GettingFactsStraight

I received a comment from the son of one of the people I listed as having filed for bankruptcy. This stated simply that they were not aware of their father, now deceased, having ever been bankrupt. I apologized for my listing Harry Saltzman as it is apparently in error.

I remember someone saying the same, in error, about my late father, and I remember being upset about it as he had never been bankrupt, but had wound up one of his companies, after he had personally paid all the individuals owed money by that company from his personal account.

So this is a genuine apology as I was trying to point to the bravery of the people listed, not cast negatives in their direction.

More relevant still is the fact that I was broke in my fairly distant past, and it was very rough but I am living proof that you can come through it and do well in the future. I have a relative in the States who I think was bust two or three times and is now worth several hundred million dollars. I am very positive about people who get knocked down but get up and do it all better the next time around.

That's what I hope is going to happen for our countries who are also flat on their bums right now, but if I am any judge are going to crawl off of the canvas and get up better than ever. But I do mean to get my facts right, so I apologize any time I don't!

FamousBankrupts

I am seeking to do something a little different today because so many people are going to face financial problems due to global economic problems that will echo in a million homes.

They should not be alone in these circumstances. I therefore reprint an article I first published on another of my blogs in July.

All the high profile people I mention below could be considered both rich and famous, yet, at one time or other, filed for bankruptcy.

If someone that well off can get into financial trouble it can happen to anyone.

If you’re experiencing financial difficulties seek advice now. Don’t ignore the problem, deal with your creditors, don’t stick the unpaid bills in a drawer and try and forget about it. You need not be as alone as you think you are right now.

Try to remember there will be a tomorrow and it will be different. It was for almost everyone on this list of famous bankrupts.

Abraham Lincoln - 16th President of the United States
P.T. Barnum - The Great American circus owner
John Barrymore - Actor; Romeo & Juliet
Lionel Bart - British composer - lyricist - playwright (1972)
Kim Basinger - Oscar - winning actress (1993)
Frank Baum - Wizard of Oz author
Barbara Bel Geddes - Actor; Miss Ellie on Dallas
George Best - Manchester United soccer star
Jay Black - rock star, lead member of "Jay and the Americans" (1986)
Peter Bogdanovich - American Filmographer
Bjorn Borg -Pro tennis player
Toni Braxton - rock star (1998)
Lenny Bruce - Comic; Multiply obscene comic
Miguel de Cervantes - Novelist; Don Quixote
Natalie Cole -singer
John Connally - Former Texas Governor, wounded in 1963 Kennedy assassination in Dallas (1987)
Francis Ford Coppola - Oscar - winning film writer - director - producer (1999)
Daniel Defoe - Author; Robinson Crusoe
Dino De Laurentis - Oscar - winning film producer (1988)
John DeLorean - Automobile designer and entrepreneur
Walt Disney - Oscar - winning film producer, animation & theme park pioneer (1923)

Henry Dunant - Red Cross founder
William C. Durant -Founder of General Motors
Chris Eubank -Former World Champion Boxer (2005)
Eddie Fisher -Singer; crooner dumped by Liz Taylor
Mick Fleetwood - rock star, lead member of "Fleetwood Mac" (1984)
Henry Ford -Automobile manufacturer
William Fox - Co-Founder of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation (1936)
Red Foxx -actor – entertainer
Zsa Zsa Gabor - Cop-slapping Gabor sister
Marvin Gaye -singer (1970s)
Andy Gibb - rock star (1987)
Ulysses S. Grant 18th US President; Civil War general, best-selling American Author, face is pictured on the US fifty dollar bill (1884 after leaving office)
Paulo Gucci 1993
Bob Guccione - publisher and founder of Penthouse magazine (2003)
M.C. Hammer - rock star (1996)
George Frideric Handel -Messiah composer
Richard Harris -Oscar-nominated actor-producer-director
Isaac Hayes -Oscar-winning songwriter - composer - musician -singer
H.J. Heinz - Founder of Heinz Ketchup
Milton Snavely Hershey - founder of Hershey’s chocolate
Ron Isley - Rhythm-and blues singer (mid late 1990s)
La Toya Jackson - rock star (1995)
Don Johnson -actor-producer
Grace Jones Singer -Entertainer 1992
Chaka Kahn - rock star
Buster Keaton

Margot Kidder - Lois Lane in Superman movie
Larry King -talk-show host, best selling American author (1978)
Veronica Lake -actress (1951)
Cyndi Lauper - rock star (1983)
Stan Lee - Comic book industry pioneer, co-creator "Spider Man," "The Incredible Hulk," "The X-Men" etc (2001)
Jerry Lewis -comic
Jerry Lee Lewis -famous Rock n’ Roll star
Meat Loaf - rock star (1983)
Joe Louis -Boxer 1956
Jackie Mason -comedian – entertainer
George McGovern -politician 1991
William McKinley -25th US President 1897-1901
Marvin Mitchelson -celebrity divorce lawyer
John Nash -British Regency architect
Willie Nelson - singer-songwriter-actor, American Author (1990)
Wayne Newton - singer-actor - entertainer (1992)
Harry Nilsson -singer/songwriter; Me and My Arrow
Immanuel Nobel - father of manufacturers - philanthropist Alfred Nobel , who founded the Nobel Prize (twice - 1833/year Alfred was born, 1856/ when Alfred was 23)
Ted Nugent -Rock Star
Tom Petty - rock star (1979)
Randy Quaid - actor
Lynn Redgrave -actress
Rembrandt -painter
Burt Reynolds - Oscar-nominated actor - director, American Author (1995)

Debbie Reynolds - Oscar nominated actress-singer, American Author (1997)
Mickey Rooney - Oscar nominated actor, American Author (1962)
Run DMC -Rap Group in 1993
Ray Sawyer - rock star, member of "Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show" (1973)
Oskar Schindler -activist who saved over 1000 Jews from the Nazis
Leon Spinks -boxer
Donald Trump -billionaire entrepreneur
Mark Twain -Huckleberry Finn author
Mike Tyson - boxer (2003)
Oscar Wilde - acclaimed poet and author
Tammy Wynette - country music star (1988)
Florenz Ziegfeld

There is no shame to having tried and failed, but not having tried, that’s a sin!

Tremendous talent and the ability to get up and try again sets almost all of these famous bankrupts apart from the no-hopers who never dared to dream.

Almost every person on our list has triumphed in the historical context; we all remember them.