biography
| name: |
Bren, Donald L(eroy)
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1932– )
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| biography:
| Real-estate developer, art collector, and philanthropist, born in Los Angeles, California, USA. The son of film producer Milton Bren (and stepson of actress Claire Trevor), he studied at the University of Washington and served in the US Marine Corps. His father had already made a small fortune with his real-estate investments, and after leaving the service Donald founded the Donald Bren Co, and became a billionaire from his real-estate empire, most of it located in Orange Co, CA. His first major project was the Mission Viejo Co, a planned community. In 1977 he jointly took over the Irvine Co to operate the Irvine property on which they built essentially a new, privately owned city, Irvine, CA. In 1983 he bought out the other investors and then found himself involved for many years in a costly legal dispute with Joan Irvine Smith, the heiress of the property. Although active in supporting the Republican Party, he is generally a private person and lives relatively modestly at Newport Beach, CA. Twice divorced, he is known to have a major modern art collection, and to be a generous philanthropist. |
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