Kirk Kerkorian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kirk Kerkorian
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| Գրիգոր Գրիգորեան | |
Kerkorian on a 2017 postage stamp of Armenia
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| Born |
Kerkor Kerkorian
June 6, 1917 Fresno, California, U.S.
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| Died | June 15, 2015 (aged 98) |
| Resting place | Inglewood Park Cemetery |
| Citizenship |
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| Years active | 1940–2015 |
| Spouse(s) |
Hilda Schmidt
(m. 1942; div. 1951)Jean Maree Harbour-Hardy
(m. 1954; div. 1984)Lisa Bonder
(m. 1999; div. 1999)Una Davis
(m. 2014; sep. 2014) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | National Hero of Armenia (2004) |
Kirk Kerkorian (Armenian: Գրիգոր Գրիգորեան; June 6, 1917 – June 15, 2015) was a famous Armenian-American businessman and investor. He was also a very generous giver, known as a philanthropist. Kirk Kerkorian led his own company, Tracinda Corporation, which was based in Beverly Hills, California.
He played a huge role in shaping the city of Las Vegas. Many people call him the "father of the mega-resort" because he built the world's largest hotel in Las Vegas three times! These hotels were the International Hotel (opened in 1969), the MGM Grand Hotel (1973), and the MGM Grand (1993). He also bought the famous Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio in 1969.
Kirk Kerkorian gave over $1 billion to charity in Armenia through his Lincy Foundation. This foundation was started in 1989 and helped rebuild northern Armenia after a big earthquake in 1988. He also helped fund a movie about the history of the Armenian genocide, called The Promise. In 2000, Time magazine said he was one of the biggest givers in the U.S. Armenia even made him an honorary citizen and gave him their highest award, the National Hero of Armenia title.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Kirk Kerkorian was born on June 6, 1917, in Fresno, California. His parents were Armenian and had come to the U.S. from what is now Turkey. Armenian was his first language, and he learned English later by being out in the world.
His family moved to Los Angeles during a tough economic time in the 1920s. Kirk left school in eighth grade. He became a good amateur boxer with help from his older brother, Nish. Kirk even fought under the name "Rifle Right Kerkorian" and won a championship.
Business Adventures
Flying High
Before World War II started, Kirk didn't want to join the army on the ground. So, he learned to fly planes in the Mojave Desert. He got flying lessons from a famous pilot named Pancho Barnes. In return, he helped her by milking and taking care of her cows!
After six months, Kirk earned his commercial pilot's license. He then found out that the British Royal Air Force needed pilots to fly planes from Canada across the Atlantic Ocean to Scotland. These planes, called de Havilland Mosquitos, didn't have enough fuel to make the trip directly. Pilots had to take a risky route. Kirk chose a faster, but more dangerous, direct path. He was paid $1,000 for each flight. He delivered 33 planes for the RAF Ferry Command, flying thousands of hours and visiting four continents.
After the war, Kirk had saved most of his earnings. He bought a Cessna plane for $5,000. He worked as a pilot and first visited Las Vegas in 1944. He spent a lot of time there in the 1940s. In 1947, he bought a small air-charter service called Trans International Airlines for $60,000. This airline flew gamblers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. He later sold this airline for $104 million in 1968.
Building Las Vegas
In 1962, Kirk Kerkorian bought 80 acres of land in Las Vegas for $960,000. This land was across from the Flamingo hotel. This purchase led to the building of Caesars Palace, which rented the land from Kirk. When he sold the land to Caesars in 1968, he made $9 million.
In 1967, he bought another 82 acres of land in Las Vegas for $5 million. With architect Martin Stern Jr., he built the International Hotel. At the time, it was the biggest hotel in the world! Famous performers like Barbra Streisand and Elvis Presley performed there. Elvis Presley brought in thousands of customers every day for a month, setting new records. Kirk also bought the Flamingo Hotel. Later, he sold both hotels to Hilton Hotels Corporation.
After buying the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio in 1969, Kirk opened the first MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. This hotel was even bigger than the Empire State Building and was the largest hotel in the world when it was finished. In 1980, the original MGM Grand had a serious fire. After only eight months, the hotel reopened.
In 1986, Kirk sold the MGM Grand hotels in Las Vegas and Reno. The Las Vegas hotel was then renamed Bally's. The company that came from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM Resorts International, now owns and runs many famous hotels in Las Vegas.
Movie Studio Deals
In 1969, Kirk Kerkorian put James Thomas Aubrey Jr. in charge of MGM. Aubrey made the struggling MGM studio smaller. He sold off many historical items, like Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Kirk also slowly stepped back from running the studio every day.
In 1981, he bought United Artists and combined it with MGM to create MGM/UA Entertainment Company. In 1986, he sold MGM to Ted Turner. Turner later sold United Artists back to Kirk.
Kirk bought MGM again in 1996. He then made the company bigger by buying other film companies like Orion Pictures and The Samuel Goldwyn Company. In 2005, Kirk sold MGM once more to a group led by Sony.
Auto Industry Interests
Kirk Kerkorian also had a strong interest in the American car industry. In 1995, he tried to take over the Chrysler Corporation. Chrysler's leaders did not like this idea, and Kirk eventually sold his shares.
He also owned a large part of General Motors (GM). He suggested that another car company, Renault, should buy a part of GM to help it. When GM did not agree, Kirk sold most of his shares in the company.
In 2007, Kirk made an offer to buy the Chrysler Group. However, 80% of Chrysler was sold to another company. Kirk also bought shares in the Ford Motor Company in 2008. But due to tough economic times, he later sold all his shares in Ford.
Wealth and Giving Back
Kirk Kerkorian was one of the richest people in the world. In 2008, his wealth was estimated at $16 billion. Even though he was very rich, he was known for being a private person. He rarely gave interviews or appeared in public. People who knew him said he was kind and a tough negotiator.
Kirk enjoyed playing tennis and was very good at it. He liked expensive clothes but drove regular cars like a Ford Taurus.
Kirk Kerkorian passed away in Beverly Hills, California, on June 15, 2015, just nine days after his 98th birthday. He is buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery near Los Angeles.
His Family
Kirk Kerkorian was married four times. He had two daughters, Tracy and Linda. He named his personal company, Tracinda Corporation, and his charity, the Lincy Foundation, after them. Even after his divorce from his second wife, Jean Maree Hardy, they remained good friends.
Helping Others: The Lincy Foundation
Kirk Kerkorian was very active in helping others through his charity, The Lincy Foundation. This foundation was named after his daughters, Linda and Tracy. The foundation gave away more than $1 billion, but Kirk never wanted anything named after him.
For example, the foundation paid for half of an 80-kilometer highway in Armenia. Over ten years, Kirk funded over $200 million for projects in Armenia. This included $60 million to rebuild schools and streets, and to fix up many museums, theaters, and concert halls.
The Lincy Foundation closed in 2011 after 22 years of helping people. It gave its last $200 million to the University of California, Los Angeles. Half of this money was for medical research and scholarships. The other half was for a "Dream Fund" to support good causes across the country.
His Legacy
Most of Kirk Kerkorian's $2 billion estate (his money and property) was left to charity. A special group was put in charge of giving out these funds over three years.
Awards and Recognition
Armenia honored Kirk Kerkorian by issuing a postage
stamp in 2017. The city of Gyumri in Armenia also unveiled a
statue of him in 2018, recognizing his great contributions to the country.
Images for kids
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Gravestone of Kirk Kerkorian and his father Ahron
See also
In Spanish: Kirk Kerkorian para niños
