Ronald Perelman
Ronald Owen Perelman (born
January 1,
1943) is a wealthy
American investor and
businessman, who appears 94th on the
Forbes The World's Richest People, with an estimated wealth at
USD$6.1 billion
. Perelman is also considered the 34th
Wealthiest American according to
Forbes.
He studied as an undergraduate at the
University of Pennsylvania and also received an
MBA from the
Wharton School.
His primary interest is in stable
companies that generate
free cash flow without being capital-intensive, and which are not in
fashion or
high tech. Through his holding company MacAndrews & Forbes, his portfolio has included
Revlon,
Marvel Comics, Scientific Games,
Panavision,
Deluxe Laboratories, the
Coleman Company,
New World Communications,
Mafco Worldwide, Meridian Sports, First Nationwide Bank, National Health Laboratories and
Consolidated Cigar Corporation, and
Clarke American.
His takeover bid for Revlon using junk bonds was among the most bitterly fought battles in American corporate history.
In May 2005, a jury in
West Palm Beach, Florida, found for Perelman in his lawsuit against
Morgan Stanley, the
brokerage firm, on the grounds that Morgan Stanley helped appliance maker
Sunbeam falsify its financial condition at the expense of investors such as Perelman.
Perelman has been married several times, most notably to gossip columnist
Claudia Cohen, socialite
Patricia Duff, and actress
Ellen Barkin.
*Perelman is the owner of the Ultima III, a 187-foot mega yacht.
*The Perelman Quadrangle at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the centers of student life, was named after him.
;See also:
*
List of billionaires
*
MORGAN STANLEY MUST PAY Ronald Perelman $1.45 billion in damages after a Florida jury ruled that the firm had behaved improperly when the financier sold one of his companies to Sunbeam*
Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People 2006*
Forbes.com: Forbes 400 Wealthiest Americans 2005*
Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People 2004*
"Tough Love", New York Magazine March 27, 2006
