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Left to right: Larry, David, and Megan Ellison
Tech and film notables
From humble beginnings to a less-humble present, Larry Ellison is one of the wealthiest and most powerful people in tech. Larry was born to an unwed Jewish mother whose family, according to Fortune, took the name "Ellison" after Ellis Island.
Larry's mother gave him to relatives for adoption at a young age, and he's only ever met her once. But against all odds, he made it big. The college drop-out, now 69, built his enormous enterprise empire from the ground up and is now worth an estimated $49.3 billion. He's also a real-estate mogul, with a portfolio the size of the phone book that includes the entire Hawaiian island of Lanai. His latest initiative is to wipe out polio, as he recently pledged $100 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. It may be chump change to Larry, but the donation could bring about the elimination of polio by the year 2018.
Larry's third marriage resulted in the birth of his two children, Megan, 27, and David, 31. Rather than follow in dad's footsteps, the Ellison kids both stormed head first into the film industry, and each owns a successful film production company. Megan's company Annapurna Pictures recently backed blockbuster hits "American Hustle" and "Her," while David's own Skydance Productions produced "True Grit," "Jack Reacher," and the new "Star Trek" movies.
From humble beginnings to a less-humble present, Larry Ellison is one of the wealthiest and most powerful people in tech. Larry was born to an unwed Jewish mother whose family, according to Fortune, took the name "Ellison" after Ellis Island.
Larry's mother gave him to relatives for adoption at a young age, and he's only ever met her once. But against all odds, he made it big. The college drop-out, now 69, built his enormous enterprise empire from the ground up and is now worth an estimated $49.3 billion. He's also a real-estate mogul, with a portfolio the size of the phone book that includes the entire Hawaiian island of Lanai. His latest initiative is to wipe out polio, as he recently pledged $100 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. It may be chump change to Larry, but the donation could bring about the elimination of polio by the year 2018.
Larry's third marriage resulted in the birth of his two children, Megan, 27, and David, 31. Rather than follow in dad's footsteps, the Ellison kids both stormed head first into the film industry, and each owns a successful film production company. Megan's company Annapurna Pictures recently backed blockbuster hits "American Hustle" and "Her," while David's own Skydance Productions produced "True Grit," "Jack Reacher," and the new "Star Trek" movies.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-impressive-dynasties-in-america-2014-5?op=1#ixzz30yfrvlrB
