The most greedy billionaire Paul Getty spared money for the treatment of his son. The most stingy billionaire And grandfather - for the life of his grandson

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 the divorce in 1958. In the letters that Teddy sent to her husband in 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.

It turns out that billionaires, in their vast majority, are quite economical people, and some are generally stingy. So, only one out of four billionaires buys shoes no more than $100, a third of them drive a new car, and only half of the billionaires are ready to buy watches worth more than $250.

The frugality of some wealthy people is generally difficult to explain.

For example, Henrietta Howland Green, a famous financier of her time (died 1916). At the time of her death, her fortune was equivalent to $ 20 billion (by today's standards). She lived in the most inexpensive rental apartments, although she owned several blocks in Chicago, USA. I didn’t use the stove, considering that it was very expensive, I warmed up food right on the radiator.

When her son fell ill, she spent several days looking for a hospital where he could have surgery on his leg. However, precious time was wasted and his leg was amputated.

Absolutely everything was saved by the oil tycoon John Paul Getty, whose fortune 30 years ago was equal to $ 4 billion. This was enough to have the title of the richest man in the world.

At his house, instead of ordinary phones, payphones were installed. In order to call, you had to throw a coin at them. One day, grief happened in his family: his beloved grandson was kidnapped and demanded a ransom of $ 17 million. He bargained until the criminals cut off part of his grandson's ear. After receiving this\"parcel \", the billionaire agreed to pay, though previously\"bargaining \" and the amount of $ 2.7 million.

The world's No. 1 financier, Warren Buffett, with a fortune of over $40 billion, still lives in a small apartment worth about $30,000, which he bought almost half a century ago. By the way, Mr. Buffett moves in an old "Lincoln", with a license plate "THRIFTY" ("Thrifty").

The financial guru feeds on the \"fest food\" network, which belongs to him. True, he owns an airplane, but only because he needs to make a lot of flights. Having bought a plane once, he saves on expensive tickets.

The owner of the world-famous company "Tetra Pak" (production of materials for packaging), Hans Rausing, whose fortune is estimated at more than $ 8 billion. is known for being sold absolutely in stores, which is called \"to the last\". In addition, he only has a car in his fleet. This is a Russian car\"Niva\",\"age \" 12 years old.

Ingvar Kamprad, head of the IKEA furniture company, is the richest man in Sweden. His fortune is about $28 billion.

However, he only eats cheap restaurants, travels by bus, and only stays in 3-star hotels. All the furniture in his house was bought over 30 years ago. That's it,\"a shoemaker without boots \".

And finally, Sergey Brin, co-owner of "Google", whose fortune is more than $15 billion. He lives in a three-room apartment, spends little money on food, drives a Toyota electric car, and is sometimes seen rolling around on roller skates.

Here they are, the richest and at the same time, the meanest billionaires.

In the US, one in four millionaires wears shoes that cost less than $100. One of the 10 richest Americans considers suits over $200 too expensive, and only half of the millionaires buy watches that cost more than $240. Many consider billionaires to be greedy, as only one in three of the richest Americans drives a car under three years old.

Many do not consider it necessary to demonstrate wealth, so they are content with the most ordinary things familiar to every average citizen of the United States. You might think of these billionaires as eccentrics, but their desire to live a simple life is understandable. It is more difficult to understand those whose desire to save becomes paranoid.

List of 10 millionaires, known not so much for their wealth, but for their stinginess.

Money cannot make a man rich who perceives the world as a poor man. Big money increases and makes more visible the vices and oddities of their owner. The hypertrophied sin of stinginess, shown by the millionaire, especially surprises those around him and arouses an unhealthy interest in the details of the millionaire's personal life.

Charlie Chaplin was a very wealthy man, earning $10,000 a week (1916), equivalent to $220,000 today. Contemporaries recall that Charlie was pathologically thrifty. Actor Marlon Brando described him as a narcissistic tyrant and greedy man, and Orson Welles called him the biggest cheapie in the world.

It can be concluded that Charlie really was disgustingly stingy. For example, he liked to dine in the company, while he never made an attempt to pay for himself, because there will always be a person who will volunteer to pay the entire bill.

To build a new home in Beverly Hills, Chaplin hired the carpenter team that built the sets for his film. The result was quite predictable: the house creaked in strong winds and threatened to collapse at any moment. He brought his new wife Mildred Harris to this dwelling, and it is not surprising that family life ended after a couple of years.

2. John Paul Getty

Three decades ago, John Getty was the richest man in the world with $4 million. The oil king saved on things that a mere mortal would never have thought of. For example, he installed payphones in his villa so as not to pay for guests' telephone calls. In 1973, Getty's grandson was kidnapped, but his grandfather flatly refused to pay the ransom. His heart trembled only after he received an envelope with a cut off piece of an ear and a curl of Getty Jr.

The criminals promised to return grandson John in small fragments if grandfather did not count out $3.2 million within 10 days. But even here grandfather did not betray himself: he agreed to pay the ransom as a loan with 4% per annum, and saved by paying only $2 million. explained the millionaire, he had 14 more grandchildren, whom he did not want to endanger kidnapping. By the way, John Paul Getty III was never able to get out of stress, he began to take drugs, went blind, lost his speech, and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

When Paul Getty I left this world, the turnover of his companies was estimated at $142 million, his enterprises employed 12,000 people, and total assets amounted to $4 billion.

3. Cary Grant

Movie stars also often sin with stinginess. The name of Cary Grant at one time was known to everyone, he was Alfred Hitchcock's favorite actor and one of the highest paid in Hollywood. This did not stop Carey from selling autographs for 25 cents. One day, Hollywood celebrity Cary Grant forked out for a new Rolls-Royce. When it came time to change the brakes, he decided that four pairs of brake pads was too expensive, it was enough to change the pads on one wheel.

4 Getty Green

The full name of this woman is Henrietta Howland Green. She was a brilliant American financier of the twentieth century. Getty died in 1916 and left behind a fortune of $100 million, which is today about $20 billion. She owned neighborhoods in Chicago, and spent her whole life in cheap rented apartments. Getty Green warmed up oatmeal on the central heating radiator because she thought the stove was too expensive to use. One day, Getty spent the whole night looking for a 2-cent postage stamp that had fallen somewhere.

The most famous example of "thrift" by Henrietta Green can be considered a vivid illustration of the word greed. Getty Green's son had his leg amputated because his mom couldn't find a free hospital for him for three days. The blow took the millionaire at the age of 82, when she found out that the cook had paid too much for milk.

5. Leona Helmsley

Leona was born in Brooklyn in 1920 and died in 2007, remembered by Americans as the most stupid and greedy billionaire. Everyone knows that Al Capone went to jail for tax evasion. The history of Helmsley is not so famous, but also very curious.

The future billionaire was born into a hat manufacturer's family, received a good education, and then made an incredible career somersault, making the jump from secretary to one of New York's most established brokers.

Leona was married several times before she met her true love - billionaire Larry Helmsley. In 1972, they got married, but it soon became clear that their views on life are radically different. Larry was involved in charity work and paid his employees large salaries. Leona has become a greedy business woman. Her arrogance led the press to hate the "Queen of Business" and instantly covered her every immoral antics.

In the second half of the 70s, Leona began to buy jewelry, cars and real estate in incredible quantities. Several times she managed to cheat business partners, and finally, the turn came to the US Internal Revenue Service. Once she made an unforgivable stupidity, telling the maid that she considered paying taxes the lot of small people. This phrase instantly became known throughout America, it was written on T-shirts, mugs and souvenirs: “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.” The IRS responded immediately, a trial took place, and Leona moved from the penthouse to a prison cell.

Helmsley was released in 1994. Oddities were noticeable in her behavior: abrupt mood swings, illogical actions, paradoxical statements. Comments appeared in the media: “This is what happens to those who do not pay taxes.”

Leona Helmsley died 13 years later, leaving a will that shocked many Americans. Leona left her multi-billion dollar fortune to the Maltese dog Trouble.

6 Harold Hunt

The American oil tycoon Harold Hunt was very rich. And the ascent of the future billionaire began with an inheritance of $ 6,000 left to him by his father. As a young man, Hunt was a successful poker player before moving into oil, founding the Hunt Oil Company. Things were going so well that by the end of his life he owned a fortune of $ 3-5 billion. In 1948, Harold Hunt was declared the richest man in the United States.

Billionaire Hunt always left his expensive car a few blocks away from his office to avoid paying 50 cents for parking, wore an old suit that literally fell apart with old age, and cut his own hair to save money.

7. Aristotle Socrates Onassis

The future billionaire was born into a very wealthy family, received an excellent education and was fluent in several foreign languages. But when young Aristotle decided to go to Buenos Aires in 1923, he had $60 in his pocket. In Argentina, Onassis sold fruits, washed dishes, was a laborer and a fitter at a telephone exchange. The real business began when Aristotle undertook to sell Greek tobacco, on which he earned his first million. Then there was the acquisition of tankers, which enriched Onassis by 30 million, and the whaling flotilla, which brought $ 5 million.

The life of Aristotle Onassis was not cloudless: unsuccessful marriages, the death of his son, the suicide of his first wife, depression of his daughter, the bankruptcy of his companies, lawsuits. The name of Onassis became synonymous with wealth and success, but the price of such prosperity was high. Millionaires know the value of money, and each of them can be called greedy. But without the ability to count and save, Aristotle would never have been able to accumulate huge capital. One of the manifestations of such billionaire "stinginess" can be considered the fact that Onassis always flew only on planes of his own airlines and exchanged flights with other airlines.

8. Warren Buffett

An American financier with a fortune of $ 44 billion does not consider it shameful to drive around Wall Street in a Lincoln Towncar, unpretentious for his circle. The inscription on the license plate is THRIFTY (thrifty). Buffett lives in a small apartment bought nearly half a century ago for $30,000. Buffett likes food in fast food chains so much that he decided to buy one. Perhaps the only luxury item that Warren did not spare money for was a private jet.

9. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor

The love story of King Edward VIII of England and Wallis Simpson is widely known. The descendant of the royal family was so fascinated by the wife of an American shipowner from Pennsylvania that he decided to marry her at all costs. The lady had already been married twice, so Edward had to abdicate, as required by the English constitution. This union was not in vain called the greatest love of the century.

Perhaps today Wallis Simpson would have received the title of socialite, but in 1936, when the king of England for the sake of this woman refused the throne, such definitions were not in use. In June 1937, the marriage was registered, although members of the royal family chose not to attend the wedding.

Two already mature people showed their feelings, not stinting on gifts to each other. When proposing to Bessie, Edward presented her with a diamond brooch in the shape of three petals. Europeans considered the Duchess of Windsor to be the most elegant lady in the world, as she was dressed by the best fashion designers. Gifts from the Duke and Duchess were so valuable that they were sold at the most famous auctions.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor were always together until Edward's death separated them. They traveled a lot, choosing not the most expensive cabins and hotel rooms. Perhaps in this you can see signs of their stinginess ...

10. Ingvar Kamprad

The richest Swede earned his first money in elementary school. He bought pencils and erasers in bulk and sold them at exorbitant prices to classmates. Today, the founder of IKEA has $28 billion and loves to eat at cheap restaurants, fly economy class, travel by public transport and stay in three-star hotels. Ingvar Kamprad enjoys relaxing on the banks of some Swedish river with a fishing rod. Kamprad's subordinates are required to use writing paper on both sides.

Furniture in the house of a billionaire from his IKEA network, except for his favorite armchair and grandfather clock.

The chair is already 32 years old, it is pretty worn and it would be time to replace it with a new one, but Kamprad is very attached to this thing.

We introduced you to the list of the 10 most stingy rich people in the world according to the media. It seems to many that with such huge capitals we would not waste time on trifles. But studying the life stories of rich people convinces that the ability not to overspend made them so. It may not be the newest car, a modest house or an inexpensive billionaire suit that makes someone laugh, but believe me, this is not at all what people with a billion-dollar fortune pay attention to.

Studies in the United States show that every fourth American millionaire wears shoes no more than $100, and every tenth paid a maximum of $200 for his suit. Only 50 percent of millionaires are willing to buy a watch more than $240, and only a third of the rich people drive a car that is not yet 3 years old. Among the richest people in the world there are those who do not boast of their fortune, and are content in everyday life with things that are accessible to the majority. They are considered weirdos. However, history knows examples when the dislike of spending money and saving on everything among millionaires was paranoid.

Mother spared money for her son's leg

One of the biggest misers in the world was Henrietta Howland Green, the brilliant American financier of the 20th century. The woman who left more than $100 million (about $20 billion today) after her death in 1916 heated oatmeal on a radiator because she thought it was too expensive to use the stove. She spent most of her life in the cheapest rented apartments, owning entire blocks in Chicago. And once I spent the whole night looking for a postage stamp for 2 cents.

But the apotheosis of "thrift" was another case: her son's leg was amputated because Henrietta had been looking for a free hospital for three days. At the age of 82, the millionaire had a stroke when she found out that the cook "overpaid" for a bottle of milk.

And grandfather - for the life of a grandson

Oil king John Paul Getty, who 30 years ago was considered the richest man in the world with his $4 billion, saved on everything. For example, in his villa, he installed payphones for guests so as not to pay for their calls. When his grandson John was kidnapped in 1973, his grandfather refused to pay the $17 million ransom. He took pity only when they sent him an envelope with a cut off piece of John's ear. But even here Getty saved money. He gave away only $2.7 million.

The financier lives in Khrushchev

The second rich man on the Forbes list - American financier Warren Buffett (worth - $ 44 billion) - drives around Wall Street in a non-prestigious in his circle and far from new car Lincoln Towncar with a license plate THRIFTY, which means "thrifty". Yes, and a small apartment, bought 40 years ago for only 30 thousand dollars, is in no hurry to change.

Buffett is unassuming in life, avoiding luxuries except for a private jet. For example, he eats at a fast food chain that he likes so much that he bought it.

Modest "Niva"

The old Morris Minor was driven for a long time by a wealthy Scandinavian - the founder of the Tetra Pak packaging materials company Hans Rausing. However, a couple of years ago, a billionaire (a fortune of over 8 billion dollars) decided to change cars. And he bought ... a 12-year-old Russian Niva. By the way, Rausing is also famous for the fact that it is always hard-traded in stores.

Business on classmates

The founder of IKEA and the richest Swede Ingvar Kamprad (his fortune is estimated at $ 28 billion) began his first crown in elementary school. Buying pencils and erasers in bulk, the future furniture magnate sold them at exorbitant prices to classmates. And saved money. He is known for eating cheap restaurants, flying economy class, taking the bus, and staying in three-star hotels even now. And he spends his vacation with a fishing rod on the bank of some river in his native Sweden.

Ingvar requires his subordinates to use both sides of a sheet of paper. All the furniture in his house is from IKEA, except for "an old armchair and a beautiful standing clock." Moreover, Ingvar has been using the same chair for 32 years: "I have been using it for 32 years. My wife thinks that I need a new one because the material is dirty. But otherwise it is no worse than new."

Everything is virtual

The founder of one of the most popular Internet search engines Google, our former compatriot, and now a US citizen, 33-year-old Sergey Brin, earned about $11 billion. But he lives in a small three-room apartment, drives an inexpensive Toyota. And this despite the fact that Google receives money for each visit to an advertising link. The "wrong billionaire" has neither yachts nor villas. He doesn't even own a super sports car. Sergey is rumored to drive a Prius, a discreet but environmentally friendly Toyota that runs on electricity as well as gasoline. Like many other Google executives, he often roller skates to work and plays roller hockey in the parking lot during breaks. They say that he still often visits the numerous Russian restaurants in San Francisco, in particular, "Katina Tea Room".

greedy stars

Millions in income does not prevent some show business stars from being very careful about everything related to everyday expenses.

So, the beautiful half of the star couple of the Beckhams, the former soloist of the Spice Girls pop group Victoria Beckham, was seen more than once on a tram heading towards the stadium in Manchester, where her husband then played. It is known that Mrs. Beckham, whose personal fortune is $ 18 million, has a soft spot for cheap German wine Blue Nun, which she regularly buys at a local supermarket, and buys casual clothes not from Christian Dior or Versace, but from the Matalan discount store and considers it her own. favorite clothing store is far from being the most fashionable Top Shop.

Renowned filmmaker Michael Winner, who has earned $72 million from a successful commercial career, sometimes allows himself a $6,000 bottle of wine, which doesn’t stop him from reusing old postal envelopes and cutting tubes of toothpaste in half so that not a single drop of valuable product is lost.

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.

Image is nothing, thirst is everything?

A few years ago, the British millionaire Nicholas von Hoogstraten (net worth about $800 million) was imprisoned for ten years for the murder of a companion. And the police, who were doing a search in Hoogstraten's house, told the newspapers about the unusual find. In the kitchen of a rich man, deposits of used tea bags were found. He dried them, and then brewed tea again. A year later, however, the millionaire was released. However, the opinion of him as a terrible miser, if it changes, will not be soon.

Marry a dog

23-year-old American actress Wendy Dorcas has jumped out to marry millionaire filmmaker Roger Dorcas. He was almost three times older than Wendy, and the actress hoped that over time, her husband's millions would transfer to her account. After a year of family life, Roger suddenly died. But when the lawyers read out his will, Wendy was furious: she inherited ... 1 cent. Everything else (and this is 64 million dollars), the director bequeathed ... to his dog Maximilian.

The court took the side of the dog, but the actress found a way to keep millions for herself - she ... married Maximilian. It turned out that when Dorcas opened an account for a dog, he had to register the dog as a US citizen in order to pay the necessary taxes. The marriage of the actress with the dog was even registered - the dog's papers were in order. And when Maximilian died, the "widow" inherited all his wealth.

Paul Getty

Teddy Getty Gaston and Timothy 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."

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.

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.