Calouste Gulbenkian’s Net Worth, Biography, Career, Awards, Fact and Life Story

What was Calouste Gulbenkian’s Net Worth?Calouste Gulbenkian was a British-Armenian oil magnate and philanthropist who had a net worth equal to $8.6 billion at the peak of his life, after adjusting for inflation. Without adjusting for inflation, Calouste’s fortune was estimated to be worth $200 – $800 million in the early 1950s.Calouste Gulbenkian is considered to be the first person to exploit oil in Iraq. Notably, he was integral in making Middle Eastern petroleum reserves accessible to the West. Gulbenkian was also renowned for his prolific philanthropy, which included the establishment of hospitals, schools, churches.Early Life and EducationCalouste Gulbenkian was born on March 23, 1869 in Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire. His family is believed to be descended from the Armenian noble family the Rshtunis. Gulbenkian’s father, Sarkis, was an Armenian importer and exporter of oil who owned oil fields in the Caucasus. As a youth, Gulbenkian went to the local school Aramyan-Uncuyan. He subsequently went to the French school Lycée Saint-Joseph, and then attended Robert College. In 1884, Gulbenkian dropped his studies to move to Marseille, where he sought to perfect his French speaking skills. He went on to attend King’s College London to study petroleum engineering, and graduated at the age of 18.Career BeginningsA year after graduating from King’s College, Gulbenkian traveled to Baku, Azerbaijan to advance his understanding of the oil industry. From his studies, he penned an article for the literary and cultural affairs magazine Revue des deux Mondes. Following this, Gulbenkian was tasked by Ottoman Minister of Finance Hagop Pasha with preparing an oil survey of Mesopotamia. Ultimately, his survey convinced Pasha that Mesopotamia housed vast oil deposits; Pasha consequently obtained tracts of land and established the Ottoman oil industry. Soon, Gulbenkian began his own oil business.In 1896, Gulbenkian and his family were forced to flee the Ottoman Empire due to the genocide of Armenians. Ending up in Egypt, Gulbenkian met oil magnate and philanthropist Alexander Mantashev, who introduced him to a number of influential contacts based in Cairo. Gulbenkian soon moved to London, and became a naturalized British citizen in 1902.Mr. Five Per Cent Gulbenkian made one of his first major moves in the oil industry in 1907, when he aided in the merger of Royal Dutch Petroleum Company with Shell Transport and Trading Company. He subsequently became a significant shareholder in the newly created Royal Dutch Shell. Due to his policy of keeping 5% of the shares of this and other oil companies he formed, Gulbenkian was dubbed “Mr. Five Per Cent.”Among his other oil industry milestones, Gulbenkian was the catalyst for the creation of the Turkish Petroleum Company, a consortium of the biggest oil companies in Europe that aimed to obtain oil development rights in Mesopotamia. Following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish Petroleum Company was given exclusive rights for Mesopotamian oil exploration. In 1929, the company was renamed the Iraq Petroleum Company. Later, in 1938, Gulbenkian incorporated a company from Panama to hold his oil industry assets; this resulted in the Partex Oil and Gas Corporation.PhilanthropyBeyond the oil industry, Gulbenkian was famous for his prolific philanthropic endeavors. He made numerous large donations to hospitals, schools, and churches, and necessitated that 5% of his share of oil profits go to families in the United States. Among his many notable contributions, Gulbenkian established the St. Sarkis Armenian church in London and was behind the establishment of a library at the St. James Cathedral.Art CollectionDue to the massive fortune he gained from his work in oil, Gulbenkian amassed a large art collection. He kept the collection in a private museum in his four-story, three-basement home in Paris. Overall, Gulbenkian collected more than 6,400 artworks over the course of his lifetime, dating from antiquity to the 20th century. He also commissioned certain works, including over 140 pieces from glass designer René Lalique. Today, most of Gulbenkian’s collection is exhibited at the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon, Portugal, which was founded in accordance with his will.Government PositionsFollowing the royalist countercoup in the Ottoman Empire in 1909, Gulbenkian served as a financial adviser to the Turkish embassies in Paris and London. When the French government escaped to Vichy, he went with and became the minister for Iran. Later, Gulbenkian became the chief financial adviser to the Turkish government, and was a director of the National Bank of Turkey.Personal Life and LegacyGulbenkian was married to Nevarte Essayan, with whom he had two children named Nubar and Rita.Nubar Gulbenkian, who is pictured below, became notable in his own right for a number of reasons. Nubar initially worked for his father’s empire as an unpaid intern. He had a falling out with the company after he was not allowed to expense a $4.50 lunch. In anger, Nubar quit and decided to sue his father for $10 million. This experience directly caused Calouste to adjust his will to leave approximately $420 million in personal wealth that would have gone to his children, to his foundation instead.Nubar did ultimately inherit several million dollars from his father and was a very wealthy and eccentric man. During World War II, Nubar helped establish and support the underground network that supplied the allied armies.Essayan passed away in 1952; Gulbenkian passed three years later at the age of 86 at the lavish Aviz Hotel in Lisbon.When he died, Gulbenkian had a reported fortune of somewhere between $280 million and $840 million. Some of this fortune was willed to his descendants, with the remainder going to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which was founded in 1956. Now among the wealthiest charitable groups in the world, the Foundation is committed to promoting education, science, the arts, and philanthropy. It hosts several initiatives and institutions, including the Gulbenkian Science Institute and the Gulbenkian Orchestra.
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Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Net Worth, Biography, Career, Awards, Fact and Life Story

What is Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Net Worth and Salary?Hidetaka Miyazaki is a Japanese designer, scriptwriter, and creative director who has a net worth of $100 million. Hidetaka Miyazaki serves as the president of the video game company FromSoftware. He is best known for directing such games as “Bloodborne,” “Sekiro,” “Elden Ring,” and the “Souls” series. Considered an auteur in the video game world, Miyazaki’s work is characterized by dense background information and a high level of difficulty.Early LifeHidetaka Miyazaki was born in the mid-70s in Shizuoka, Japan. Growing up largely without means, he was unable to afford many books, and instead borrowed extensively from the local library. Miyazaki read various English science-fiction and fantasy books even though he didn’t understand the language; mainly, he would focus on the accompanying illustrations. Prohibited by his parents from playing video games, he played tabletop games such as “Dungeons & Dragons.” As a young adult, Miyazaki went to Keio University, graduating with a social science degree.Career BeginningsFollowing his college graduation, Miyazaki landed a job as an account manager for the Oracle Corporation, based in Austin, Texas. He realized his true calling, however, after a friend recommended that he play the action-adventure video game “Ico.” Captivated, Miyazaki decided to change his career path to pursue game design. At first he had trouble getting employed, as he found that few game companies were willing to employ him due to his lack of design experience. An exception was FromSoftware, which hired him in 2004. Miyazaki’s first role there was as a planner on the vehicular combat game “Armored Core: Last Raven.” He went on to direct 2006’s “Armored Core 4” and its 2008 sequel “Armored Core: For Answer.”Breakthrough with the “Souls” SeriesAt FromSoftware, Miyazaki learned about the project that would eventually become “Demon’s Souls.” Excited by the premise of the fantasy-action role-playing game, he offered his help. The company was so skeptical about the potential of the game that it ultimately ceded full control to Miyazaki. Despite initially being met with a negative reception at the Tokyo Game Show in 2009 and selling far below expectations upon its release, “Demon’s Souls” began picking up steam over the subsequent months. Soon, publishers outside of Japan were taking notice. “Demon’s Souls” went on to become both a critical and commercial success in the West, being lauded for its degree of difficulty and its addicting gameplay. Miyazaki subsequently directed 2011’s “Dark Souls,” a spiritual sequel to “Demon’s Souls.” Due to his success, in 2014 he was promoted to president of FromSoftware. Miyazaki went on to supervise the development of “Dark Souls II” and to direct “Dark Souls III.”Further GamesMiyazaki is responsible for several other popular games beyond the “Souls” series. Among them, he directed “Bloodborne,” an action role-playing game released in 2015 for the PlayStation 4. As with Miyazaki’s previous work, the game was praised for its high degree of difficulty, rich atmosphere and sound design, and Lovecraftian themes. Miyazaki later directed the 2018 virtual reality game “Déraciné,” a first-person adventure game using the PlayStation VR headset. Following this, he directed the 2019 action-adventure game “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice,” which is set in a fictionalized Japan in the Sengoku historical period. Acclaimed by critics, the game received numerous nominations and awards, including the Game Award for Game of the Year. Miyazaki had further success with 2022’s “Elden Ring,” which was made in collaboration with fantasy author George R. R. Martin of “A Song of Ice and Fire” fame. Within three weeks of its release, “Elden Ring” sold 12 million copies worldwide.InfluencesMiyazaki has cited a wide range of influences on his design work. He has named such video games as “Ico,” “Dragon Quest,” “The Legend of Zelda,” and the “King’s Field” series. Miyazaki has also cited the influence of manga series such as “Devilman,” “Berserk,” and “Saint Seiya.” Among his myriad of other inspirations, he has mentioned the literature of Bram Stoker and H. P. Lovecraft. On broader aesthetic and thematic levels, Miyazaki has been inspired by European architecture, environmental storytelling, sociology, and psychology.Working MethodAs a video game director, Miyazaki typically writes most of the narrative and dialogue himself; he also has final say on the design of characters and levels. He prefers to use death in his games as a learning tool through which players can experiment with trial and error. Along the same lines, Miyazaki strives to create stories that players can interpret in their own ways, and crafts his games to be especially difficult so that players can feel a sense of achievement by beating them.
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Michael Giacchino’s Net Worth, Biography, Career, Awards, Fact and Life Story

What is Michael Giacchino’s Net Worth and Salary?Michael Giacchino is a film, television, and video game composer, best known for his scores to numerous Pixar films, “Mission: Impossible” films, and Marvel Cinematic Universe films. For his work on the 2009 Pixar film “Up,” he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Giacchino’s other composer credits have included the films “Super 8,” “Zootopia,” “War for the Planet of the Apes,” and “The Batman,” as well as the television series “Lost,” “Alias,” and “Fringe.”Early Life and EducationMichael Giacchino was born on October 10, 1967 in Riverside Township, New Jersey, and was raised in Edgewater Park Township. He is of Italian descent on both his mother’s and father’s sides, and has a younger brother named Anthony who is an Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker. Giacchino began experimenting with filmmaking when he was 10, creating stop-motion animated films and soundtracks in his basement. As a teen, he went to Holy Cross High School in Delran Township, New Jersey, graduating in 1986. There, his art teacher recommended that he apply to New York City’s School of Visual Arts for his higher education. After visiting the school with his parents, Giacchino applied, and was ultimately accepted. At SVA, he majored in film production with a minor in history; as a senior, he landed a six-month internship at Universal Pictures. Giacchino graduated with his BFA in 1990, and went on to take classes at the Juilliard School and UCLA.Career Beginnings in Video GamesFollowing the conclusion of his internship at Universal, Giacchino was hired by the company. From there, he eventually moved to Disney, where he worked in publicity. In that position, Giacchino interacted with a myriad of film personnel who gave him valuable connections. As a result, he landed a producer job at the video game developer Disney Interactive Studios. Giacchino went on to compose numerous video game scores for the company; his early credits included the Sega Genesis game “Gargoyles” and the SNES game “Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow.” He later had his first major composition for the DreamWorks video game adaptation of the 1997 film “The Lost World: Jurassic Park.” Notably, the game was among the first PlayStation titles to feature a live orchestral score. Following this, Giacchino composed the score for the 1998 video game adaptation of the film “Small Soldiers.”Film ScoringGiacchino had his first major film score in 2004 with the Pixar animated superhero film “The Incredibles.” In a departure from previous Pixar scores, which had all been composed by Randy Newman or Thomas Newman, Giacchino’s score featured a uniquely peppy jazz orchestral style. “The Incredibles” marked the beginning of a long partnership with Pixar. Giacchino next scored the studio’s 2007 film “Ratatouille,” which earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score. Two years later, he scored Pixar’s “Up,” this time winning the Academy Award. Giacchino went on to score Pixar’s “Cars 2,” “Inside Out,” “Coco,” “Incredibles 2,” and “Lightyear.”Beyond Pixar, Giacchino has maintained close partnerships with numerous filmmakers, and has provided the scores to multiple popular franchises. For J. J. Abrams, he has composed scores for the “Mission: Impossible” and “Star Trek” franchises, as well as for “Super 8.” For Matt Reeves, he composed the scores for “Cloverfield,” “Let Me In,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “War for the Planet of the Apes,” and “The Batman.” Giacchino has also worked frequently with Colin Trevorrow, scoring his “Jurassic World” films and “The Book of Henry”; and with Taika Waititi, scoring “Jojo Rabbit” and “Thor: Love and Thunder.” Among Giacchino’s other notable film composer credits are “Sky High,” “Speed Racer,” “John Carter,” “Jupiter Ascending,” “Zootopia,” “Doctor Strange,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”Television ScoringGiacchino broke through as a television composer in 2001, when J. J. Abrams asked him to provide the soundtrack to his new series “Alias.” The pair collaborated again on Abrams’ next show, “Lost,” which debuted in 2004. For his work on the “Lost” pilot episode, Giacchino won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Primetime Series (Dramatic Underscore). Elsewhere on television, he composed the score for the series “Six Degrees,” and co-composed the score for the first season of “Fringe” with Chad Seiter and Chris Tilton in 2008. Later, Giacchino did the scores for the pilot episodes of “Undercovers” and “Alcatraz.” In addition to scoring regular series, Giacchino has done the soundtracks for a number of television animated specials, such as “Toy Story of Terror!” and the “Prep & Landing” series of Christmas specials. He also composed the score for the 2005 television film “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz.”Other CompositionsAmong his other composing work, Giacchino created new soundtracks for Disneyland’s Space Mountain attractions in Anaheim, Paris, and Hong Kong. In 2009, he conducted the Academy Awards orchestra for the 81st edition of the ceremony. Additionally, he composed the 100th Anniversary Paramount Pictures logo fanfare, as well as the new Marvel Studios logo fanfare. Giacchino has also continued to work on video game soundtracks, scoring such titles as “Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction,” “Turning Point: Fall of Liberty,” “Call of Duty,” and the first four installments in the “Medal of Honor” series.
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John Roberts’s Net Worth, Biography, Career, Awards, Fact and Life Story

What is John Roberts’ Net Worth and Salary?John Roberts is an American lawyer who has a net worth of $17 million. As of this writing, that makes John Roberts the richest justice on the Supreme Court. John Roberts became the 17th chief justice of the United States Supreme Court in 2005 after being nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush.Early LifeRoberts was born on January 27, 1955 in Buffalo, New York to parents Rosemary and John Roberts Sr. He has three sisters – Kathy, Peggy, and Barbara. Roberts spent much of his early childhood in Hamburg, New York because his father worked as an electrical engineer there. At the age of ten, Roberts moved with his family to Long Beach, Indiana where his father became the manager of a steel plant. Roberts attended La Lumiere School and became captain of the football team and also became a regional champion in wrestling. He also participated in choir and drama and was and editor for the school newspaper. He graduated at the top of his high school class in 1973.Roberts then began studying history at Harvard University. While a student there, a number of his papers won prizes for outstanding scholarship. During the summers in between school years, he returned home to work in his father’s steel plan. He graduated from Harvard in 1976 and decided to remain at Harvard to attend law school. He became the managing editor of the Harvard Law Review and graduated in 1979 with high honors.SalaryAs Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts earns a salary of $277 thousand per year. That’s roughly $10,000 more than his fellow justices.CareerAfter completing his legal education, Roberts clerked for judge Henry Friendly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He then clerked for U.S. Supreme Court justice William Rehnquist. Following his two clerkships, Roberts worked for the U.S. government in the administration of President Ronald Reagan. He first worked as special assistant to U.S. Attorney General William French Smith from 1981 to 1982 and then as an associate with the White House Counsel from 1982 to 1986.After working in the public sphere, Roberts entered private practice in Washington, D.C. as an associate at the law firm Hogan & Hartson. He primarily worked in the field of corporate law. After a few years there, he joined the administration of president George H. W. Bush as Principal Deputy Solicitor General in 1989. In 1992, President Bush nominated Roberts to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, though no Senate vote was held and his nomination expired.After Bush was defeated by Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential election, Roberts returned to Hogan & Hartson as a partner. He led the firm’s appellate practice and also began teaching as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center. He argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court during this time and prevailed in 25 of them.In May of 2001, President George W. Bush nominated Roberts to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. However, he again had to wait until the Republicans took back control of the Senate in 2003. Roberts was again nominated and confirmed to the court in May of 2003.Roberts remained on the court until 2005, when President Bush nominated him to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court left after justice Sandra Day O’Connor retired. However, Chief Justice Rehnquist died while Roberts’ confirmation was pending. President Bush then withdrew his nomination and resubmitted Roberts’ name for chief justice. Roberts was confirmed by what was, at the time, the narrowest margin in the Senate.Roberts took the judicial oath in September of 2005. Since his time on the Court, Roberts has been described as an advocate for conservative principles and traditional legal methods. He has also been described as being more moderate than many of the traditionally conservative justices of the past. He has shown a willingness to work with the Court’s liberal bloc and has been considered a swing vote from time to time, depending on the composition of the court. He has also been outspoken about the justices’ not remaining loyal to the political party responsible for their original nomination.During his time on the Supreme Court, Roberts has authored a number of landmark decisions including Riley v. California, Shelby County v. Holder, and National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius. The latter decision upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by a vote of 5-4, though it also overturned portions of the law.Roberts has also indicated at times that he supports some restrictions on access to abortion. He also struck down voting rights protections provided by the Voting Rights Act. As Chief Justice, he presided over the first impeachment trial of Donald Trump in early 2020. However, he declined to preside over the second impeachment trial as Trump’s term as president had already expired.Personal LifeRoberts has been married to his wife, Jane Sullivan, since July 27, 1996. Sullivan is also a lawyer. The couple have two adopted children – John and Josephine. Roberts is one of 15 Catholic judges who have served as justices on the Supreme Court.Roberts suffered a mysterious seizure in 2007 while at his vacation home in Maine. Physicians found no identifiable cause and an official statement from the Supreme Court said there was no cause for concern.
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