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→Life and career: To name one cousin who's apparent only claim to fame is being the grandson of the founder of their company is just stupid. Obviously all of his cousins are grandchildren of the same man, as is he.
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{{Short description|French-American businessman (1932–2016)}}
{{Infobox Person
{{Infobox person
| image = Replace this image male.svg <!-- Only freely-licensed images may be used to depict living people. See [[WP:NONFREE]]. -->
⚫
| name = Gérard Louis-Dreyfus
| image_size = 150px |
| name = Gérard C. Louis-Dreyfus
| image =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name = Gérard C. Louis-Dreyfus
| birth_name = Gérard C. Louis-Dreyfus
| birth_date = {{birth-date|1932}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1932|6|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Paris]], [[France]]
| birth_place = [[Paris]], [[French Third Republic|France]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2016|09|16|1932|06|21|df=y}}
⚫
| nationality = French
| death_place = [[Mount Kisco, New York]], U.S.
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| other_names = William Louis-Dreyfus
⚫
| nationality = French / American
| known_for =
⚫
| other_names = William Louis-Dreyfus
| education =
| education = [[Duke University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]])
| employer = self employed
| occupation = investor
| occupation = Businessman
| title =Ex Chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services
| employer =
| salary =
| known_for =
| title = Ex-Chairman of [[Louis Dreyfus Energy Services LP|Louis Dreyfus Energy Services]]
| networth = $2.9 billion
| spouse = Phyllis B. Louis-Dreyfus (to present)<br/>Judith Bowles (to 1962)
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Judith LeFever Bowles<br />|1955|1962|end=div}}
| children = [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]]<br/>Phoebe Emily Dominique Louis-Dreyfus Eavis<br/>Emma R. Louis-Dreyfus
* {{marriage|Phyllis Blankenship<br />|1965}}
| parents =
⚫
}}
| relatives =
| children = 4, including [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]]
⚫
| website =
| parents = [[Pierre Louis-Dreyfus]]<br /> Dolores Porges (née Neubauer)
| relatives = [[Léopold Louis-Dreyfus]] <br /><small>(paternal great-grandfather)</small><br /> [[Charles Louis-Dreyfus]] <br /><small>(paternal grandfather)</small><br /> [[Brad Hall]] <br /><small>(son-in-law)</small><br /> [[Charlie Hall (actor, born 1997)|Charlie Hall]] <br /><small>(grandson)</small>
⚫
| website =
}}
}}


'''William Louis-Dreyfus''' (born '''Gérard C. Louis-Dreyfus'''; 1932) is a [[French people|French]]-born [[United States|American]] businessman. With his family's [[net worth]] estimated at $2.9 [[1000000000 (number)|billion]] by ''[[Forbes]]'', he is one of the richest men in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gérard Louis-Dreyfus & family |publisher=Forbes.com |month=October | year=2004 |url=http://www.forbes.com/finance/lists/10/2004/LIR.jhtml?passListId=10&passYear=2004&passListType=Person&uniqueId=DDGH&datatype=Person Forbes.com |accessdate=2007-10-28}}</ref> He is the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services and the great grandson of [[Léopold Louis-Dreyfus]], founder of [[Louis Dreyfus Group]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gerard Louis Dreyfus Executive Biography |publisher=[[Louis Dreyfus Group]] |url=http://www.louisdreyfus.com/content.cfm?page=execbios.cfm&gbus=8 |accessdate=2007-10-28}}</ref> He is the father of [[Emmy Awards|Emmy]] and [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globe]] winning [[actress]] [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]].
'''Gérard C. Louis-Dreyfus''' (21 June 1932 – 16 September 2016), also known as '''William''',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?pid=181638970|title=obituary|website=[[Legacy.com]] }}</ref> was a French-American businessman. His [[net worth]] was estimated at $3.4 billion by ''[[Forbes]]'' in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gérard Louis-Dreyfus & family |work=Forbes.com |date=October 2006 |url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/10/DDGH.html |access-date=2007-10-28}}</ref> He was the chairman of [[Louis Dreyfus Energy Services LP|Louis Dreyfus Energy Services]] and the great-grandson of [[Léopold Louis-Dreyfus]], founder of [[Louis Dreyfus Group]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gerard Louis Dreyfus Executive Biography |publisher=[[Louis Dreyfus Group]] |url=http://www.louisdreyfus.com/content.cfm?page=execbios.cfm&gbus=8 |access-date=2007-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025194715/http://www.louisdreyfus.com/content.cfm?page=execbios.cfm&gbus=8 |archive-date=2007-10-25 }}</ref> He was the father of actress [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]].


==Life==
== Life and career ==
Louis-Dreyfus was born in [[Paris]] in 1932.<ref name=gstis>
⚫
Louis-Dreyfus was born in [[Paris]]. His father was Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, a [[French Jews|French Jew]] who fought in the French Resistance during World War II.<ref>http://www.canada.com/tvtropolis/story.html?id=1375fbf0-e748-4bfc-9729-d2b6e065bec7</ref> In 1940, he moved to the [[United States]] with his American mother after her divorce from Pierre. By 1945 he had adopted the name William as a symbol of his integration into American society.
[http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx?xmldoc=1952557280AD277_1484.xml&docbase=CSLWAR1-1950-1985 Legal Eagle: PORGES v. LOUIS-DREYFUS, 280 A.D. 277 (1952)] Dolores N. Porges, Appellant-Respondent, v. Guy P. Louis-Dreyfus, Respondent-Appellant, Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, First Department. June 3, 1952</ref> His great-grandfather [[Léopold Louis-Dreyfus]] founded the [[Louis Dreyfus Group]] in 1851. His mother, Dolores Porges (née Neubauer; 1905–1987), was American-born,<ref name=gstis/> the daughter of a [[Brazilian people|Brazilian]]-Jewish father and a [[Mexican people|Mexican]] mother.<ref>[http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=dowfam3&id=I344156 Rootsweb: "Dowling Family Genealogy"] retrieved August 16, 2013</ref> His father, [[Pierre Louis-Dreyfus]] (1908–2011),<ref>{{cite web |title=Louis Dreyfus Dead at 102 |url=http://www.tradewinds.no/drycargo/article574101.ece |access-date=2011-06-11}}</ref> was a [[Frenchman]] who headed the Louis Dreyfus group. Pierre, who was [[Jewish]], fought in the [[French Resistance]] during [[World War II]];<ref>{{cite web |author=TVtropolis June 1, 2006 |url=http://www.canada.com/tvtropolis/story.html?id=1375fbf0-e748-4bfc-9729-d2b6e065bec7 |title=Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Seinfeld |publisher=Canada.com |date=2006-06-01 |access-date=2010-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301103839/http://www2.canada.com/tvtropolis/story.html?id=1375fbf0-e748-4bfc-9729-d2b6e065bec7 |archive-date=March 1, 2009 }}</ref> his mother was Catholic.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Julia Louis-Dreyfus - WTF Podcast with Marc Maron #700 pt. 1| website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7mlzIHR9PE|access-date=2020-06-30}}</ref> He has one sister, Dominique Cornwell.<ref name=NYTObit />


Another cousin is [[Robert Louis-Dreyfus]], the former chief executive officer of [[Adidas]] and ex-Chairman of French football club [[Olympique de Marseille]].{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}
While in France he retains the name Gérard; in the US he is William. After graduating from [[Trinity College of Arts and Sciences]] at [[Duke University]] and [[Duke University School of Law]], he worked at the law firm of [[Dewey Ballantine]], New York, before joining Louis Dreyfus in 1965.


⚫
In 1940, Louis-Dreyfus moved to the [[United States]] with his mother after her divorce from Pierre. By 1945, he had adopted the name William as a symbol of his integration into American society.
Louis-Dreyfus is said to be a distant relative to [[Alfred Dreyfus]] (9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935), the French artillery officer of [[Jew]]ish background who was falsely convicted in 1894 on charges of treason.


After graduating from [[Duke University]] and [[Duke University School of Law]], Louis-Dreyfus worked at the law firm of [[Dewey Ballantine]], New York, before joining Louis Dreyfus in 1965. He was chairman of the [[Poetry Society of America]] from 1998 to 2008. He had poems published in publications such as ''[[The Hudson Review]]''.
==Family==
===Immediate family===
First Wife: Judith Bowles. Separated, 1962.


== Politics ==
Child With Judith Bowles:
In October 2012, Dreyfus published a full-page ad in ''[[The New York Times]]'' titled "A Call To Arms To The Wealthy To Protect The Right To Vote" encouraging wealthy people in the United States to fight voter suppression. Dreyfus himself donated $1 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/02/william-louis-dreyfus-rich-voter-suppression_n_1932878.html|title=Billionaire William Louis-Dreyfus Calls On Fellow Rich To Battle Voter Suppression|publisher=Huffington Post|access-date=31 January 2013|date=October 2, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brennancenter.org/content/pages/calltoarms|title=BA call to arms to the wealthy to protect the right to vote|publisher=Brennan Center For Justice|access-date=31 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224041422/http://www.brennancenter.org/content/pages/calltoarms|archive-date=24 December 2012}}</ref>
*actress [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]], born January 13, 1961, co-star, in the role of [[Elaine Benes]], of the hit [[NBC]] television [[sitcom]] [[Seinfeld]], and [[Emmy]] winning star of the current [[CBS]] sitcom [[The New Adventures of Old Christine]].


== Personal life ==
Second Wife: Phyllis B. Louis-Dreyfus.
Louis-Dreyfus was married twice.<ref name=NYTObit>[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?pid=181592971 New York Times: "GERARD LOUIS-DREYFUS (1932 - 2016)"] September 25, 2016</ref> In 1955 he married Judith LeFever. They had one daughter, actress [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]] (b. January 1961) before divorcing in 1962.<ref name=NYTObit /> In 1965, he married Phyllis Blankenship; they had two daughters, both social workers: Phoebe Émilie Dominique Louis-Dreyfus Eavis (b. May 1968) and Emma R. Louis-Dreyfus (b. 16 June 1974; died on 13 August 2018).<ref name=NYTObit /><ref>{{Cite news |title=Emma Louis-Dreyfus 1974-2018 |type=Obituary |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=August 24, 2018 |url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sfgate/obituary.aspx?n=emma-louis-dreyfus&pid=190034528 |via=Legacy.com}}</ref> In 1996, Phoebe married [[English people|English]] financial journalist Peter Eavis at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in [[Bedford (town), New York|Bedford, New York]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/20/style/phoebe-louis-dreyfus-peter-eavis.html New York Times: Marriages: "Phoebe Louis-Dreyfus, Peter Eavis"] October 20, 1996</ref><ref>[http://www.talkingbiznews.com/1/eavis-to-join-nyt-from-wsj/ Talking Biz News: "Ex-WSJer Eavis to join NYT" by Chris Roush] November 28, 2011</ref> He also had a son, Raphael Penteado.<ref name=NYTObit />


== Death ==
Children With Phyllis Louis-Dreyfus:
Louis-Dreyfus died at his home in [[Mount Kisco]], New York on 16 September 2016 at the age of 84.<ref>[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?pid=181592971 Gerard Louis-Dreyfus obituary] Legacy.com</ref><ref name="tjn-death">{{cite web|url=http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/bedford/2016/09/18/william-louis-dreyfus-obit/90622404/|title=William Louis-Dreyfus, actress' dad, dies at age 84|first=Kimberly|last=Redmond|work=[[The Journal News]]|date=September 18, 2016|access-date=September 18, 2016}}</ref> His daughter Julia dedicated her [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series|2016 Emmy win]] to her late father.<ref name="emmy">{{cite web|url=http://extratv.com/2016/09/18/julia-louis-dreyfus-reveals-billionaire-fathers-death-during-tearful-emmys-acceptance-speech/|title=Julia Louis-Dreyfus Reveals Billionaire Father's Death During Tearful Emmys Acceptance Speech|work=[[Extra (U.S. TV program)|ExtraTV]]|date=September 18, 2016|access-date=September 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/GMA/status/777669310332358656|title=WATCH: Julia Louis-Dreyfus dedicates her #Emmys win to her father who passed away this past Friday|work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|date=September 18, 2016|access-date=May 16, 2019}}</ref>
*social worker Phoebe Émilie Dominique Louis-Dreyfus Eavis, born May, 1968.
*social worker Emma R. Louis-Dreyfus, born 1974.


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== See also ==
Gérard Louis-Dreyfus is said to have two other children, Rover and Bethlehem, also by Phyllis Louis-Dreyfus.
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* [[List of billionaires]]


===Cousins===
== References ==
⚫
{{Reflist|30em}}
One cousin is Jean Louis-Dreyfus, grandson of the family business founder, Léopold Louis-Dreyfus. Another cousin is [[Robert Louis-Dreyfus]], the former chief executive officer of [[Adidas]].


{{Authority control}}
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==See also==
⚫
*[[List of billionaires]]


==References==
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{{Reflist}}

<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
{{Persondata
|NAME= Louis-Dreyfus, Gérard
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Louis-Dreyfus, William
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= businessman
|DATE OF BIRTH= 1932
|PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Paris]], [[France]]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
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}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louis-Dreyfus, Gerard}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louis-Dreyfus, Gerard}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:American businesspeople]]
[[Category:2016 deaths]]
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[[Category:American billionaires]]
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[[Category:American investors]]
[[Category:American people of French-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Duke University School of Law alumni]]
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[[Category:French billionaires]]
[[Category:French emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Louis-Dreyfus family|Gerard Louis-Dreyfus]]
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[[Category:20th-century French Jews]]
[[Category:Duke University alumni]]
[[Category:Duke University alumni]]
[[Category:French Americans]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Poetry Society of America]]
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[[Category:French-American Jews]]
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[[Category:French Jews]]
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[[Category:American Jews]]
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[[Category:French businesspeople]]
[[Category:Living people]]
{{US-business-bio-1930s-stub}}
{{France-business-bio-stub}}

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[[fr:Gérard Louis-Dreyfus]]

Latest revision as of 12:59, 5 October 2024

Gérard Louis-Dreyfus
Born
Gérard C. Louis-Dreyfus

(1932-06-21)21 June 1932
Paris, France
Died16 September 2016(2016-09-16) (aged 84)
Mount Kisco, New York, U.S.
NationalityFrench / American
Other namesWilliam Louis-Dreyfus
EducationDuke University (BA, LLB)
OccupationBusinessman
TitleEx-Chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services
Spouses
Judith LeFever Bowles
​
​
(m. 1955; div. 1962)​
Phyllis Blankenship
​
​
(m. 1965)​
Children4, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Parent(s)Pierre Louis-Dreyfus
Dolores Porges (née Neubauer)
RelativesLéopold Louis-Dreyfus
(paternal great-grandfather)
Charles Louis-Dreyfus
(paternal grandfather)
Brad Hall
(son-in-law)
Charlie Hall
(grandson)

Gérard C. Louis-Dreyfus (21 June 1932 – 16 September 2016), also known as William,[1] was a French-American businessman. His net worth was estimated at $3.4 billion by Forbes in 2006.[2] He was the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services and the great-grandson of Léopold Louis-Dreyfus, founder of Louis Dreyfus Group.[3] He was the father of actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Life and career

[edit]

Louis-Dreyfus was born in Paris in 1932.[4] His great-grandfather Léopold Louis-Dreyfus founded the Louis Dreyfus Group in 1851. His mother, Dolores Porges (née Neubauer; 1905–1987), was American-born,[4] the daughter of a Brazilian-Jewish father and a Mexican mother.[5] His father, Pierre Louis-Dreyfus (1908–2011),[6] was a Frenchman who headed the Louis Dreyfus group. Pierre, who was Jewish, fought in the French Resistance during World War II;[7] his mother was Catholic.[8] He has one sister, Dominique Cornwell.[9]

Another cousin is Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the former chief executive officer of Adidas and ex-Chairman of French football club Olympique de Marseille.[citation needed]

In 1940, Louis-Dreyfus moved to the United States with his mother after her divorce from Pierre. By 1945, he had adopted the name William as a symbol of his integration into American society.

After graduating from Duke University and Duke University School of Law, Louis-Dreyfus worked at the law firm of Dewey Ballantine, New York, before joining Louis Dreyfus in 1965. He was chairman of the Poetry Society of America from 1998 to 2008. He had poems published in publications such as The Hudson Review.

Politics

[edit]

In October 2012, Dreyfus published a full-page ad in The New York Times titled "A Call To Arms To The Wealthy To Protect The Right To Vote" encouraging wealthy people in the United States to fight voter suppression. Dreyfus himself donated $1 million.[10][11]

Personal life

[edit]

Louis-Dreyfus was married twice.[9] In 1955 he married Judith LeFever. They had one daughter, actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus (b. January 1961) before divorcing in 1962.[9] In 1965, he married Phyllis Blankenship; they had two daughters, both social workers: Phoebe Émilie Dominique Louis-Dreyfus Eavis (b. May 1968) and Emma R. Louis-Dreyfus (b. 16 June 1974; died on 13 August 2018).[9][12] In 1996, Phoebe married English financial journalist Peter Eavis at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Bedford, New York.[13][14] He also had a son, Raphael Penteado.[9]

Death

[edit]

Louis-Dreyfus died at his home in Mount Kisco, New York on 16 September 2016 at the age of 84.[15][16] His daughter Julia dedicated her 2016 Emmy win to her late father.[17][18]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "obituary". Legacy.com.
  2. ^ "Gérard Louis-Dreyfus & family". Forbes.com. October 2006. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
  3. ^ "Gerard Louis Dreyfus Executive Biography". Louis Dreyfus Group. Archived from the original on 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
  4. ^ a b Legal Eagle: PORGES v. LOUIS-DREYFUS, 280 A.D. 277 (1952) Dolores N. Porges, Appellant-Respondent, v. Guy P. Louis-Dreyfus, Respondent-Appellant, Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, First Department. June 3, 1952
  5. ^ Rootsweb: "Dowling Family Genealogy" retrieved August 16, 2013
  6. ^ "Louis Dreyfus Dead at 102". Retrieved 2011-06-11.
  7. ^ TVtropolis June 1, 2006 (2006-06-01). "Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Seinfeld". Canada.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved 2010-09-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "Julia Louis-Dreyfus - WTF Podcast with Marc Maron #700 pt. 1". YouTube. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  9. ^ a b c d e New York Times: "GERARD LOUIS-DREYFUS (1932 - 2016)" September 25, 2016
  10. ^ "Billionaire William Louis-Dreyfus Calls On Fellow Rich To Battle Voter Suppression". Huffington Post. October 2, 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  11. ^ "BA call to arms to the wealthy to protect the right to vote". Brennan Center For Justice. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  12. ^ "Emma Louis-Dreyfus 1974-2018". San Francisco Chronicle (Obituary). August 24, 2018 – via Legacy.com.
  13. ^ New York Times: Marriages: "Phoebe Louis-Dreyfus, Peter Eavis" October 20, 1996
  14. ^ Talking Biz News: "Ex-WSJer Eavis to join NYT" by Chris Roush November 28, 2011
  15. ^ Gerard Louis-Dreyfus obituary Legacy.com
  16. ^ Redmond, Kimberly (September 18, 2016). "William Louis-Dreyfus, actress' dad, dies at age 84". The Journal News. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  17. ^ "Julia Louis-Dreyfus Reveals Billionaire Father's Death During Tearful Emmys Acceptance Speech". ExtraTV. September 18, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  18. ^ "WATCH: Julia Louis-Dreyfus dedicates her #Emmys win to her father who passed away this past Friday". ABC News. September 18, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
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