The Gambler

Kirk Kerkorian was a pioneering American aviator, movie mogul, risk taker, and business tycoon who transformed Las Vegas and Hollywood and became one of this country’s leading—and least-known—financiers. The son of Armenian immigrants, he began his early life as far as possible from his eventual place on the Forbes list of billionaires. Young Kirk learned English on the streets of L.A., made pennies hawking newspapers, and dropped out of school after eighth grade. How he went on to become one of the richest and most generous men in America—his net worth as much as $20 billion—is a story largely unknown to the world. While his friends and associates were some of the most famous celebrities—Howard Hughes, Ted Turner, Steve Wynn, Michael Milken, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, Mike Tyson, and Andre Agassi—Kerkorian was a deeply private man. In this engrossing biography, investigative reporter William C. Rempel digs deep into Kerkorian’s long-guarded history to introduce a man of contradictions—a poorly educated genius of deal-making, an extraordinarily shy man who pursued the boldest of business ventures, a careful and calculating investor who was willing to bet everything on a single roll of the dice. The Gambler illuminates as never before this little-known self-made entrepreneur and his inspiring legacy.