Biography
Terence Thomas Kevin O’Leary (born July 9, 1954) is a Canadian businessman, politician, author, and reality television host.
He is the co-founder of Softkey Software Products, a technology company that sells software designed specifically for education and home entertainment. He has hosted top shows such as Dragons’ Den and Redemption Inc.
In 2017, he ran for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada but dropped out before the election.
Canadian businessman
Kevin O’Leary |
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 Kevin O’Leary: History • Biography • Photos |
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| Wiki Events & About Data | |
| Real name: | Terence Thomas Kevin O’Leary |
| Stage name: | Kevin O’Leary |
| Born: | July 9, 1954 (age 70) |
| Place of birth: | Montreal, Canada |
| Nationality: | Canadian |
| Height: | 1.77 minutes |
| Parents: | Georgette Kanawaty and Terry O’Leary |
| Siblings: | Shane O’Leary |
| Wife • Husband/wife: | Linda O’Leary (married 1990) |
| Girlfriend • Partner: | Do not have |
| The children: | Trevor O’Leary and Savannah O’Leary |
| Job: | Businessman • Television Personality |
| Net worth: | 400 million US dollars |
Early life
Kevin O’Leary was born to Georgette Kanawaty and Terry O’Leary on July 9, 1954, in Montreal, Quebec. He is a Canadian citizen by birth. He also holds Irish citizenship and a passport through his father.
He is of both Irish and Lebanese descent. His father was a salesman, while his mother ran a small business and invested in small businesses. He has an older brother named Shane O’Leary.
Kevin O’Leary was still a child when his parents divorced. A few years later, his father died. He was only seven years old. His mother took over his father’s business and began managing it.
His mother then married an economist, George Kanawaty. George Kanawaty worked for the United Nations’ International Labour Organization. This meant that the family moved frequently throughout Terry O’Leary’s childhood.
Education
Kevin O’Leary is an alumnus of Stanstead College and St. George’s College. Both schools are in Quebec.
He attended the University of Waterloo and earned a degree in Environmental Studies and Psychology in 1977.
He holds a Master of Business from the Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.
Career
While pursuing his MBA, Kevin O’Leary secured an internship at NABISCO. After leaving the organization, he co-founded Special Event Television (SET) with two of his friends.
Under his leadership, SET produced original sports programming such as The Original Six, Don Cherry’s Grapevine, Bobby Orr, and Hockey Legends. SET also produced documentaries, television shows, and short films, and commercials for local professional hockey games. Kevin O’Leary later sold his stake in the business, worth $25,000, to one of his partners.
Kevin O’Leary then co-founded Softkey Software Products, a technology company that sells educational and entertainment software products for families. While running Softkey, he successfully acquired rival companies such as The Learning Company, Compton’s New Media, and Brøderbund. Within a few years, the company became a leader in the educational software market.
Softkey later changed its name to The Learning Company. In 1999, the company was sold to Mattel, making Kevin O’Leary a millionaire.
With a keen interest in politics, he ran for the position of Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in 2017. He was considered the leading candidate in various polls and political analysts predicted that he could win the election.
However, he decided to withdraw from the race a month before the election, citing a lack of support in Quebec as the reason for his withdrawal.
Social media
Kevin O’Leary TV has over 881k followers on Instagram. He has over 892k followers on Twitter.
- Instagram Name: @kevinolearytv
- Twitter Username: @kevinolearytv
Personal life
Kevin O’Leary married his wife, Linda O’Leary, in 1990. The couple’s marriage was blessed with two children, a son and a daughter. Kevin O’Leary and Linda O’Leary briefly separated in 2011 and rekindled their marriage after two years.
Kevin O’Leary’s son is Trevor O’Leary. Trevor O’Leary is an engineer working at Tesla. While his daughter, Savannah O’Leary, is a multimedia producer and filmmaker working in New York City.
Linda O’Leary currently serves as Vice President of Marketing at O’Leary Wines. Kevin O’Leary and his wife travel between their homes in Miami and Toronto. The couple also owns residential properties in Boston, Geneva, and Muskoka.
Net worth
Kevin O’Leary is one of the millionaires from Canada. He has an estimated net worth of US$400 million.
