Guy Laliberté
Encyclopedia
Guy Laliberté, OC
, CQ
(born September 2, 1959) is a Canadian entrepreneur, philanthropist, poker player, space tourist
and the current CEO
of Cirque du Soleil
. With an estimated net worth of US$2.5 billion (as of March 2011), Laliberte was ranked by Forbes
as the 11th wealthiest Canadian and 459th in the world.
Starting out busking
as an accordion
player, stiltwalker and fire-eater
, in 1984 Laliberté founded Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian circus company whose shows have since been seen by more than 90 million people worldwide. In 2006, Laliberté was named the Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur of the Year.
, Canada
. His interest in show business began at a relatively young age. His parents took him to watch the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, an experience which led Laliberté to read the biography of P. T. Barnum
. While in school, Guy produced several performing arts events. After school, he entered the world of street performance, playing the harmonica and accordion on the streets of Quebec. Laliberté joined a performing troupe that included fire-breathers, jugglers, and acrobats who hitched around the country from show to show. He later returned to Quebec, where he attempted to keep a steady full-time job at a hydroelectric dam. However, soon after his employment began, the company’s employees went on strike. Laliberté took the opportunity to return to his life as a street performer.
The name 'Cirque du Soleil' (“circus of the sun”), which Laliberté came up with while in Hawaii, reflects his notion that “the sun stands for energy and youth” and that the circus is about those two words. In founding the company, Guy Laliberté was assisted by Gilles Ste-Croix. It is said that Laliberté is the “father” of Cirque du Soleil while Ste-Croix is the “grandfather.”
Since 1984, Laliberté has participated in the creation of every Cirque du Soleil show.
Cirque du Soleil has become a sprawling international operation, as much in terms of its makeup as in the scope of its activities and influence. The organization now has activities on five continents. Its shows employ approximately 4,000 people from over 40 countries and generate an estimated annual revenue exceeding US$
810 million.
Season Five
event at Bellagio
in Las Vegas and won $696,220. Laliberté also played on GSN's High Stakes Poker Season 4 show and took part in Poker After Dark season 4. He was also known for frequenting the highest stakes games at Full Tilt Poker
. Laliberté has announced the Big One, a $1 million dollar buy-in tournament
which will be featured at the 2012 World Series of Poker. Part of the prizepool will be donated to Laliberté's philantrophic organization One Drop Foundation
.
The operating costs of One Drop will be covered by a $100 million contribution from Guy Laliberté over 25 years. Field activities will be financed by donations from the employees of Cirque du Soleil and from the public, as well as through funding commitments by Canadian and international partners. Oxfam International, through Oxfam-Québec, has been associated with One Drop since 2005 in a three-year pilot project in Nicaragua. A leader in development aid, Oxfam brings expertise in selecting and implementing field projects. Their involvement with the One Drop Foundation is based on a common desire to support sustainable development with concrete actions and in collaboration with local partners.
. His spaceflight was dedicated to raising awareness on water issues facing humankind on planet Earth, making his spaceflight the first, in his words, "poetic social mission" in space. The event was accompanied by a 120-minute webcast program featuring various artistic performances in 14 cities on five continents, including the International Space Station
.
In June 2011, Laliberté published a book, entitled Gaia (Assouline Publishing
), containing photos of Earth from his 2009 trip to the International Space Station. Proceeds from his book are to go to the One Drop Foundation.
(Québec) awarded an honorary doctorate to Guy Laliberté in 2008. The year before, Guy Laliberté took the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for all three levels: Quebec, Canada and international. In 2004, he received the Order of Canada
, the highest distinction in the country, from the Governor General of Canada
. The same year, he was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2003, he was honored by the Condé Nast group as part of the Never Follow Program, a tribute to creators and innovators. In 2001, he was named a Great Montrealer by the Académie des Grands Montréalais. In 1997, Guy Laliberté received the National Order of Quebec
, the highest distinction awarded by the Government of Quebec. On November 22, 2010, he and Cirque du Soleil were honored with the 2,424th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, CQ
National Order of Quebec
The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec...
(born September 2, 1959) is a Canadian entrepreneur, philanthropist, poker player, space tourist
Space tourism
Space Tourism is space travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. A number of startup companies have sprung up in recent years, hoping to create a space tourism industry...
and the current CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
. With an estimated net worth of US$2.5 billion (as of March 2011), Laliberte was ranked by Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
as the 11th wealthiest Canadian and 459th in the world.
Starting out busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
as an accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
player, stiltwalker and fire-eater
Fire-Eater
Fire-Eater may refer to:* Fire eater, a performer who places flaming objects into their mouth and extinguishes them.* Fire-Eaters pro-slavery politicians who pushed for secession from the United States of America* An episode of the Dragon Ball anime....
, in 1984 Laliberté founded Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian circus company whose shows have since been seen by more than 90 million people worldwide. In 2006, Laliberté was named the Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....
Entrepreneur of the Year.
Early years
Laliberté was born in 1959 in Baie-Saint-Paul, a small village in lower QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. His interest in show business began at a relatively young age. His parents took him to watch the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, an experience which led Laliberté to read the biography of P. T. Barnum
P. T. Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum was an American showman, businessman, scam artist and entertainer, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the circus that became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus....
. While in school, Guy produced several performing arts events. After school, he entered the world of street performance, playing the harmonica and accordion on the streets of Quebec. Laliberté joined a performing troupe that included fire-breathers, jugglers, and acrobats who hitched around the country from show to show. He later returned to Quebec, where he attempted to keep a steady full-time job at a hydroelectric dam. However, soon after his employment began, the company’s employees went on strike. Laliberté took the opportunity to return to his life as a street performer.
Cirque du Soleil
Guy Laliberté founded Quebec's first internationally renowned circus with the support of a small group of colleagues. He recognized and cultivated the talents of the buskers from the Fête foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul and created Cirque du Soleil in 1984 with the support of a government grant for Canada's 450th anniversary celebrations. Cirque du Soleil was originally set up as a one-year project. However, the government of Quebec wanted a touring event that would perform in other provinces.The name 'Cirque du Soleil' (“circus of the sun”), which Laliberté came up with while in Hawaii, reflects his notion that “the sun stands for energy and youth” and that the circus is about those two words. In founding the company, Guy Laliberté was assisted by Gilles Ste-Croix. It is said that Laliberté is the “father” of Cirque du Soleil while Ste-Croix is the “grandfather.”
Since 1984, Laliberté has participated in the creation of every Cirque du Soleil show.
Cirque du Soleil has become a sprawling international operation, as much in terms of its makeup as in the scope of its activities and influence. The organization now has activities on five continents. Its shows employ approximately 4,000 people from over 40 countries and generate an estimated annual revenue exceeding US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
810 million.
Poker career
In April 2007, Laliberté finished fourth in the World Poker TourWorld Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
Season Five
World Poker Tour season 5 results
- Mirage Poker Showdown:* Casino: The Mirage, Las Vegas * Buy-in: $10,000* 4-Day Event: May 14, 2006 to May 17, 2006* Number of Entries: 384* Total Prize Pool: $3,724,800* Number of Payouts: 36* Winning Hand: K-5...
event at Bellagio
Bellagio (hotel and casino)
Bellagio is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in the Paradise area of unincorporated Clark County, Nevada, USA and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. It is owned by MGM Resorts International and was built on the site of the demolished Dunes hotel and casino.Inspired by the...
in Las Vegas and won $696,220. Laliberté also played on GSN's High Stakes Poker Season 4 show and took part in Poker After Dark season 4. He was also known for frequenting the highest stakes games at Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an online poker card room that opened in June 2004 with the involvement of poker professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson...
. Laliberté has announced the Big One, a $1 million dollar buy-in tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
which will be featured at the 2012 World Series of Poker. Part of the prizepool will be donated to Laliberté's philantrophic organization One Drop Foundation
One Drop Foundation
The ONE DROP Foundation—an initiative of Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil®—is a non-governmental organization established on October 29, 2007, in Montreal, Canada...
.
Philanthropy
On October 29, 2007, Guy Laliberté announced the official launch of the One Drop Foundation to fight poverty in the world by giving everyone access to water. Inspired by the creative experience of Cirque du Soleil and its international program for street children, Cirque du Monde, the One Drop Foundation makes use of the circus arts, folklore, popular theatre, music, dance and the visual arts to promote education, community involvement and public awareness of water issues. Technical projects in developing countries will improve access to water, ensure food security and promote gender equality in communities.The operating costs of One Drop will be covered by a $100 million contribution from Guy Laliberté over 25 years. Field activities will be financed by donations from the employees of Cirque du Soleil and from the public, as well as through funding commitments by Canadian and international partners. Oxfam International, through Oxfam-Québec, has been associated with One Drop since 2005 in a three-year pilot project in Nicaragua. A leader in development aid, Oxfam brings expertise in selecting and implementing field projects. Their involvement with the One Drop Foundation is based on a common desire to support sustainable development with concrete actions and in collaboration with local partners.
Spaceflight
In September 2009, Guy Laliberté became the first Canadian space touristSpace tourism
Space Tourism is space travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. A number of startup companies have sprung up in recent years, hoping to create a space tourism industry...
. His spaceflight was dedicated to raising awareness on water issues facing humankind on planet Earth, making his spaceflight the first, in his words, "poetic social mission" in space. The event was accompanied by a 120-minute webcast program featuring various artistic performances in 14 cities on five continents, including the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
.
In June 2011, Laliberté published a book, entitled Gaia (Assouline Publishing
Assouline Publishing
Assouline Publishing is a luxury book publisher based in New York City. It is owned and operated by husband and wife Prosper Assouline and Martine Assouline. Most titles focus on images, rather than text. They publish luxury editions and illustrated books dedicated to photography, fashion, art...
), containing photos of Earth from his 2009 trip to the International Space Station. Proceeds from his book are to go to the One Drop Foundation.
Awards and honors
Université LavalUniversité Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
(Québec) awarded an honorary doctorate to Guy Laliberté in 2008. The year before, Guy Laliberté took the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for all three levels: Quebec, Canada and international. In 2004, he received the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, the highest distinction in the country, from the Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
. The same year, he was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2003, he was honored by the Condé Nast group as part of the Never Follow Program, a tribute to creators and innovators. In 2001, he was named a Great Montrealer by the Académie des Grands Montréalais. In 1997, Guy Laliberté received the National Order of Quebec
National Order of Quebec
The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec...
, the highest distinction awarded by the Government of Quebec. On November 22, 2010, he and Cirque du Soleil were honored with the 2,424th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
.