Haim Saban (/səˈbɑːn/; Hebrew: חיים סבן; born October 15, 1944) is an Israeli-American media proprietor, investor, philanthropist, musician, record, film & television producer. A businessman with interests in financial services, entertainment, and media, and an estimated net worth of $3 billion, he is ranked by Forbes as the 232nd richest person in America. Saban is the founder of Saban Entertainment, producer and distributor of children’s television programs in the US such as Power Rangers. He headed up consortiums which purchased the broadcasters ProSiebenSat.1 Media and Univision Communications. He is a major donor to the US Democratic Party and active in pro-Israel political efforts in the US. In March 2017, Saban was honored with the 2,605th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his achievements in television.
Early life
Saban was born in 1944 in Alexandria, Egypt, to an Egyptian Jewish family. In 1956, the Saban family immigrated to Israel, along with most of the Egyptian Jewish community. Saban was sent to a Youth Aliyah boarding school. Expelled for being a troublemaker, he enrolled in a night school where the principal told him: “You’re not cut out for academic studies; you’re cut out for making money.” Saban is married to Cheryl Lynn (Flor) Saban, with whom he has two children. He also has two stepchildren, Tifany and Heidi Lenhart, an actress. He resides in Beverly Hills, California.
Career in the music industry
Saban started his career in 1966 as a bass player and manager with the rock band The Lions of Judah (Ha’arayot), which was named after the Lion of Judah in Jewish Scripture. In 1969, Dave Watts from the British band The Tornados joined The Lions. That year, the band traveled to England, performed in night clubs in London and was signed up by Polydor Records. In July 1969, the band appeared on the BBC TV programme Colour Me Pop. The Lions recorded a single, “Our Love’s A Growing Thing”, but it was not released in the UK due to financial difficulties. The band returned to Israel and Saban focused on being a music promoter.
In the early 1970s, Saban moved to France where he worked as a music producer. His clients included Noam Kaniel, Mike Brant and Shuki & Aviva. He also launched a record company with Shuki Levy.
In 1978 and 1982, Saban used the pseudonym Kussa for music/lyrics writing credits on four records for which he also served as producer using his real name. Since then, he has frequently used the name Kussa Mahchi for his composing credits on Saban Entertainment productions, including the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie theme song.
Summary
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Saban on December 7, 2013
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| Born | October 15, 1944 Alexandria, Kingdom of Egypt |
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| Residence | Beverly Hills, California / Israel |
| Nationality | American / Israeli |
| Other names | Hebrew: חיים סבן |
| Occupation | Businessman, investor, musician, record, film & television producer, philanthropist |
| Net worth | US$ 2.9 billion (2016) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Cheryl Flor (m. 1987) |
| Children | 4 |
| Website | saban |
Haim Saban Net Worth: Haim Saban is an Egyptian-born Israeli-American television and media proprietor who has a net worth of $3.4 billion dollars. Haim Saban made his fortune in television and media, and is the founder of Saban Entertainment, a television production company. He also composed the theme songs for a number of children’s television series including “Inspector Gadget” and “He-Man”. He also produced Western adaptation of Japanese cartoons, including “Power Rangers” and “VR Troopers”. Born on 15 October 1944, in Alexandria, Kingdom of Egypt, he is widely known for his riches. He is the man who got his first fat win with children’s TV show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in the early 1990s. At the time, he was already settled in Los Angeles. Nowadays, he is the chair of the Spanish-language TV giant Univision, the fifth largest TV network in the US. 2005 saw Saban sell Fox Family Channel, a joint venture with News Corp., to Disney $5 billion. While in 2007, Saban and a group of private equity investors bought Univision for $13.7 billion, getting a stake that is now worth $600 million. The latest addition to his fortune is a controlling stake in publicly traded Israeli telecom firm Partner Communications, which he bought in January 2013. Together with his wife Cheryl, Saban has donated nearly $47 million to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, $11 million to the Saban Free Clinic (formerly the Los Angeles Free Clinic) and just over $15 million to the Soroka Medical Center in Israel. Just for the record, this self-made billionaire, who made the majority of his wealth in television and media, has never attended college.
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