While still in school, Guy helped put on many performing arts events.
After finishing school, Guy went on an adventure. At 18, he hitchhiked all over Europe. To earn money, he played his accordion. He also learned how to eat fire and walk on stilts during his travels. When he came back to Canada, he became a street performer in Quebec.
Guy joined a group called Les Échassiers. This group had fire-breathers, jugglers, and acrobats. They would hitchhike across the country to perform their shows. Later, Guy got a full-time job at a hydroelectric dam. But when the workers went on strike, he decided to go back to being a street performer.
In 1980, he even ran for a political position. He was a candidate for the Rhinoceros Party in the 1980 federal election.
Amazing Career
Starting Cirque du Soleil
Guy Laliberté started Cirque du Soleil in 1984 with Gilles Ste-Croix and a few friends. They got help from a government grant. This grant was for a celebration of Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada 450 years earlier. Cirque du Soleil was first planned as a one-year project. But the government wanted a show that could travel to other provinces.
Guy thought of the name 'Cirque du Soleil', which means "circus of the sun" in French. He came up with it while in Hawaii. He felt "the sun stands for energy and youth." He wanted the circus to be about those two ideas.
Today, Cirque du Soleil performs on five continents. It employs about 4,000 people from over 40 countries. The company makes a lot of money each year.
In 2015, Guy sold most of his shares in the company. In 2020, he sold the rest of his shares.
Poker Playing
Guy Laliberté started playing high-stakes poker games for fun around 2006. In 2007, he won $696,220 at a World Poker Tour event in Las Vegas. He also played on TV shows like High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark.
In 2011, Guy announced a huge poker tournament called "The Big One." It cost US$1 million to enter! Part of the money from this tournament went to Guy's charity, One Drop Foundation. This foundation helps provide clean drinking water and hygiene products around the world. Forty-eight players joined the tournament. It raised over $5 million for the One Drop foundation.
Journey to Space
In September 2009, Guy Laliberté became the first Canadian space tourist. He traveled to space on the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft. His trip was to help people learn about water problems on Earth. During his time in space, there was a special webcast. It showed artistic performances from 14 cities on five continents, including the International Space Station.
In 2011, Guy published a book called Gaia. It had photos of Earth that he took from space. All the money from the book went to the One Drop Foundation.
Private Island
In 2007, Guy Laliberté bought the atoll of Nukutepipi in French Polynesia. An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef, island, or series of islets. In 2014, he said he wanted to make the atoll a safe place. It would be a shelter for his family and friends if there was a big problem in the world. He wanted it to be self-sufficient, using solar power and being good for the environment.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Guy Laliberté has received many important awards:
- In 1997, he received the National Order of Quebec. This is the highest award from the Quebec government.
- In 2001, he was named a Great Montrealer.
- In 2004, he received the Order of Canada. This is the highest award in Canada.
- Also in 2004, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
- In 2006, he won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Quebec, Canada, and internationally.
- In 2008, Université Laval gave him an honorary doctorate.
- In 2010, he and Cirque du Soleil received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Family Life
Guy Laliberté has five children. His son, Kami, is a racing driver. His daughter, Naïma, is a competitive dressage rider. Dressage is a sport where horses and riders perform special movements.
See also
In Spanish: Guy Laliberté para niños
