Nationality French / American Role Businessman Name Gerard Louis-Dreyfus | Occupation Businessman | |
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Full Name Gerard C. Louis-Dreyfus Net worth US $ 3.4 billion (est.) (October 2006) Title Ex-Chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services Children Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Phoebe Louis-Dreyfus, Raphael Louis-Dreyfus, Emma Louis-Dreyfus Spouse Phyllis B. Louis-Dreyfus (m. 1965), Judith Bowles (m. 1959–1962) Parents Dolores Neubauer, Pierre Louis-Dreyfus Grandparents Sarah Germaine Hement, Charles Louis-Dreyfus Similar People Julia Louis‑Dreyfus, Pierre Louis‑Dreyfus, Brad Hall, Lauren Bowles | ||
Other names William Louis-Dreyfus Grandchildren Charles Hall, Henry Hall | ||
William Louis-Dreyfus (born Gérard C. Louis-Dreyfus; June 21, 1932 – September 16, 2016) was a French-born American businessman. His net worth was estimated at $3.4 billion by Forbes in 2006. He was the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services and the great grandson of Léopold Louis-Dreyfus, founder of Louis Dreyfus Group. He was the father of actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
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Life and career
Louis-Dreyfus was born in Paris in 1932. His great-grandfather Léopold Louis-Dreyfus founded the Louis Dreyfus Group in 1851. His mother, Dolores Porges (née Neubauer), was American-born, the daughter of a Brazilian father and a Mexican mother. His father, Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, (1908-2011), was a Frenchman who headed the Louis Dreyfus group. His father, who was Jewish, fought in the French Resistance during World War II. His mother was Catholic. 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.
Louis-Dreyfus was chairman of the Poetry Society of America from 1998 to 2008. He was also a poet who has had poems published in publications such as The Hudson Review. Louis-Dreyfus died at his home in Mount Kisco, New York on September 16, 2016 at the age of 84. His daughter Julia dedicated her 2016 Emmy win to her late father.
Politics
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.
Immediate family
First Wife: Judith (née LeFever) Bowles. Divorced, 1962.
Child With Judith Bowles:
Second Wife: Phyllis B. Louis-Dreyfus.
Children With Phyllis Louis-Dreyfus:
Cousins
One cousin is Jean Louis-Dreyfus, grandson of the family business founder, Léopold Louis-Dreyfus. Another cousin is Robert Louis-Dreyfus , ex the former chief executive officer of Adidas and ex Chairman of soccer french club Olympique de Marseille