Personal Life
Married three times, Kerkorian met his second wife Jean Maree Harbour-Hardy by happenstance at the Thunderbird, in Las Vegas. Ms. Harbour-Hardy, an accomplished choreographer and dancer from England, traveled the world instructing dance troupes. By chance, they met and fell in love while she was sent to check opportunities to choreograph a performance in Las Vegas. His most enduring marriage (1954–84) produced Kerkorian's two daughters, Tracy and Linda. The name of Kerkorian's personal holding company – Tracinda Corporation – is a portmanteau of the two daughters' names. Also named after his two daughters, Kerkorian's Lincy Foundation has made substantial charitable contributions, giving prominence to Armenian causes. Although divorced, they remain close friends and confidants. Ms. Harbour-Hardy Kerkorian is financially successful in her own right.
Kerkorian's short-lived third marriage (1999) was to professional tennis player Lisa Bonder, 48 years his junior, which under a prenuptial agreement lasted only one month. He subsequently was involved in a breach of privacy suit filed against him by Steve Bing. Kerkorian claimed Bing was the father of Bonder's daughter, which was later established by DNA testing. On August 10, 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that Kerkorian's attorneys were being sued by Bonder because of their connection to former high-profile private investigator Anthony Pellicano, who is currently serving a fifteen-year prison sentence for running a wiretapping scheme. Bonder's attorney alleges that Kerkorian's lawyers hired Pellicano to wiretap telephone calls illegally between him and Kerkorian's ex-wife in order to gain a tactical advantage in the divorce proceedings.
Kerkorian often plays tennis with Alex Yemenidjian, a former MGM executive now co-owner of the Tropicana Las Vegas resort. He has a penchant for expensive clothes (especially custom-made outfits by Italian designer Brioni), but drives relatively low cost vehicles such as a Pontiac Firebird, Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Ford Taurus.
Kerkorian splits his time between his residences in Beverly Hills, California and Las Vegas.
The richest person in Los Angeles, he may also be the most private. He almost never gives interviews and seldom appears in public. Even though his charitable foundation has dispensed more than $200 million and a school, he has never allowed anything to be named in his honor. On February 14, 2011, Kerkorian donated $200 million (The Lincy Foundation) to the University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA to create the "Dream Fund at UCLA". He received the Mesrob Mashdots Medal from the Republic of Armenia for his services to Armenia and its people in 2001.
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