| Guy Laliberté | |
|---|---|
Laliberté at the $25,000 World Poker Tour No Limit Hold'em Championship |
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| Born | September 2, 1959 Baie St-Paul, Quebec, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Chief Executive Officer |
| Net worth | $2.5 billion (2011)[1] |
| Spouse | Rizia Moreira (ex common law wife), Now Claudia Barilla (engaged) |
| Children | 5 |
| Website | |
| Cirque du Soleil | |
Guy Laliberté, OC, CQ (born September 2, 1959) is a Canadian entrepreneur, philanthropist, poker player, space tourist and the current CEO of Cirque du Soleil. With an estimated net worth of US$2.5 billion (as of March 2011), Laliberte was ranked by Forbes as the 11th wealthiest Canadian and 459th in the world.[2]
Starting out busking as an accordion player, stiltwalker and fire-eater, in 1984 Laliberté founded Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian circus company whose shows have since been seen by more than 90 million people worldwide. In 2006, Laliberté was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.[3][4]
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Laliberté was born in 1959 in Baie-Saint-Paul, a small village in lower Quebec, Canada. His interest in show business began at a relatively young age. His parents took him to watch the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus,[5] an experience which led Laliberté to read the biography of P. T. Barnum.[5] While in school, Guy produced several performing arts events.[6] After school, he entered the world of street performance, playing the harmonica and accordion on the streets of Quebec.[7] Laliberté joined a performing troupe that included fire-breathers, jugglers, and acrobats who hitched around the country from show to show. He later returned to Quebec, where he attempted to keep a steady full-time job at a hydroelectric dam. However, soon after his employment began, the company’s employees went on strike.[6] Laliberté took the opportunity to return to his life as a street performer.
Guy Laliberté founded Quebec's first internationally renowned circus with the support of a small group of colleagues. He recognized and cultivated the talents of the buskers from the Fête foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul and created Cirque du Soleil in 1984 with the support of a government grant for Canada's 450th anniversary celebrations.[8] Cirque du Soleil was originally set up as a one-year project. However, the government of Quebec wanted a touring event that would perform in other provinces.
The name 'Cirque du Soleil' (“circus of the sun”), which Laliberté came up with while in Hawaii, reflects his notion that “the sun stands for energy and youth” and that the circus is about those two words.[8] In founding the company, Guy Laliberté was assisted by Gilles Ste-Croix.[5] It is said that Laliberté is the “father” of Cirque du Soleil while Ste-Croix is the “grandfather.”[5]
Since 1984, Laliberté has participated in the creation of every Cirque du Soleil show.
Cirque du Soleil has become a sprawling international operation, as much in terms of its makeup as in the scope of its activities and influence. The organization now has activities on five continents.[9] Its shows employ approximately 4,000 people from over 40 countries and generate an estimated annual revenue exceeding US$810 million.[10][11]
In April 2007, Laliberté finished fourth in the World Poker Tour Season Five event at Bellagio in Las Vegas and won $696,220. Laliberté also played on GSN's High Stakes Poker Season 4 show and took part in Poker After Dark season 4. He was also known for frequenting the highest stakes games at Full Tilt Poker. Laliberté has announced the Big One, a $1 million dollar buy-in tournament which will be featured at the 2012 World Series of Poker. Part of the prizepool will be donated to Laliberté's philantrophic organization One Drop Foundation.[12]
On October 29, 2007, Guy Laliberté announced the official launch of the One Drop Foundation[13] to fight poverty in the world by giving everyone access to water. Inspired by the creative experience of Cirque du Soleil and its international program for street children, Cirque du Monde, the One Drop Foundation makes use of the circus arts, folklore, popular theatre, music, dance and the visual arts to promote education, community involvement and public awareness of water issues. Technical projects in developing countries will improve access to water, ensure food security and promote gender equality in communities.
The operating costs of One Drop will be covered by a $100 million contribution from Guy Laliberté over 25 years. Field activities will be financed by donations from the employees of Cirque du Soleil and from the public, as well as through funding commitments by Canadian and international partners. Oxfam International, through Oxfam-Québec, has been associated with One Drop since 2005 in a three-year pilot project in Nicaragua. A leader in development aid, Oxfam brings expertise in selecting and implementing field projects. Their involvement with the One Drop Foundation is based on a common desire to support sustainable development with concrete actions and in collaboration with local partners.
| Guy Laliberté | |
|---|---|
| Space Adventures Tourist | |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Born | September 2, 1959 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada |
| Other occupation | Chief Executive Officer |
| Time in space | 10d 21h 17m |
| Missions | Soyuz TMA-16 / TMA-14 |
| Mission insignia | |
In September 2009, Guy Laliberté became the first Canadian space tourist. His spaceflight was dedicated to raising awareness on water issues facing humankind on planet Earth, making his spaceflight the first, in his words, "poetic social mission" in space. The event was accompanied by a 120-minute webcast program featuring various artistic performances in 14 cities on five continents, including the International Space Station.[9]
In June 2011, Laliberté published a book, entitled Gaia (Assouline Publishing), containing photos of Earth from his 2009 trip to the International Space Station. Proceeds from his book are to go to the One Drop Foundation.[14]
Université Laval (Québec) awarded an honorary doctorate to Guy Laliberté in 2008. The year before, Guy Laliberté took the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for all three levels: Quebec, Canada and international. In 2004, he received the Order of Canada, the highest distinction in the country, from the Governor General of Canada. The same year, he was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2003, he was honored by the Condé Nast group as part of the Never Follow Program, a tribute to creators and innovators. In 2001, he was named a Great Montrealer by the Académie des Grands Montréalais. In 1997, Guy Laliberté received the National Order of Quebec, the highest distinction awarded by the Government of Quebec.[9] On November 22, 2010, he and Cirque du Soleil were honored with the 2,424th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[15]