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Jeffrey Lurie

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Jeffrey Lurie
Lurie in August 2010
Born
Jeffrey Robert Lurie

(1951-09-08) September 8, 1951 (age 73)
Boston, Massachusetts
Alma materClark University
Boston University
Brandeis University
OrganizationPhiladelphia Eagles
TitleChairman/CEO
Term1994–present
Spouse(s)Christina Weiss Lurie (1992–2012; divorced)
Tina Lai (m. 2013)
Parent(s)Nancy Smith Lurie
Morris John Lurie
FamilyPhilip Smith (grandfather)
Richard A. Smith (uncle)
AwardsTwo-time Academy Award winner
Super Bowl LII champion

Jeffrey Robert Lurie (born September 8, 1951) is an American motion picture producer and businessman, and the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).[2]

Early life and education

Lurie was born to a Jewish family[3] in Boston, the son of Nancy (née Smith) and Morris John Lurie. His grandfather Philip Smith founded the General Cinema movie theater chain which was one of the largest operators of drive-in movie theaters in the United States.[4] His uncle is Richard A. Smith. He has two siblings: Peter and Cathy. His father died April 14, 1961 at the age of 44 when Jeffrey was nine years old.

In the late 1960s, General Cinema began acquiring bottling franchises, including a Pepsi bottling operation. General Cinema evolved over the years into Harcourt General Inc., a $3.7 billion conglomerate based in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, with 23,700 employees worldwide. In its heyday it was the nation's fourth largest chain of movie theaters, owned several publishing houses, three insurance companies and a leading global consulting firm. In 1984 Carter Hawley Hale was acquired, which was at the time the tenth largest clothing retailer in the United States, including Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman-Marcus.

Lurie earned a B.A. from Clark University, a master's degree in psychology from Boston University, and a doctorate in social policy from Brandeis University, where he wrote his thesis on the depiction of women in Hollywood movies. He was born to Jewish parents but has spent his adult life as a non-practicing Jew.[5] Prior to entering business, Lurie served as an adjunct assistant professor of social policy at Boston University.

Career

In 1983, he left academia to join General Cinema Corporation, a major film company founded by his grandfather, Philip Smith, and now headed by his uncle, Richard A. Smith. He worked as an executive in the company as a liaison between General Cinema Corporation and the production community in Hollywood. He was also an advisor in The General Cinema national film buying office.

He then founded Chestnut Hill Productions in 1985, which produced a string of Hollywood movie and TV shows.

On February 27, 2011, the Lurie-produced movie Inside Job won an Academy Award (Oscar) for best documentary film.[6] The company also produced television commercials. Two years later he won a second Oscar as Inocente - in which he was executive producer - won for Best Documentary Short Film.[7]

Philadelphia Eagles ownership

As a fan of all the Boston sports teams, Lurie went to games and put himself to sleep listening to the Boston Red Sox on his transistor radio. The Luries had been season-ticket holders since the New England Patriots franchise began in 1960, the year the American Football League was founded. Lurie cheered for Gino Cappelletti, Houston Antwine and Babe Parilli. In 1993, Lurie tried to buy the New England Patriots, but he dropped out of the bidding at $150 million when his uncle Richard Smith nixed the purchase based on the financials.

Lurie's name also had surfaced in sale talks regarding the Los Angeles Rams, and he was a potential investor in a bid for a Baltimore expansion team with Robert Tisch, who subsequently bought 50% of the New York Giants. Five months later, Smith agreed to let his nephew buy the Philadelphia Eagles. Lurie contacted Norman Braman, then-owner of the Eagles. Lurie bought the Philadelphia Eagles on May 6, 1994 from Braman for $195 million. Lurie and his mother, Nancy Lurie Marks of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts — the only daughter of Philip Smith — borrowed $190 million from the Bank of Boston to buy the Eagles.[8] To back the Bank of Boston loan, Lurie put up millions of dollars' worth of personal stock in Harcourt General and GC Companies Inc., as equity capital.[8] Additionally, he and his mother pledged their stock in the family trust as collateral so Lurie could borrow the rest.[8]

The club is now estimated to be worth $2.65 billion, as valued in 2017 by Forbes which ranks them 10th in the NFL in terms of team value.[9]

On February 4, 2018, the Eagles upset the Patriots, and won Super Bowl LII by the score of 41–33, giving Lurie his first title as Eagles owner. The victory evened the score with New England, as the only other Lurie era Super Bowl appearance was a 24-21 loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Personal life

In a pre-production meeting for I Love You To Death, Lurie met Christina Weiss, a former actress who was working for his production company.[10] In 1992, Lurie married Weiss in Gstaad, Switzerland. They had two children: a son Julian and a daughter Milena.[10] In 2012, the couple announced that they were divorcing; the divorce was finalized in August 2012.[11] She received a "sizeable" ownership interest in the Philadelphia Eagles as part of the divorce settlement.[12] On May 4, 2013, he married Tina Lai.[13]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ "Jeffrey Lurie".
  2. ^ "The World's Billionaires – #1472 Jeffrey Lurie". Forbes. November 5, 2014.
  3. ^ Dempsey, John Mark (October 13, 2006). Sports-talk Radio in America: Its Context and Culture. Routledge. p. 117. ISBN 9780789025906.
  4. ^ Monte Burke (February 28, 2011). "Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie Wins Oscar, Joins NFC East Film-Buff Brethren". Forbes.
  5. ^ Fox, Ashley (July 21, 2010). "Christina Lurie helped shape the Eagles vision". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  6. ^ Vinnie Iyer (February 28, 2011). "Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie wins Oscar for 'Inside Job'". Sporting News.
  7. ^ a b "Lurie And Weiss Lurie Win Second Oscar".
  8. ^ a b c Didinger, Ray; Lyons, Robert S. The Eagles Encyclopedia. Temple University Press. pp. 135–137.
  9. ^ "The Business Of Football". September 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Christina Lurie helped shape the Eagles vision [The Philadelphia Inquirer]". July 21, 2010.
  11. ^ ESPN: "Jeffrey Lurie, wife Christina to divorce" July 5, 2012
  12. ^ New York Post: "Eagles duo settle divorce" August 9, 2012
  13. ^ Philly.com: "Jeffrey Lurie gets married" by Zach Berman May 5, 2003
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