Kevin O'Leary facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kevin O'Leary
O'Leary in 2023
Born	Terrence Thomas Kevin O'Leary (1954-07-09) July 9, 1954 (age 70) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Other names	Mr. Wonderful
Citizenship	Canada Ireland United Arab Emirates
Alma mater	University of Waterloo (BES) University of Western Ontario (MBA)
Occupation	Businessman, investor, author, television personality
Known for	Reality TV host, CNBC and BNN contributor
Political party	Conservative (2004–present) Liberal (before 2004)
Spouse(s)	Linda Greer ​ (m. 1990)​
Children	2

Terrence Thomas Kevin O'Leary (born July 9, 1954) is a well-known Canadian businessman and TV star. Many people also know him as Mr. Wonderful. He is famous for his roles on popular TV shows like Shark Tank.

Kevin O'Leary's Early Life and School Days

Kevin O'Leary was born in Montreal, Canada, on July 9, 1954. His mother, Georgette, owned a small business and was a smart investor. His father, Terry, was a salesman. Kevin also has a brother named Shane.

Kevin grew up in a town called Mount Royal. His parents divorced when he was young. Sadly, his father passed away when Kevin was only seven years old. After this, his mother took charge of their family's clothing business.

Later, his mother married George Kanawaty, who was an economist. George worked for the International Labour Organization at the UN. Because of his stepfather's job, Kevin's family moved around a lot. He lived in many different countries, including Cambodia, Ethiopia, Tunisia, and Cyprus. Kevin went to Stanstead College and St. George's School, both in Quebec.

Kevin's mother was very good at investing money. She kept her investing skills a secret. Kevin only found out how talented she was after she passed away.

When he was young, Kevin wanted to be a photographer. But his stepfather advised him to go to university instead. There, Kevin continued to learn about business and investing. He earned a degree in environmental studies and psychology from the University of Waterloo in 1977. In 1980, he got his MBA in entrepreneurship from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.

How Kevin O'Leary Became a Businessman

In 1978, Kevin O'Leary had an internship at a company called Nabisco. He worked as an assistant brand manager for their cat food products. After leaving Nabisco, Kevin briefly worked as a TV producer.

Later, Kevin helped start a company called SoftKey Software Products. This company sold computer programs for families, focusing on education and fun. In the late 1980s and 1990s, SoftKey grew very big. It bought many other educational software companies around the world.

SoftKey later changed its name to The Learning Company. In 1999, a large toy company called Mattel bought The Learning Company. This sale made Kevin O'Leary a very rich man.

Kevin O'Leary on TV: Mr. Wonderful

From 2004 to 2014, Kevin O'Leary appeared on many Canadian TV shows. These included business news programs like SqueezePlay and The Lang and O'Leary Exchange. He also starred in Canadian reality television shows such as Dragons' Den and Redemption Inc. In 2008, he was on Discovery Channel's Project Earth.

Since 2009, Kevin has been a regular on Shark Tank. This is the American version of Dragons' Den. On both Dragons' Den and Shark Tank, Kevin became known by the nickname "Mr. Wonderful." He says people often call him that in public.

Kevin explains that "Mr. Wonderful" is a bit of a joke. It refers to his reputation for being tough and direct. But he also believes his honest advice helps new business owners. He thinks his blunt comments are good for entrepreneurs who might be confused or inexperienced.

He also has a small acting part in a movie coming out in 2025 called Marty Supreme.

Kevin O'Leary's Political Journey

In 2017, Kevin O'Leary decided to run for a big political job. He wanted to become the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. For a while, he was one of the top candidates in the polls.

However, in April 2017, he decided to stop his campaign. This was about a month before the election. He said he didn't have enough support in Quebec, his home province.

What Kevin O'Leary Believes In

Kevin O'Leary supports trade agreements between many countries. An example is the North American Free Trade Agreement. These agreements make it easier for countries to trade goods and services.

He does not support laws that give employees the right to disconnect. This means he thinks people should be able to respond to work messages outside of work hours.

O'Leary also believes Canada should build a pipeline. This pipeline would carry oil from the Athabasca oil sands to Eastern Canada. He wants Canada to be "energy independent," meaning it wouldn't need oil and gas from other countries like Saudi Arabia. He has said he would support a national vote on building pipelines.

He also believes in making borders more secure. This is to help stop people from crossing borders illegally.

Kevin O'Leary's Family and Home Life

Kevin O'Leary is Catholic. He has been married to his wife, Linda Greer, since 1990. They separated for two years in 2011 but got back together. Linda is now the Vice President of Marketing for O'Leary Wines. They have two children, a son named Trevor and a daughter named Savannah.

The O'Learys live in Miami Beach and Toronto. Kevin also has a cottage in Muskoka, Ontario. He owns homes in Boston and Geneva, Switzerland, too. In 2022, he shared that he became a citizen of the United Arab Emirates. This helps him work with investors from that country.

Cool Facts About Kevin O'Leary

• Because his father was Irish, Kevin also has Irish citizenship. He carries an Irish passport.
• Kevin O'Leary has dyslexia. He believes this learning difference actually helped him in business.
• When he was young, he met two famous leaders: Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and Pol Pot of Cambodia.
• Kevin says his success at The Learning Company came from marketing skills. He learned these skills when he worked at Nabisco.
• Many of his best money lessons came from his mother. She taught him to save one-third of all his money.
• O'Leary is a fan of cryptocurrency investing. He owns different digital currencies like Ether, Polygon, SOL, Bitcoin, and Pawthereum.
• He loves the New England Patriots football team. He says he watches every one of their games.

Kevin O'Leary's Famous Sayings

• "Vision is nothing without a plan to execute it."
• "My partners... taught me that in order to create wealth, I needed to pair up with people whose strengths compensated for my weaknesses."
• "The definition of leadership is that you have to find great people and ask them to do extraordinary things."
• "Money equals freedom."
• "I actually think being an entrepreneur is a state of mind. If you're going to be an entrepreneur, my thesis is that you have to sacrifice everything for some period in your life to be successful."

Books Written by Kevin O'Leary

• Cold Hard Truth: On Business, Money & Life (2011)
• Cold Hard Truth on Men, Women, and Money: 50 Common Money Mistakes and How to Fix Them (2012)
• Cold Hard Truth on Family, Kids and Money (2015)
• Cold Hard Truth on Marriage and Money: Part Two of Cold Hard Truth on Family, Kids and Money (2015)
• Digital Pivot or Bust In a Post COVID-19 World: Why Small Businesses Must Re-Think Everything to Survive and Thrive! (2020)