Jeffrey Lurie Wife, Children, Girlfriend, Family, Divorce, Net Worth

Quick Facts

Jeffrey Lurie is an American billionaire whose portfolio includes being a movie producer and owner of the “Philadelphia Eagles” and New England Patriots of the National Football League. He has also had a stint as a University professor too.

Lurie was born on September 8, 1951, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Clark University and went on to bag a masters in Psychology from Boston University and a doctorate in social policy from Brandeis University. For his thesis, he wrote a riveting piece about the depiction of women in Hollywood movies. After his doctorate, he took up employment as an adjunct professor of social policy at Boston University, the school where he had earned his masters.

Career

All this while, the company his grandfather founded had been run by his uncle, Richard A. Smith. The company had changed to Harcourt General Inc. to fit its ever-growing acquisition of ventures outside its original industry. Lurie left his job as a professor to join the family business in 1983. He served in the capacity of an executive liaison between the Hollywood production community and General Cinema Corporation. He also served in an advisory capacity in The General Cinema National Film buying office.

Two years later, he established a production company, “Chestnut Hill Productions”. The company made a few movies and TV shows between 1988 and 2010. Some of them include 1988’s Sweet Hearts Dance, 1993’s Blind Side and 2010’s Inside Job. Early the following year, the movie Inside Job won the Academy Award for “Best Documentary Film”. Another Oscar followed a couple years later for Inocente.

Lurie is a diehard fan of every Sports team in Boston. He reportedly used to put himself to sleep listening to the Boston Red Sox on his radio. The Luries have also attended games in every season since the New England Patriots franchise was established in 1960.

Lurie’s love for the sport in Boston led him to try to purchase the New England Patriots in 1993. His attempt ended in a failure because his uncle Richard cancelled the purchase for financial reasons when the bidding hit $150 million.

After a reported attempt where Lurie tried to buy the Los Angeles Rams, he shifted his focus back to Boston. This time, his Uncle gave him the green light to buy the Philadelphia Eagles. Himself and his mother, Nancy Lurie, had to take out a $190 million loan for the purchase from the Bank of Boston.

Lurie put up a chunk of his personal stock in Harcourt General and GC Companies Inc., as equity capital. He and his mother also had to put up their ownership stake in the family trust as collateral for the rest of the money to come through. On May 6, 1994, Lurie successfully purchased the football franchise.

The risk Jeffrey Lurie took appears to have paid off big time. According to a Forbes report as at 2015, the club was valued at $2.4 billion. Another success came in the form of the fifty-second edition of the Super Bowl on February 4, 2018. Jeffrey Lurie’s Philadelphia Eagles, who were largely seen as the underdogs, beat the Patriots to the title. They by a score of 41 – 33. This was Lurie’s first title as the owner of the Eagles. Their last NFL title was in 1960 when Lurie was still a young boy.

Jeffrey Lurie’s Wife, Divorce and Girlfriend

While Jeffrey was the head of Chestnut Hill productions, he met Christina Weiss during a pre-production meeting of his 1990 movie I Love You To Death. At the time, she was working for the company. Lurie and the former actress tied the knot in 1992 in Switzerland. But the marriage did not last as the couple officially called it quits in August 2012. As part of the divorce settlement, Weiss received a mouth-watering ownership stake in the Philadelphia Eagles. On May 4, 2013, Jeffrey Lurie got remarried to Tina Lai.

Children and Family

The Boston billionaire was born to Morris John Lurie and Nancy Smith. His mother was the daughter of Philip Smith, the founder of General Cinema movie theater chain. His father died at the age of 44 in 1961 and his maternal grandfather, Philip Smith followed soon after in the same year. Lurie was just nine years old at the time.

Lurie’s marriage to Christina Weiss produced two children; a son and a daughter. His son’s name is Julian and his daughter’s name is Milena.

Jeffrey Lurie’s Net Worth

Jeffrey has been working in an executive capacity at his grandfather’s company, General Cinema Corporation since 1983. He is also the owner of the American football franchise The Philadelphia Eagles, a club he purchased in 1994. Also, his club’s bagging of the 2018 Super Bowl championship ought to do a good deal for his net worth.

According to a on February 5th, 2018, the businessman Jeffrey Lurie is worth $2 billion.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.