Gerard Louis-Dreyfus

Gerard Louis-Dreyfus Biography

William Louis-Dreyfus (born Gérard C. Louis-Dreyfus; June 21, 1932) is a French-born American businessman. His net worth was estimated at $3.4 billion by Forbes in 2006. He is the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services and the great grandson of Léopold Louis-Dreyfus, founder of Louis Dreyfus Group. He is the father of Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Life and career

Louis-Dreyfus was born in Paris. His great-grandfather Léopold Louis-Dreyfus founded the Louis Dreyfus Group in 1851. His mother, Dolores Porges (née Neubauer), was American-born. His father was Pierre Louis-Dreyfus (1908-2011), a French Jew who headed the Louis Dreyfus group and fought in the French Resistance during World War II. In 1940, Louis-Dreyfus moved to the United States with his mother after her divorce from Pierre. By 1945 he had adopted the name William as a symbol of his integration into American society.

After graduating from Duke University and Duke University School of Law, Louis-Dreyfus worked at the law firm of Dewey Ballantine, New York, before joining Louis Dreyfus in 1965.

Louis-Dreyfus was chairman of the Poetry Society of America from 1998-2008. He is also a poet who has had poems published in publications such as The Hudson Review.

Politics

In October 2012, Dreyfus published a full page ad in the New York Times named 'A Call To Arms To The Wealthy To Protect The Right To Vote' in a bid to encourage fellow voters to contribute to protect their voting rights. Dreyfus himself donated $1 million.

Family

Immediate family

First Wife: Judith Bowles. Divorced, 1962.

Child With Judith Bowles:

Emmy winning-actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, born January 13, 1961, co-star, in the role of Elaine Benes, of the hit NBC television sitcom Seinfeld, star of the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, and star of HBO series Veep.

Second Wife: Phyllis B. Louis-Dreyfus.

Children With Phyllis Louis-Dreyfus:

social worker Phoebe "?milie Dominique Louis-Dreyfus Eavis (born May 1968), she married financial journalist Peter Eavis in 1996.
social worker Emma R. Louis-Dreyfus (born 1974).

Cousins

One cousin is Jean Louis-Dreyfus, grandson of the family business founder, Léopold Louis-Dreyfus. Another cousin is Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the former chief executive officer of Adidas.