Frank Owen Goldberg was born on 28 February 1929, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, of Russian, Jewish and Polish descent. Frank is an architect, known for creating numerous world-renowned attractions, and is considered one of the most influential figures in contemporary architecture. Vanity Fair has labelled him “the most important architect of our age”; all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Frank Gehry? As of late-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $50 million, mostly earned through his successful career in architecture. Some of his best known works include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and the New World Center in Miami Beach. All of these have helped ensure the position of his wealth.
Frank Gehry Net Worth $50 million
At a young age, Frank already showed a lot of creativity and was encouraged by his grandmother to continue his craft. He built little cities using scraps of wood and started to develop a liking for “everyday” materials thanks to spending time at his grandfather’s hardware store. Their family immigrated to the United States in 1947, and he would study at Los Angeles City College while working as a delivery truck driver. Eventually, he attended the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture and graduated in 1954. After graduating, he went on to do numerous jobs, including serving in the United States Army. Two years later, he moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to attend Harvard Graduate School of Design and study city planning, left prematurely because he didn’t like the ideals of the school, in particular apparent political bias, correctness.
He returned to Los Angeles and started working at Victor Gruen Associates, and was given his chance to design a private residence at the age of 28; the house would become “The David Cabin” which featured numerous Asian influences. In 1961, he moved to Paris and started working there, but the following year he moved to Los Angeles, and started his own practice which would eventually become Frank Gehry and Associates in 1967. He designed several projects in Southern California including the Santa Monica Palace, however, what really pushed him to popularity was his own residence, which he purchased in 1977 and re-designed.
He continued on projects in the 1980s, including the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and the California Museum of Science and Industry. In 1989, he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in recognition of his successful works. He continued making designs in the 1990s, most of which were national and international commissions, helping create the Dancing House, Frederick Weisman Museum of Art, and the Cinematheque Francaise. He reached international acclaim when he opened the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Bilbao, Spain in 1997, after which he started getting a lot more major commissions, and established himself as one of the world’s most notable architects. He worked on several concert halls, and was responsible for designing Millennium Park in Chicago. He also designed various academic buildings such as the Peter B. Lewis Library and the Stata Center. Some of his most recent projects include the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building at Sydney University, and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. In 2014, the Biomuseo in Panama and the Fondation Louis Vuitton were also opened.
For his personal life, Frank changed his last name due to the antisemitism he experienced as a child. It is known that Gehry married Anita Snyder in 1952, but they divorced in 1966; they had two daughters. In 1967, he married Berta Isabel Aguilera and they have two sons. He is a fan of ice hockey and holds dual citizenship. He is also a member of the California Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey.
Pritzker Architecture Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts, Royal Gold Medal, Praemium Imperiale, AIA Gold Medal, National Medal of Arts, Wolf Prize in Arts, Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize in Architecture, Woodrow Wilson Awards, Kiesler Prize for Architectu...
Nominations
Prospect 100 best modern Scottish buildings
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Quote
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[observation, 2016] Some forty years ago, I stood before a lifelike vision of a charioteer at a museum in Delphi that brought me to tears. I realized then that part of our mission was to create spaces that expressed feelings.
He was awarded the C.C. (Companion of the Order of Canada) on November 12,2002 for his services to architecture.
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Received an honorary diploma from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004.
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He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1998 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.
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In 2001, he renovated the wine cellar in the home of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Pitt subsequently did an informal apprenticeship in Gehry's Los Angeles office.
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Renowned architect, whose projects include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain and the Walt Disney concert hall in Los Angeles. His style is characterized by a sculptural approach to architecture.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Gregory Way TV
2011
TV Series
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Miles Ahead
2015
associate producer
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Visual Acoustics
2008
Documentary special thanks - as Frank O. Gehry
Speed Racer
2008
the producers wish to thank
Arthur
2004
TV Series thanks - 1 episode
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Face of a Nation
2017
Documentary post-production
Himself (rumored)
Dennis Hopper: Uneasy Rider
2016
Documentary
Burden
2016/IV
Documentary
The Characters
2016
TV Series
Himself
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
2016
TV Series documentary
Himself
Imagine
2015
TV Series documentary
Himself
Le grand journal de Canal+
2014
TV Series documentary
Himself
Tavis Smiley
2012-2013
TV Series
Himself - Guest
The Competition
2013
Documentary
Frank Gehry
Gazzara
2012
Documentary
Himself (as Frank O. Gehry)
The Walt Disney Concert Hall Organ
2012
Documentary
Fareed Zakaria GPS
2011
TV Series
Himself - Guest
60 Minutes
2011
TV Series documentary
Himself - Architect (segment "The Billionaire")
Der Gruen Effekt
2010
TV Movie documentary as Frank O. Gehry
Masterclass
2010
TV Series
Himself
Charlie Rose
1997-2009
TV Series
Himself - Guest / Himself
Art, Architecture and Innovation: Celebrating the Guggenheim Museum
2009
Documentary short
Himself (as Frank O. Gehry)
Wisdom
2008
Video documentary
Himself (as Frank O. Gehry)
Infinite Space: The Architecture of John Lautner
2008
Documentary
Himself
Visual Acoustics
2008
Documentary
Himself (as Frank O. Gehry)
Independent Lens
2008
TV Series documentary
Himself
The Cool School
2008
Documentary
Himself
American Masters
2005
TV Series documentary
Himself
The Simpsons
2005
TV Series
Himself
Arthur
2004
TV Series
Himself
Making the Modern
2003
Documentary
Himself (as Frank O. Gehry)
My Architect
2003
Documentary
Himself (as Frank O. Gehry)
Superstructures of America
2002
TV Series documentary
Himself - Design Principal, Gehry & Associates
Frank Gehry: An Architecture of Joy
2001
Documentary
Himself (as Frank O. Gehry)
The Once and Future Pariser Platz: A Square in Berlin Comes Back
1999
Documentary
Himself (as Frank O. Gehry)
Adrienne Clarkson Presents
1994
TV Series documentary
Himself
The Revenge of the Dead Indians
1993
Documentary
Himself (as Frank O. Gehry)
Deconstructivist Architects
1990
Documentary
Himself (as Frank O. Gehry)
Frank Gehry: The Formative Years
1988
Documentary Himself as Frank O. Gehry
Beyond Utopia: Changing Attitudes in American Architecture
1984
Documentary Himself as Frank O. Gehry
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
La imagen de tu vida
2006
TV Series
Himself
Baukunst
2005
TV Series documentary
Himself, Architect
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2014
Prince of Asturias Award
Prince of Asturias Awards
Arts
Known for movies
Face of a Nation (2017) as Himself
Infinite Space: The Architecture of John Lautner (2008) as Himself