Marvin Davis
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| Marvin Davis | |
| Born | August 31, 1925 Newark, New Jersey, USA |
|---|---|
| Died | September 25, 2004 (aged 79) Beverly Hills, California, USA |
| Occupation | Chairman of Davis Petroleum, film mogul, philanthropist |
| Net worth | US$5.8 billion (2004)[1] |
| Spouse | Barbara Levine |
| Children | Patricia, John, Nancy, Gregg, Dana |
| Website DavisPetroleumCorp.com |
|
Marvin H. Davis (August 31, 1925 in Newark, New Jersey – September 25, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. He made his fortunes as the chairman of Davis Petroleum and at one time owned 20th Century Fox, Pebble Beach, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Denver Broncos NFL team, and the Aspen Skiing Company.
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[edit] Petroleum business
Davis graduated from New York University in 1947. He joined his father Jack in the oil exploration business and was nicknamed "Mr. Wildcatter." The Davis Oil Company drilled for oil and gas in the midwest since the 1940s and was incorporated in 1986 as Davis Petroleum. His son Gregg Davis took over as president of Davis Petroleum and Davis Offshore in 1997.[2]
Friend Aaron Spelling loosely based the "Carrington" characters of his hit TV series Dynasty on the Davises, even filming an episode at their Colorado home.[3]
[edit] Twentieth Century Fox
In 1981, Davis acquired 20th Century Fox with financier Marc Rich. Fox's assets included Pebble Beach, the Aspen Skiing Company, and a Century City property upon which he built and twice sold Fox Plaza, which was made famous as the "Nakatomi building" in the original Die Hard film. Davis retained these real estate assets when he bought out Rich's half in 1984, and sold the studio and film library to Rupert Murdoch in 1985.[4] Davis later sold Pebble Beach to Japanese businessman Minoru Isutani for $841 million in 1990.
[edit] Personal life
Davis was married for 53 years to the former Barbara Levine. They had five children: Patricia, John (founder of Davis Entertainment), Nancy (godmother of Nicole Richie and mother of Brandon Davis and Alexander Davis), Gregg, and Dana.[4]
Davis was a long-time philanthropist, especially for medical research. A research building at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles is named for him.
He is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
[edit] References
- ^ Marvin Davis, Oil and Entertainment Mogul, Dies at 79. New York Times (Sept. 26, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
- ^ Davis Petroleum Continues Growth After Founder's Passing. RigZone.com (Oct. 13, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
- ^ Celeb life imitates soaps. TheOCshow.com (May 16, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ a b Marvin Davis Dies at 79, Former Owner of Pebble Beach Company, the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Aspen Skiing Company. Hotel Online (Sept. 25, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
