Quick Info
| Profession | Businessman, diplomat and television personality |
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| Nationality | American |
| Date of Birth | 25/06/1957 |
| Age | 69 years |
| Birthplace | Galveston, Texas, United States |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
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Bio/Wiki
| Summary | Tilman Joseph Fertitta is an American businessman, diplomat and television personality who is chairman and CEO of Fertitta Entertainment, the holding company for Landry's restaurants, Golden Nugget casinos and the NBA's Houston Rockets. He has served as United States ambassador to Italy and San Marino since May 2025, after the U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination by an 83-14 vote. |
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| Early Life | Fertitta was born in Galveston and moved to the Houston area in 1974. His father owned a seafood restaurant on Galveston Island, where he worked peeling shrimp. |
| Notable Achievements | He agreed to buy the Houston Rockets for $2.2 billion in 2017 and gave $50 million in 2022 to the University of Houston College of Medicine, which was renamed in his family's honour. In 2016 he pledged $20 million to renovate the University of Houston's on-campus basketball arena, which was subsequently renamed the Fertitta Center. |
Educational Qualification(s)
| Attended | Texas Tech University and the University of Houston, studying business administration and hospitality management; he did not graduate |
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Personal Life
| Ancestry | Sicilian descent |
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| Civic Service | Chaired the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System from 2014 to 2025 |
Family
| Father | Vic Fertitta, who owned a seafood restaurant in Galveston |
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| Cousins |
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| Spouse | Lauren Fertitta |
| Children | Patrick Fertitta and Elle Fertitta |
Career
| Early Ventures | Opened a women's clothing store in 1978 and founded Fertitta Construction in 1982 |
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| Landry's | Was a partner in the first Landry's restaurant and bought the company back in 2010; it now operates more than 600 properties in 36 states and over 15 countries through his restaurant and hospitality company |
| Sports | Became a limited partner with the Houston Rockets in 1986 and agreed to buy the team in 2017 |
| Gaming | Owns Golden Nugget casinos; agreed in May 2026 to buy Caesars Entertainment Inc. in a transaction valued at approximately $17.6 billion |
| Television | Hosted the CNBC show Billion Dollar Buyer, which premiered in March 2016 |
| Diplomacy | U.S. ambassador to Italy and San Marino since May 2025 |
| Authorship | Author of the business book Shut Up and Listen |
Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. Worked peeling shrimp at his father's Galveston restaurant after school | |
| 2. First appeared on the Forbes 400 list in 2012 | |
| 3. Forbes has described him as the world's richest restaurateur |
