Meshulam Riklis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Meshulam Riklis
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Riklis in 1988
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| Born | 2 December 1923 Istanbul, Turkey
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| Died | 25 January 2019 (aged 95) Tel Aviv, Israel
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| Spouse(s) |
Judith Stern
(divorced)Pia Zadora
(m. 1977–1993)Tali Sinai
(m. 2010) |
| Children | 5 |
Meshulam Riklis (Hebrew: משולם ריקליס; 2 December 1923 – 25 January 2019) was a smart businessman and financier from Israel. He was known for buying and managing many different companies throughout his career.
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Early Life
Meshulam Riklis was born in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1923. His family was Russian-Jewish. He grew up in Tel Aviv, Israel, and went to high school there. In 1947, he moved to the United States with his first wife, Judith Stern. They had three children: Simona, Marcia, and Ira. He studied math at Ohio State University and finished his degree in 1950. His first important job was helping analyze stocks for a company called Piper Jaffray in Minneapolis.
Building a Business Empire
Meshulam Riklis became famous for his clever ways of taking control of big companies. He would combine different businesses he owned. In 1966, he created the Rapid-American Corporation. He did this by bringing together his company, Rapid Electrotype, with American Colortype. Over time, Riklis used this method to build a large group of companies. Some of the well-known businesses he acquired included:
- McCrory Stores
- Elizabeth Arden cosmetics
- Fabergé Cosmetics
- J. J. Newberry stores
- International Playtex
- The Riviera hotel and casino in Las Vegas
- Samsonite luggage
- Schenley Industries, which distributed Dewar's whisky
After his business empire was strong, he went back to Ohio State to get his master's degree in Finance. His master's paper was about how he used money to expand his businesses. At the peak of his success, he told the Los Angeles Times that he was worth about a "billion dollars."
Challenges and Changes
One company he bought was called E-II Holdings. Other investors later found that some important assets were not actually placed into this company. These investors, including Carl Icahn, became upset with Riklis. They began to take control of other properties in his business empire. Many of the companies he owned faced financial difficulties. He famously sold his share in the Carnival Cruise Line to Ted Arison for just US$1, even though the company owed US$5 million at the time. In the early 1980s, he hired Jeffrey Silver and Arthur Waltzman to help save his Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from financial trouble.
Personal Life
After divorcing his first wife, Meshulam Riklis married Pia Zadora in 1977. He was 53, and she was 23. They had two children, Kady and Kristofer.
Movies and Homes
Riklis helped fund the movie Butterfly, which starred Pia Zadora. Her acting in the film was not well-received by critics. However, after a lot of publicity paid for by Riklis, Pia Zadora won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year. Riklis also helped fund two more movies starring Zadora. Riklis and Zadora bought and then tore down Pickfair Manor in Beverly Hills. This was a famous home that once belonged to silent movie stars Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. They built a larger home on the site and lived there until their divorce in 1993.
In 2010, when he was 86, Riklis married his third wife, Tali Sinai. She was nearly 40 years younger than him. In 2012, his daughter Simona, also known as Mona Ackerman, passed away from cancer at age 66. Meshulam Riklis died in Tel Aviv on January 25, 2019, at the age of 95.
See also
In Spanish: Meshulam Riklis para niños
