4 this year with $124 billion$26 billion more than he was worth last year. Here's Who Inherited Howard Hughes' Fortune After His Death. In 1947, Hughes went before the Senate to explain why the government had invested $18 million in his Spruce Goose when it had never gotten off the ground and had been of no use during the war. From a young age, he liked to tinker with mechanics. The 1901 discovery of oil at Spindletop, near To this day, it has the largest wingspan of a plane in history. He then turned the project over to another journalist, Bob Thomas, who finished the Dietrich memoir within six weeks. Howard Robard Hughes, one of the richest men to emerge from the American West during the 20th century, dies while flying from Acapulco to Houston. 6. But, he said, he unearthed several witnesses, including one who said he had seen Mr. Hughes in the desert visiting a brothel at the same time that Mr. Dummar was driving through. The world was shocked when the autopsy revealed the terrible condition of his body the result of undiagnosed OCD, multiple severe head injuries, and 30 years of largely self imposed neglect. Sources: ABC13, Far Out, The Rake, Irish Times, It was a foggy night, and he claimed he swerved to avoid an oncoming car. A cult classic, the action/horror film franchise earned $553 million at the global box office. But Mr. Dummar captured the imagination of Hollywood, and in 1980 his tale was at the center of Jonathan Demmes well-received movie Melvin and Howard, starring Paul Le Mat as Mr. Dummar and Jason Robards Jr. as Mr. Hughes. On April 5, 1976, he died of renal failure on a chartered flight to Houston from his Mexico penthouse. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. People showed up claiming to be the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth cousins of Hughes which of them should be able to claim their part of the fortune? "His head was badly banged around in all of these, and I think his mental condition can be directly attributed to those crashes. The company's earnings, however, allowed Hughes to pursue his interest in Hollywood movies. He refused to shake hands or touch door handles, instructions to his aids were repeated in meticulous detail and he flew into violent rages when things were not exactly as he had commanded. The film collected an estimated $214 million at the global box office. He signed with beautiful actresses at one point, he had more than 150 on payroll and kept them under his control, often moving them into bugged apartments where their phones were tapped. Howard Hughes was an aviator and film director who inherited his family's successful oil tool business and began investing in films. The reality is that hed been born two months earlier in the oil town of Humble, a hundred miles from Texas. Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images. When he died in 1976, he threw the United States court systems into a tizzy, because he died He then pointed to a sign further up the river advertising rides on a Curtis Flying Boat for $5. One day, Hughes, in an effort to control every minute aspect of an aerial shoot, went up in a small scout plane. At the time of the falling-out, Hughes was trying to finance jets for TWA and decided the key was to inflate Hughes Tool profits in order to sell the company to pay for the jets, since Hughes had rejected all other financing solutions, because they threatened to dilute his TWA ownership. When he died in 1976, he threw the United States court systems into a tizzy, because he died without leaving any kind of will and testament. Making his way to Texas, Bo just happened to be on hand when a 1000-foot spume of black oil hurtled from the ground at Spindeltop on January 10th, 1901. Many in his entourage thought that hed been abducted. Though Hughes had told his friend he only wanted to be remembered for his contribution to aviation, it was not to be. Still, the pain and head injuries affected his behavior, causing his OCD to spin out of control. [3]:33,76, When still in his early twenties, Hughes told Dietrich, "My first objective is to become the world's number one golfer. He said Hollywood had become too complicated for him. Was Howard Hughes the richest man in the world? Hughes' uncle's stepdaughter, Avis Hughes McIntyre, and her brother's heirs, each received 4.75% of the estate, reports The Washington Post. "In some cases, the books are virtually identical in detail. , the films biopic plot revolves around the remarkable tycoon Howard Hughes and is set in the 1920s. By the age of four, it was obvious that Sonny Hughes had inherited the partial deafness that ran in the family. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Aviator (DVD, 2005, 2-Disc Set, Widescreen) at the best online prices at eBay! Karina Longworth wrote about Hughes in her book, Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes's Hollywood. He picked him up and drove him to Las Vegas. [1][3], In November 1925, at the age of 36, Dietrich met 19-year-old Hughes, who had gained control of Hughes Tool Company after buying out the other family heirs. If millions had to be raised overnight, 'Noah can do it.' His first move was to relocate to the penthouse suite of the Desert Inn, where he could continue his bizarre lifestyle without interruption. Even the details of his birth were falsified. According to Mental Floss, the films biopic plot revolves around the remarkable tycoon Howard Hughes and is set in the 1920s. "He is the fan who walked in off the street, who made movies and bossed a studio, and who was crazy and hopeful enough to think of having Jean Harlow, Jane Russell, Katharine Hepburn, Ida Lupino and so on, into the night," Thomson wrote in "The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. "[3]:73, In time, Dietrich came to serve as an executive for most of Hughes' enterprises, including Trans World Airlines (TWA),[3]:147 RKO Pictures[3]:237 and Hughes Aircraft. In 1948, Hughes bought the movie studio RKO Pictures for $24 million. But that all changed after a devastating 1946 plane crash. They then moved to Los Angeles, where he became an auditor for the Los Angeles Suburban Land Co., and then the Janass Investment Co. One was romantic, while later records have shown a darker side to it. With no other options, the dreamy eyed larrikin decided to try his hand at the oil business. WebRichest People in the World; Ron Howard is an American actor, director, and producer who has a net worth of $200 million. In 1938, he broke another flying record this time for flying around the world in three days, 19 hours, and 17 minutes. In 1957, Hughes married actress Jean Peters, who according to some sources was the "only woman he'd ever loved." Sources: Time, WREG, Washington Post, New York Times. The cast, directed by Stephen Sommers, included the original. Marcus Licinius Crassus, $169.8 billion. Howard Hughes (HHC) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.07 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.97 per share. At one time Howard Hughes was the richest man in the world. There, he dated Katharine Hepburn in the 1930s, according to Reuters, and, per Biography, he produced a little movie called "Scarface," along with lots of other movies he worked on which became a bane to censors. And folks, thanks to fellow Woody Boater Bob Killeen who found this rare Hughes Sportster on Craigslist. It was around this time that Hughes began to exhibit patterns of behavior that seemed odd to onlookers. Reclusive billionaire industrialist Howard Hughes in a 1947 photo (left) and in 1972 (right), which was taken in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is believed to be Howard Hughes but is unconfirmed. He soon hired a self taught accountant by the name of Noah Dietrich to take the controls. Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images. Howard Hughes standing in front of a plane wearing aviator goggles. The injuries resulted in him suffering from chronic pain for the rest of his life and caused an addiction to painkillers. Universal Pictures had even paid for the sequels original Transylvania sets in the hopes of returning to film, but the project was scrapped at the last moment. Free shipping for many products! As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. All rights reserved.For reprint rights. And then there was the woman who claimed to be Hughes' biological mother, even though his mom had actually died long ago. ", Sources: Irish Times, BBC, Los Angeles Times. [1] He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Glendale, California. American billionaire aviator, engineer, industrialist, and film producer. Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot, engineer, film director, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most financially successful individuals in the world. The planned sequel never happened despite collecting a massive $300 million at the global box office and $120 million at the domestic box office. Which, obviously, is where I came in. Howard Robard Hughes Jr. was born in Houston, Texas, on December 24, 1905. It was a foggy night, and he claimed he swerved to avoid an oncoming car. Howard Hughes speaks into microphones as he testifies that he did not offer to pay $100,000 if he could persuade New York officials to relax their ban against the motion picture The Outlaw. All of Hughes' major expenses, planes, automobiles, houses, etc., were also charged to Hughes Tool Co. as business expenses. He told his aides that he wanted to view some movies at a studio on Sunset Boulevard. During the ride, he said, the man told him he was Howard Hughes. Hughes senior, known as Bo a shortened form of his middle name Robards had been a penniless scoundrel, bumming his way round Joplin, Missouri at the turn of the 19th Century. Geoff Schumacher, the author of Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia & Palace Intrigue (2008), said in a phone interview that there had been no logical reason for Mr. Hughes to be in the desert without his usual coterie of aides, and that the handwriting on the will was not even close to Mr. Hughess. His reclusiveness meant that rumors swirled around him in life and in death after Hughes died, several fake versions of his will circulated. [3]:13 Others such as the time Dietrich arranged the shipment of Hughes' large private liquor stock from his Texas home to his California home during Prohibition put him at serious risk. In a commanding performance, with the TV cameras rolling, he strongly denied profiteering from the war effort. Anyone can read what you share. Mr. Magnesen, who oversaw organized-crime investigations in Las Vegas and confirmed Mr. Dummars death, said in a telephone interview that when he began looking into the case, I was very skeptical because all I knew was a lot of the media story.. Despite the loan, Donald Nixon had to close his burger business anyway the following year. He was clever, but he wasn't good at all subjects. The symptoms of his undiagnosed obsessive compulsive disorder were by now all too apparent. She was told by her studio that she had been wrong to hit Hughes, but it was enough for her to stop seeing him. Considered the richest man in the world during the mid 20th century, he was a man of many talents (and eccentricities!). [3]:102104,147,192,254, Some of Dietrich's duties got him caught in the middle of disputes with members of Hughes' family. Failing to find a director who shared his passion for the skies, Howard decided to go it alone writing, producing and directing the worlds first true aviation picture, Hells Angels. The leading lady of the movie, Greta Nissen, was cut because of her strong Norwegian accent and Carpenter stepped into the role. He would scrap valuable minutes of perfectly good footage, forcing his pilots to reshoot until the clouds were just right. The adult thriller nabbed the box office title with an estimated $24.1 million in US and Canada during its opening weekend in 2012. As he aged, Hughes' behavior became increasingly eccentric. Sex appeal played a role in his films, too. When Hughes refused, Dietrich immediately quit stunning Hughes. franchise, Kate can be seen reprising her role as a vampire/demon slayer in the horror/action flick. But other claims held more weight, according to The Washington Post. Kate Beckinsale has been a part of several Hollywood blockbusters in her career. Less than a year after marrying Peters in a Nevada motel room, Hughes descended into one of the most bizarre episodes of his life. Hughes became excessively private after the accident, and reportedly had obsessive compulsive disorder and began using drugs. But three weeks later he turned up in the Bahamas. For instance, a report said he spent four months in a dark screening room, often naked, watching films and eating nothing but chicken, chocolate, and milk. There were 40 fake wills as well, including one that would have given the majority of his estate to the Mormon Church, along with a portion to a young gas attendant Hughes had reportedly met years earlier. If a politico or a starlet had to be paid off, 'Noah can do it.' It made the father sick, but the son had just discovered the one true love of his life. Noah Dietrich has been portrayed within several adaptations: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Ostensibly, the probe involved Hughes' failure to deliver the infamous flying boat, the Hercules, a military transport aircraft, to the government on time. Actress Gail Ganley sued Howard Hughes for failing to make her a star like he had promised. Melvin Dummar said that Hughes looked disheveled and just wanted a ride to Las Vegas. He told the newspapers it was his first accident since he'd begun driving at 12 and he had never even hit a cat or dog. In her memoir, Ava: My Story, Gardner wrote that Hughes was enthusiastic about only four things: money, movies, aircraft, and beautiful young women with beautiful breasts. The final verdict on Hughes' estate wasn't settled until 2010, decades after the reclusive billionaire's death. He was even the subject of a monologue by Johnny Carson on his late-night talk show.