| Paul Teutul | |
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Paul Teutul, Sr, is the founder of Orange County Choppers (OCC) |
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| Born | May 1, 1949 Yonkers, New York |
| Occupation | Motorcycle Designer and Builder |
| Spouse | Paula Teutul (divorced) Beth Dillon (2007-present) |
| Children | Paul Jr. Daniel Michael Cristin |
| Website | |
| orangecountychoppers.com | |
Paul John Teutul (born May 1, 1949 in Yonkers, New York) is one of the co-founders of Orange County Choppers, a manufacturer of custom motorcycles and focus of the reality television series American Chopper. Teutul first appeared on the show with his sons Paul Teutul, Jr. and Michael Teutul.
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Teutul grew up in Pearl River, New York.
In a few episodes of American Chopper, Teutul has alluded to past abuse of drugs and alcohol. He has stated that he was a frequent cocaine user and, according to him, "had basically done any drug around".[1] During an episode in which his son Mikey interviewed OCC's staff for the Web site, he asked his father, "What is your best memory?" to which Teutul responded, "Gettin' sober." Additionally, he has mentioned having "missed out" on most of his children's childhood and also stated he wishes to make up for it with his grandchildren.
In the book written by the Teutuls called The Tale of the Teutuls, Teutul reveals that he didn't know his middle name until his mid thirties, and he finds out that he is in fact a legal junior, having the same name as his father, but by then the nickname "senior" had already stuck.
Although he never served in a branch of the United States military during the Vietnam War, Teutul sailed as a member of the Merchant Marine during the war. It is unclear what shipboard department he worked in, or how long he sailed.[2]
Teutul originally started out owning Orange County Ironworks, a fabrication shop now solely owned and managed by son Daniel. He began building custom bikes for pleasure after being inspired by the many custom bikes appearing on the streets and in films.[3] In 1999 he left and co-founded Orange County Choppers with his son Paul Jr and began building bikes for sale.
He has built a reputation on American Chopper for being a hard-nosed businessman and having a short temper.[1] He is also particular about neatness, often yelling (at least in the earlier episodes of American Chopper) about the disorganization and cleanliness of the shop, and being described by Michael at one point as being "like Martha Stewart on a motorcycle."[1] Teutul has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. In early 2007, he was also featured in an online advertising campaign by the Wall Street Journal that featured celebrity readers[4].
He has been featured in the music video for Nickelback's "Rockstar", and also in the television programs Long Way Round starring Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman and on King of The Hill in Season 10, Episode 10 titled Hank Fixes Everything. Along with his son Paul Jr., Teutul played a small role in the 2007 film Wild Hogs. As part of the agreement with the My Name Is Earl bike, they were also featured on an episode of the show. In a 2008 episode, they can be seen fighting in a make-shift bike shop as Earl steals a bike parked outside.
Teutul and OCC have been the defendants of a number of legal actions. They include claims from former employees, including Cody Connelly for a bike he was apparently given on the show but never got to keep, as well as unauthorized use of his name and likeness.[5] Another action involved a subcontractor, Justin Barnes, whose original designs were copied on merchandise without his permission and appropriate compensation (Case 09-cv-04914-CS 05/26/2009).[6]
A lawsuit in 2007 alleging fraud, brought on behalf of Turner Construction (Teutul, Paul Jr and Daniel are named in the petition).[7] This dates back to 2003 and a ruling in favor of Turner in 2005 [8] concerning the original OC Iron Works company. It is alleged that assets were stripped from OC Ironworks, transferring the viable assets, contracts and personnel to a new company OC Ironworks LLC, before bankrupting the former. OC Ironworks LLC is owned entirely by Daniel Teutul (a third son). This involved transferring the ownership to Paul Jr and selling the assets with unfair compensation to the new company. Trustee Tom Genova filed compliant with Bankruptcy Court and sought to have the transfers from the old company to the new company judged fraudulent and set aside. He also sought to make the new company liable for the old company's debts. A settlement was reached between Orange County Ironworks LLC and Tom Genova with Orange County Ironworks LLC agreeing to pay out $500,000.[9] Teutul has filed a lawsuit against his son, Paul Jr., to sue him to sell his share of OCC as per an agreement. The suit also includes a claim for $1 million for damages for misappropriation of assets and "competitive business activities."
On February 6, 2011, it was reported that Teutul's name and personal information appeared on business records in connection with a Florida dentist's indictment for steroids distribution. The records show Teutul received thousands of dollars worth of steroids over a multi-year period.[10]
On March 18, 2011, the Times Herald-Record reported that Orange County Choppers was considering abandoning the OCC world headquarters (in foreclosure), located in Newburgh, NY, and constructing a new 25,000 sq ft (2,300 m2) building adjacent to the current facility on behalf of a company referred to as G&M Orange LLC, which lists Teutul as its owner.[11]
In addition to Paul Teutul, Jr. and Michael Teutul, he also has another son, Daniel, who is the general manager and owner of Orange County Ironworks, and a daughter, Cristin. Daniel was seen on American Chopper building the new headquarters building. Teutul is divorced from his first wife Paula and married his second wife, Beth Dillon, in July 2007. Beth has two sons of her own from her previous marriage: Burton Dillon III and Brent Dillon, aged 35 and 33 respectively.[12][13] Paul's regular arguments with his sons became a routine occurrence during episodes of American Chopper. These vocal disagreements eventually led to Paul Jr. being fired in April 2009. Paul Jr. has since started a design business called Paul Jr. Designs.[12]
A significant part of Teutul's image are his numerous tattoos. He has been known to acquire tattoos from time to time in order to express a feeling or to make a point. For example when he became frustrated about the location of OCC being frequently confused with Orange County in California, he obtained a tattoo on his left arm with the designation OCC New York in order to make the distinction clear.[1] This tattoo session was taped and was shown as part of an episode of American Chopper. Another example is the tattoo he received from Ami James, renowned tattoo artist from the shop (and fellow TLC show) Miami Ink, a portrait piece of his pet Bull Mastiff, Marty, to go along with an earlier portrait of his older Bull Mastiff, Gus (Gussy) whose full name is August, which was done by another tattoo artist.[1][14]
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