Gérard Louis-Dreyfus

Gérard C. Louis-Dreyfus (21 June 1932 – 16 September 2016), also known as William Louis-Dreyfus, was a French-American businessman. His net worth was estimated at $3.4 billion by Forbes in 2006. He was the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services and the great-grandson of Léopold Louis-Dreyfus, founder of Louis Dreyfus Group. He was the father of actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Life and career Louis-Dreyfus was born in Paris in 1932. His great-grandfather Léopold Louis-Dreyfus founded the Louis Dreyfus Group in 1851. His mother, Dolores Porges (née Neubauer; 1905–1987), was American-born, His father, Pierre Louis-Dreyfus (1908–2011), was a Frenchman who headed the Louis Dreyfus group. Pierre, who was Jewish, fought in the French Resistance during World War II; his mother was Catholic. He has one sister, Dominique Cornwell.

Dreyfus was on President Richard Nixon's enemies list.

Personal life Louis-Dreyfus was married twice. In 1955 he married Judith LeFever. They had one daughter, actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus (b. January 1961) before divorcing in 1962. In 1996, Phoebe married English financial journalist Peter Eavis at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Bedford, New York. He also had a son, Raphael Penteado. His daughter Julia dedicated her 2016 Emmy win to her late father.