Thomas Dan Friedkin (born 1965) is an American businessman and film producer. He is the owner and CEO of The Friedkin Group which was founded by his father, Thomas H. Friedkin. He is also the owner and president of Serie A club Roma, and the owner and chairman of Premier League club Everton. As of December 2024[update], his estimated net worth is US$7.8 billion.
After his father, Tom, turned 65, he turned over responsibility for running the holding firm and its 3,000 employees to Dan, but remained chairman and continued to dispense advice.[4] At age 35, Dan Friedkin was the CEO of Gulf States Toyota and Friedkin Group.[5]
Since 2013, Friedkin has been chairman of Auberge Resorts Collection, a portfolio of luxury resorts, hotels and vacation properties in the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, Europe, Caribbean, and Fiji.[6]
In 2017, Friedkin co-formed 30WEST, providing capital and guidance to creative projects and companies. In 2018, Friedkin and 30WEST acquired majority ownership in Neon, a theatrical marketing and distribution company that distributed the Academy Award-winning film Parasite.[7][8]
In December 2019, Friedkin started negotiations to purchase the Italian football club Roma, and on August 6, 2020, signed the preliminary contract to agree to pay $591 million to James Pallotta, the main shareholder of Roma.[9]
In July 2024, Friedkin started negotiations to purchase English football club Everton. He pulled out of negotiations in August 2024, but restarted negotiations soon after, with him agreeing to buy the 94.1% share of the club owned by Farhad Moshiri in September 2024. On December 19, 2024, the deal was completed, paying approximately £400 million to become the owner of Everton.
Friedkin is the co-founder and principal at Imperative Entertainment, a studio specializing in the development, production and financing of original and branded entertainment across all platforms focusing on film, television and documentaries.[10] Friedkin was a producer on over a dozen Imperative Entertainment films, including The Square (Palme d'Or at the 2017 Festival de Cannes), All the Money in the World, The Mule and Killers of the Flower Moon.[11] Friedkin was also the director of the 2019 film The Last Vermeer.[12][13] In addition, Friedkin has been recognized for his work in the film Dunkirk with a Taurus Stunt Award for Best Specialty Stunt. Friedkin piloted an authentic Spitfire through an aerial dogfight, landing on the beach at Dunkirk, France.[14]
Personal life
He and his wife Debra have four children, and live in Houston.[2][3]
Friedkin is the founder and chairman of the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation and "one of nine civilian Heritage Flight pilots qualified to fly in formation with US. Air Force single-ship demonstration teams".[citation needed] Friedkin flies a variety of high-performance vintage military aircraft, performing in aerobatic air shows across North America and Europe with the U.S. Air Force and the Horsemen P-51 Flight Team.[1]
An avid golfer, Friedkin built the Congaree golf course in South Carolina that was designed by Tom Fazio.[15] Congaree is ranked No. 42 on Golf Digest's list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses.[16] He is owner of Diamond Creek Golf Club in North Carolina which he purchased from Wayne Huizenga in 2012.[17] Diamond Creek Golf Club is ranked as one of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses by Golf Digest.[18]
In August 2019, Friedkin was voted chair of Project Recover, a collaborative effort to enlist 21st century science and technology in a quest to find and repatriate Americans missing in action since World War II.[19][20]
Conservation
Friedkin is involved in conservation efforts through the Friedkin Conservation Fund, which works to protect millions of acres of endangered wildlife areas and stimulate community development in East Africa. FCF also conducts research and monitoring in order to make effective wildlife management decisions and promote long-term sustainability of wildlife and their wilderness.[21][22]
The family also leases 3.2 million acres of protected wildlife areas across Tanzania for conservation.[23]
Friedkin is also the Chairman-Emeritus of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission,[24] which manages and conserves the natural and cultural resources of Texas.[25] In 2014, Friedkin and Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, along with other conservation organizations, made the largest conservation investment in Texas history when they purchased the 17,351-acre Powderhorn Ranch to preserve one of the largest remaining tracts of unspoiled coastal prairie in Texas.[26][27]
Friedkin is among landowners who supported a Texas legislative bill that would regulate wind and solar power projects in Texas.[28] Environmentalists criticized the bill, saying it unfairly targets renewable energy and undermines climate change mitigation.[28] Friedkin has sought to prevent an electric transmission line being built on his sprawling ranch in West Texas.[28]
Friedkin also owns Mwiba Lodge, a luxury secluded lodge, located in a private wildlife reserve in the southern part of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.[29]
