Mohamed Hadid facts for kids

Mohamed Anwar Hadid (born November 6, 1948) is an American real estate developer. A real estate developer is someone who buys land and builds things like houses or hotels on it. He is famous for building huge, fancy houses, called mansions, and luxury hotels. He mostly works in the Bel Air and Beverly Hills, California areas of Los Angeles.

He is also the father of famous models Gigi and Bella.

Early Life and Education

Mohamed Hadid was born in Nazareth in 1948. His family was Palestinian and Muslim. When he was a baby, his family had to leave their home during the 1948 Palestine war. They moved to Syria and became refugees. Hadid has said that his family lost their home in the city of Safad during this time.

His father worked for the United States government as a writer and translator. Because of his father's job, the family lived in different countries, including Syria, Tunisia, and Greece. When Hadid was 14, they moved to Washington, D.C..

Hadid went to high school in Arlington, Virginia. After graduating, he attended North Carolina State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Career in Real Estate

Hadid started his career with a few different businesses. He sold classic cars that he fixed up himself. He also opened a nightclub on an island in Greece. He used the money he earned to start building properties in the United States.

Major Building Projects

In the 1980s, Hadid became known for big projects. He bought the Ritz-Carlton hotels in Washington, D.C., and New York. He also turned a hotel in Houston into a Ritz-Carlton and built a new one in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Later, he focused on building very large and expensive homes in Los Angeles.

• Le Belvedere: A giant mansion in Bel Air that he built and later sold for $50 million in 2010.
• The Crescent Palace: An even bigger home he built near the famous Beverly Hills Hotel. It was 48,000 square feet and was put up for sale for $58 million in 2012.

Life Outside of Business

Olympic Speed Skier

In 1992, Hadid competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics in the sport of speed skiing. He was 43 years old and represented the country of Jordan. His friend, Austrian skier Franz Weber, encouraged him to compete. Hadid was the only person representing Jordan at those Winter Games.

Television Appearances

Hadid has been on a few reality TV shows. He appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills because he was once married to a star of the show, Yolanda Hadid. He was also seen on Shahs of Sunset.

Personal Life

Hadid has both Jordanian and American citizenship. He has six children.

His first two daughters, Alana and Marielle, are from his first marriage to Mary Butler.

He was later married to Dutch model Yolanda Hadid from 1994 to 2000. They had three children who all became famous models:

• Gigi (born 1995)
• Bella (born 1996)
• Anwar (born 1999)

He also has a sixth child, a daughter named Aydan, from another relationship.