Their fortunes are counted in numbers with many zeros, however, when it comes to parting with even a tiny fraction of their wealth, some of the famous and wealthy show amazing stinginess. This feature, to one degree or another, manifests itself in many famous people and does not depend either on how they came to fame and fortune, or on the type of their current occupations and lifestyle. The list of the most greedy celebrities of the magazine "Dengi" includes world-famous movie stars, and popular entertainers, and successful entrepreneurs.
Stingy billionaires
The champion among the most stingy billionaires should be recognized as oil tycoon John Paul Getty Sr., who was once considered the richest man in the world and left a fortune of $ 4 billion after his death in 1976. The legitimate heirs, of whom there were 19 people, fought for a long time in the courts for his fortune, most of which, however, went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Los Angeles, which still bears the name of its main sponsor. However, the former owner of the oil company Getti Oil became famous not as a sophisticated patron of high art, but as the most stingy rich man in the world, whose stinginess was legendary. So, on his 16th-century English estate, Sutton Place, the thrifty Mr. Getty is said to have installed payphones so that his guests pay for their phone calls out of their own pocket. However, the peak of the American billionaire's achievements in terms of stinginess was his refusal to pay a ransom for his grandson John Paul III, who was the victim of a high-profile kidnapping in 1973. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of $17 million, but the billionaire flatly refused to part with the money. And only when a parcel arrived in one of the Roman newspapers with a piece of the ear of the kidnapped heir to the oil king, John Paul Getty had to reluctantly reconsider his position. But even after that, he remained true to himself and agreed to pay only part of the ransom, namely $ 2.7 million, citing the fact that this was all he could collect. Fortunately for the 16-year-old, the police managed to find him alive and well in the Naples region and free him from captivity, in which he spent five months.
By the way, the son of John Paul Getty Sr. turned out to be the exact opposite of his father: he became one of the most generous philanthropists in the UK, where he moved in the mid-1970s. For his generosity, Mr. Getty Jr., who donated a total of $150 million to good causes, including helping striking miners and the London National Gallery, received an MBE and a knighthood.
Today's rich can hardly compete with Mr. Getty Sr. in terms of stinginess, but they also show an amazing ability for people in their position to save on trifles. Thus, the second richest person in the world (the first, of course, Bill Gates), American financier Warren Buffett, whose fortune is estimated by the American magazine Forbes at $44 billion, still lives in the same modest house in Omaha, Nebraska, which they My wife and I bought it 40 years ago for $30,000.
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| David Beckham's wife Victoria prefers to buy things in cheap stores |
| Photo: AP |
Dutch-born British millionaire Nicholas von Hoogstraten, who earned $720 million in real estate, got into trouble in July 2002: he was sentenced to ten years for the murder of a business partner with whom he quarreled over money. However, a year later, Mr. Hoogstraten was again at large, since the Court of Appeal found that procedural norms had been violated during the trial and therefore the decision of the first instance was invalid. Investigators who ransacked the millionaire's home said they found a stockpile of used tea bags in the kitchen, which Mr. Hoogstraten was carefully drying for reuse.
British millionaire Sir Terence Conran, whose fortune exceeds $162 million, also saves on food. He never throws out food that sometimes sits in the fridge for weeks, and regularly checks the trash can for anything edible. Who knows if not a businessman who made a fortune in the restaurant business.
And the richest Swede, Hans Rausing, founder and former co-owner of Tetra Pak packaging materials company living in the British Isles (Forbes magazine estimates his fortune at $8.2 billion), is second to none in terms of savings. Having moved to the UK in the early 80s from his native Sweden, where he, like other local rich people, was taxed exorbitantly, Hans Rausing became famous for driving around Sussex, which became his native, in an old Morris Minor (the British analogue of the Soviet Zaporozhets) and bargained frantically for tomatoes at the local grocery store. A few years ago, he decided it was time to change the Morris Minor for something more impressive, and bought himself a 12-year-old Niva, which he is very pleased with.
stingy stars
The legendary Paul McCartney is distinguished by forgetfulness bordering on avarice. At a birthday party for his young wife, Sir Paul, who is considered one of the richest show business figures in the world with his $ 1.26 billion, offered his numerous guests a rich treat, but forgot about the booze, for which the guests were forced to pay from your pocket. On another occasion, he generously thanked the stagehand who carried the equipment during his tour of America by giving him one bottle of beer. Sir Paul does not spoil his dogs either: he never buys meat for them. However, greed is not the reason. Being a vegetarian, Sir Paul believes that there is no place for meat-eaters in his environment. By the way, once he fired one of his employees, who allowed himself to dine a hamburger from McDonald`s.
Paul McCartney's colleague Sir Mick Jagger, who is significantly inferior to Sir Paul in wealth (his fortune is estimated at $ 315 million), tries to be in no way inferior to his old competitor on the stage. The vocalist of the legendary band The Rolling Stones lived in the same house with his ex-wife Jerry Hall for many years and was forced to move to another place of residence only after Mrs. Hall finally became unbearable to see the young girlfriend of her ex-husband Lauren Scott in this house. Like Sir Paul, Sir Mick prefers not to spoil his employees with expensive gifts and usually gives them houseplants in pots for Christmas.
Another famous British musician, Rod Stewart, who, like all Scots, does not like to throw money down the drain, once was not too lazy to return halfway to a Los Angeles restaurant only to demand a refund for a bottle of mineral water, which he didn't order.
Pop star Madonna, who has earned $ 150 million in her brilliant career, is also used to counting every penny. She regularly checks the phone bills that come into her Kensington mansion and deducts phone charges from the servants' pay.
Among movie stars there are many who can compete with pop stars in terms of stinginess. So, the famous actor of the golden age of Hollywood, Cary Grant, did not stint on a brand new Rolls-Royce, but when it came time to change the brakes, he refused to pay for four pairs of pads, considering this waste excessive. In his opinion, it was enough to change the pads on one wheel.
Two years ago, one of the brightest stars in Hollywood, Jennifer Lopez, who earned $ 17 million over the past year, strictly forbade her then fiancé Ben Affleck to tip the waitresses of a casino in Las Vegas. And when she found out that Mr. Affleck gave the croupier $ 3 thousand for professional work, she forced the casino employee to return the money.
But the famous British comedian Tommy Cooper was not so straightforward. It is said that when Mr. Cooper used taxi services, he used to put something in the driver's pocket and say: "That's your tip, old chap." Then it turned out that it was a real tip - a tea bag.
Fisted Politicians
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has come under fire for making his love of holidays in Barbados too expensive for taxpayers. He was advised next time to choose places to stay within the British Isles.
In contrast, the famous Scottish politician Donald Dewar was much less wasteful in relation to his own person. He never got the chance to buy himself a coat, and went through the dank Scottish winters in the same suit. The late politician, who died in 2000 and left a $2 million legacy, never turned on the central heating in his Glasgow home and made do with a cheap electric heater and boiled water for shaving in a kettle.
His colleague, former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Derry Irwin, became famous for ordering $650 a roll of wallpaper to renovate his Westminster office. Mr Irwin, whose salary was £184,000 ($330,000) a year, was ready to strangle a supermarket cashier for refusing to give him a £1 off coupon.
And the British queen, whose personal fortune reaches $ 450 million, does not disdain trifles. Her Majesty's servants darn rags designed to wipe off dust and alter old sheets. All the newspapers in the royal household are used as bedding for the horses after reading, and the wrapping paper is gently flattened with an iron for reuse.
NIKITA PROKUNIN
Oil tycoon Jean Paul Getty was declared the richest man in the world in 1957 and retained this title until his death. Getty was known for his manic stinginess. The story of how he refused to pay a ransom for his kidnapped grandson formed the plot of the film All the Money in the World, which will be released in Russian theaters on February 22, 2018. But in reality, Getty's obsession with money was even worse.
Paul Getty
By 1966, Getty's fortune was estimated at $1.2 billion, equivalent to nearly $9 billion today. He earned all this money thanks to the oil company Getty Oil. But his stinginess was simply boundless and extended even to the closest people. Greed Getty played a tragic role in the life of his seriously ill son Timothy. He was the son of Paul Getty's fifth and last wife, Teddy Getty Gaston (Louise Dudley). In her memoirs, the ex-wife of an oil tycoon spoke about his wealth and pathological greed.
Teddy Getty Gaston and Timothy Getty
Getty complained that he had to pay his son's hospital bills when he became blind due to a brain tumor. While Timmy was fighting for his life, his father did not see him for four years. When Timothy died at the age of 12, Getty didn't even come to his funeral. Nevertheless, Timmy adored his father.
“He was full of love for his father. Timmy did not know that his father is the richest man in the world. Of course, he heard about it, but he said: “This is what the world sees. I see in him a dear father whom I love.” He missed his dad so much,” Teddy wrote Getty Gaston.
“One day, when I was sitting quietly next to him, he thought about it and said: “When will he return home? I'm sorry I don't have a dad like other boys. Do you think he really loves me? I'd like to talk to him." He never asked for any material things. All he wanted was to see his father. He never took offense that Paul didn't come. He loved him too much, but still needed a father.”
Teddy never forgave Paul for not visiting his son when he was sick and cited this as the reason for their divorce in 1958. In the letters that Teddy sent to her husband during those years, she begged him to come and support her son, but he never did. In 1954, Teddy wrote to Getty:
“I know that you don’t come to us because you don’t want to. I've come to the tragic realization that you don't really care about me and Timmy."
At the time, Paul Getty was in England negotiating a deal with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that would make him America's first billionaire. And Getty not only refused to come home, but also gave his little son false hope. He regularly promised to visit Timmy in the hospital, but did not. And on the phone, he complained to his wife about the bills from the doctors.
Paul was supposed to visit his son in 1952. But the oil tycoon did not set foot on board the Queen Mary, which he did not even tell his family about. Later that year, he wrote Teddy a letter:
In addition, he told his wife that she herself must pay the bill for the pony that Timmy had bought.
“I always wondered why Paul never came to see Timmy. It killed me from the inside and forced me to divorce my husband. After Timmy's death, Paul said: "Do not leave me, and you will be richer than the queen herself." But I refused, I was in too much pain.”
Later, Teddy married her friend William Gaston, they had a daughter, Louise, who works as a director in Los Angeles. Teddy died on April 8, 2017 at the age of 103.
Oil tycoon Jean Paul Getty was declared the richest man in the world in 1957 and retained this title until his death. Getty was known for his manic stinginess. The story of how he refused to pay a ransom for his kidnapped grandson formed the plot of the film All the Money in the World, which was released in Russian theaters on February 22, 2018. But in reality, Getty's obsession with money was even worse.
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Paul Getty
By 1966, Getty's fortune was estimated at $1.2 billion, equivalent to nearly $9 billion today. He earned all this money thanks to the oil company Getty Oil. But his stinginess was simply boundless and extended even to the closest people. Greed Getty played a tragic role in the life of his seriously ill son Timothy. He was the son of Paul Getty's fifth and last wife, Teddy Getty Gaston (Louise Dudley). In her memoirs, the ex-wife of an oil tycoon spoke about his wealth and pathological greed.
Teddy Getty Gaston and Timothy Getty
Getty complained that he had to pay his son's hospital bills when he became blind due to a brain tumor. While Timmy was fighting for his life, his father did not see him for four years. When Timothy died at the age of 12, Getty didn't even come to his funeral. Nevertheless, Timmy adored his father.
“He was full of love for his father. Timmy did not know that his father is the richest man in the world. Of course, he heard about it, but he said: “This is what the world sees. I see in him a dear father whom I love.” He missed his dad so much,” Teddy wrote Getty Gaston.
“One day, when I was sitting quietly next to him, he thought about it and said:“ When will he return home? I'm sorry I don't have a dad like other boys. Do you think he really loves me? I'd like to talk to him." He never asked for any material things. All he wanted was to see his father. He never took offense that Paul didn't come. He loved him too much, but still needed a father.”
Teddy never forgave Paul for not visiting his son when he was sick and cited this as the reason for their divorce in 1958. In the letters that Teddy sent to her husband during those years, she begged him to come and support her son, but he never did. In 1954, Teddy wrote to Getty:
“I know that you don’t come to us because you don’t want to. I've come to the tragic realization that you don't really care about me and Timmy."
At the time, Paul Getty was in England negotiating a deal with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that would make him America's first billionaire. And Getty not only refused to come home, but also gave his little son false hope. He regularly promised to visit Timmy in the hospital, but did not. And on the phone, he complained to his wife about the bills from the doctors.
Paul was supposed to visit his son in 1952. But the oil tycoon did not set foot on board the Queen Mary, which he did not even tell his family about. Later that year, he wrote Teddy a letter:
In addition, he told his wife that she herself must pay the bill for the pony that Timmy had bought.
“I always wondered why Paul never came to see Timmy. It killed me from the inside and forced me to divorce my husband. After Timmy's death, Paul said: "Do not leave me, and you will be richer than the Queen herself." But I refused, I was in too much pain.”
Later, Teddy married her friend William Gaston, they had a daughter, Louise, who works as a director in Los Angeles. Teddy died on April 8, 2017 at the age of 103.
Lots of weirdos. The $7 billion owner of the Nike sportswear brand dresses horribly. The founder of the IKEA empire has a whopping $28 billion, but he is so greedy that he drives an old Volvo and enjoys discounts for pensioners. The rating of the most extravagant billionaires in the world was compiled by the authoritative British newspaper The Financial Times. Russians also got into it - Google founder Sergey Brin and "vodka tycoon" Rustam Tariko. The latter became famous as the organizer of the most. To win the hearts of foreigners, it was enough for him to feed them with sturgeon and black caviar.
"The most-most" Russians
Russian vodka tycoon Rustam Tariko, at the age of 44, managed to surprise the whole world with the scope of his parties, for which he was awarded a place in the rating. "I just love people, so that there are a lot of them," Tariko was quoted by the FT as saying before the legendary banquet in honor of the presentation of a new vodka in the USA (translated by Inopressa). This party was held at the foot of the Statue of Liberty with the participation of thousands of guests. Tariko treated them to beluga caviar, quail eggs, whole fried sturgeon, suckling pig. The feast was accompanied by a string orchestra playing the music of Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. Tariko is called the first Russian to buy a Maybach and a Mercedes McLaren, as well as a playboy and a wise banker.
The richest ranking lives in America. This is the young one who made $13 billion by creating a search engine for the Internet. The Financial Times called it "the most revolutionary" because. Brin has managed to turn his program into an "internet cult".
The most greedy
IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad has earned $28 billion at the age of 80. At the same time, he is distinguished by fantastic greed. As a child, he bought boxes of matches in bulk and then sold them at a profit one by one to the inhabitants of his Swedish village. He now drives a 12-year-old Volvo and regularly uses a pension discount card. One of the richest people in the world avoids wearing suits, flies economy class and encourages 90,000 IKEA employees to write on both sides of the paper. This seems to be paying off handsomely: Kamprad's furniture sales generate over $15 billion a year, and IKEA, the world's largest furniture store, has more than 200 stores in 33 countries.
The most fabulous
Poor single mother JK Rowling has already earned a billion dollars from fairy tales for her child. On her website, Rowling shares her memories of Harry Potter first appearing on the train from Manchester to London. Not finding a pen and "embarrassed" to borrow it from fellow travelers, she "scrolled the details in her head" all the way. Rowling then began writing her first Harry Potter novel on a second-hand manual typewriter. At the time, she was living on the allowance of a single mother.
A year later, with the help of agent Christopher Little, she sold the manuscript to Bloomsbury. After the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997, this best-selling series made Rowling the first person to make a billion dollars writing books. This year, Pottermania has reached grotesque proportions - an asteroid (Rowling) and a dinosaur skeleton (Dracorex hogwartsia) have been named after her.
most prolific
Saudi Arabian banker Saleh Abdul Aziz al-Raji has seven wives and 60 children. At 94, he is the 84th richest person in the world with a net worth of $6.5 billion. Not surprisingly, the FT notes, with such figures, he has the most offspring among the billionaires on the Forbes list.
To support them, Saleh al-Raji became the second largest shareholder in the Al-Raji family bank, and the group's share price has risen by 89% over the past year. The al-Raji family also announced a new venture with construction company Tameer Holdings, a $270 million 91-story skyscraper in Dubai.
The most "immortal"
Canadian businessman Robert Miller, at the age of 60, made $3 billion selling electromechanical parts. Miller has sufficient funds to invest some of them in incredible and hopeless enterprises. He finances the work of the Arizona Foundation for Cryonic Research - that is, research into the possibilities of deep freezing people. According to some reports, Miller himself, after his death, will undergo cryopreservation with the goal of being revived sometime in the future. In light of the possibility of his "second coming" Miller appears to have set up an additional "personal rebirth fund" to which he will claim when he wakes up - if that happens.
Most fashionable
Spanish sisters Esther and Alicia Koplovitz have earned $6 billion in the garbage and brick business. According to the FT, despite their "dirty" business, they "manage to look stunning." They, according to the newspaper, surpassed even Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren. Esther is a devoted fan of tight, flawless business suits in bright colors, while Alicia, who calls herself the "black sheep" of their family, keeps her mark with elegant dresses and blazers and skirts. One of the sisters' latest acquisitions was the British waste disposal company WRG.
Worst Dressed
The head of Nike, Philip Knight, was the richest man in the world in the 1970s, but with that kind of money, he dresses the worst. He often appears in a baseball cap or cowboy hat with a Nike squiggle, an obviously wrinkled linen suit, and a pair of Oakley glasses—expensive but appallingly gaudy. Nevertheless, Knight is a powerful businessman who runs the multi-billion dollar sportswear empire he founded.
Sexiest
London-based 39-year-old Bjørgolfur Thor Bjørgolfsson has been voted the "sexiest" billionaire. He was the first in Iceland to earn a billion. He has big blue eyes, a disarming smile and an impressive Viking build. His - made with his own hands - fortune began with an attempt to return a good name to the family after his father fell into a scandal in 1986, as a result of which the shipping company of Bjørgolfur Sr. went bankrupt. Bjergolfsson's success, largely due to a massive investment in Iceland's oldest and second largest bank, Landsbanki, inevitably spawns numerous "Viking invasion" jokes and certainly multiplies his sex appeal.
Most touching
More than six years after the bean-stuffed Beanie Babies boom, creator Harold Warner's success story is still overwhelming to many. Launched in 1993, the line of small, loosely stuffed toys has become a phenomenon. Despite the "charm factor" inherent in his toys, Warner, a former failed actor and toy dealer, wisely chose not to send his little ones to the big supermarkets. By limiting the production of some of the Beanie Babies, he reinforced the impression that they were collectibles. Millions of people believed him. Warner donated $6 million to the Andre Agassi Foundation for Children with Developmental Disabilities and recently sent a $1 million humanitarian package of toys to Iraqi children. Warner's net worth is now estimated at $4.4 billion.
Most Politicized
George Soros now owns a fortune of $ 7.2 billion. He is considered not only one of the most respected financiers in the world, but also the most scandalous businessman. In the countries of Asia, whose currencies he once collapsed, they want to put him to death. Born into an ordinary Hungarian family, Soros came to England in 1947 to study at the London School of Economics. From there, he moved to New York, where he rolled up his sleeves and made good money in hedge funds. Having achieved his goal, he concentrated on ideological initiatives. For several decades he has been promoting liberal ideas in Eastern Europe, and recently began to make vehement anti-Bush statements in the United States. The combination of Soros' billions and his political stance has also borne fruit in the form of writings on capitalism, democracy, and finance.
Boat and Vodka Tycoon
Producer of expensive vodka Rustam Tariko recently became famous for having launched the fastest boat in the world. He called her Terrrible, which can be translated into Russian as "Terrible." That's right - with two "g". Three motors of 1000 horsepower each accelerate it to an incredible 90 miles per hour. On this boat, Tariko travels around his beloved Sardinia - a fashionable Italian resort, which the businessman tirelessly promotes among the Moscow beau monde. On this island, Tariko bought Villa Minerva from the wife of former Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi Veronica Lario for 15 million euros. Italian newspapers gossiped that he was allegedly in love with the Prime Minister's wife, but this is nothing more than a "duck". The most prestigious restaurant in Sardinia - Billionaire Club - sells only vodka produced by Mr. Tariko, and at exorbitant prices. One shot of 50 ml costs 30 euros.
Incredible Facts
Greed, selfishness and selfishness are the most common faults of people.
Throughout the history of mankind has been O many famous people who, despite their greatness, were very greedy and insatiable.
Some were overcome with real bouts of greed, and they forgot one simple fact that life on this earth is not eternal.
Let's take a look at the greediest people in history.
Greedy man
Mark Licinius Crassus
While still young, he was obsessed with wealth, which eventually became the main feature of his character. He rented land and bought slaves just to resell them later. Due to the difficult situation in Rome related to the provision of housing for all those in need, Crassus enriched himself.
Ancient Rome was overcrowded and houses were at great risk of fire. A fire in one of the houses could destroy an entire block. This situation allowed for speculation, and Crassus organized teams of firefighters who saved houses from fire. After that, he bought a partially burned house for a small price, made minor repairs and rented it out.
Greed for profit killed him. Crassus was killed during the destructive hostilities, when he wanted to conquer the Parthian kingdom, which was famous for its riches. After his death, molten gold was poured into his mouth as a symbol of his greed.
Cixi, Grand Empress of Qing China
(1835-1908)
Although she started her career as Emperor Yizhu's concubine, she managed to become the regent of the Chinese empire and rule for nearly 50 years.
Some historians consider her a cruel dictator who killed many people who, in her opinion, could threaten her power, while others consider her to be benevolent and attentive to others.
It is said that she kept 3,000 boxes of her jewels and used money from the Chinese navy to build the Marble Boat, where she dined using golden chopsticks. Cixi used her power to accumulate vast amounts of jewelry, antiques, gold bars and money. She spent a large amount of money from the treasury on herself.
very greedy person
Henrietta Howland "Getty" Green or The Witch of Wall Street
(1834 - 1916)
Henrietta Howland Green was a financial genius of the 20th century. She lived in the USA, and after her death in 1916 she left more$100 million (today it is equivalent to 20 billion dollars). During her lifetime she warmed up oatmeal on the radiator, because she did not want to spend extra money on using the stove.
Almost all her life she lived in rented apartments, and the cheapest, despite the fact that she was the owner of entire blocks in Chicago.
However, the most "bright" example of her greed can be considered the case when her son had to amputate his leg due to the fact that he was 3 whole days looking for a free hospital. When she was 82 years old, Henrietta literally had a stroke after she found out that her cook had paid more than she should have for a bottle of milk.
about greedy people
John Paul Getty
(1892 - 1976)
As an oil tycoon and one of the richest men in the US in the mid-20th century, John Paul Getty has always wore the cheapest suits. Moreover, he did not even want to spend money on an iron to iron his things.
In his house, he saved on everything. It is also worth noting that in his own mansion, he decided install pay phones (street pay phones), because he was afraid that his guests were talking too much on the phone, because of which he had to pay large bills.
Perhaps the most famous example of greed happened to him when his grandson was kidnapped. The robbers demanded a $17 million ransom from John Paul Getty. He categorically refused, because he believed that he had many grandchildren, but there was no such thing as too much money. After some time, a parcel was sent to him, in which there were an ear and a strand of hair of his grandson. The robbers said they would send John his grandson bit by bit if he didn't pay.
As a result, he paid the robbers less than 3 million, and they released the young man. And even despite the fact that Paul Getty achieved the release of his grandson, due to his injuries, the grandson became very ill, blind, dumb and eventually died in a wheelchair.
Ingvar Kamprad
The founder of IKEA started earning his first money in elementary school. Ingvar wholesale bought pencils and erasers, and sold them at exorbitant prices to his classmates. To date, his fortune is estimated at 28 billion dollars.
Ingvar Kamprad liked to eat in inexpensive restaurants, fly like a regular economy class passenger, drive around the city on public transport and stay in inexpensive three star hotels.
His company employees are required to use writing paper on both sides. All the furniture in his house is from IKEA, except for his favorite armchair, which is over 30 years old.
