How Hollywood's richest immigrant lived on streets, built $4.9 billion net worth from just $250, revived bankrupt Marvel
Story of Hollywood's richest immigrant
Businessman and film producer Isaac Perlmutter was born to a Jewish family in Palestine in 1945 and grew up in the newly formed state of Israel. After serving in the Israel Defence Forces in the Six-Day War of 1967, Isaac moved to the US. When he arrived in New York City, a young Isaac Perlmutter only had $250 to his name. He lived outside cemeteries and earned a living offering Hebrew services for funerals. Over time, he grew to selling toys on the streets. While the businessman never attended college, he taught himself to read balance sheets. By the 70s, he had developed a knack for reviving weak and distressed companies. In 1988, this allowed him to buy Coleco, a toy manufacturer.
In 1993, Perlmutter became a member of the board of directors of Marvel Comics. He later merged his company, Toy Biz, with Marvel, forming Marvel Enterprises, as Marvel was going bankrupt. In 2001, Perlmutter became vice chairman of Marvel and, eventually, the CEO of Marvel Entertainment. It was under his stewardship that Marvel Studios was set up under Kevin Feige. Perlmutter remained Marvel Entertainment CEO till 2023, and was overseeing all Marvel films till 2015 and all TV shows till 2019. In March 2023, he was laid off from the company as part of a restructuring, and eventually, he sold all his shares in the company for $4 billion in cash. Forbes has estimated Perlmutter's net worth at $4.9 billion as of July 2025.
Isaac Perlmutter's controversies
The film producer heralded the revival of Marvel through films like Hulk, Spider-Man, and Iron Man (which began the MCU), but he remained a controversial figure throughout. Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, reported his frustration in working with Perlmutter due to their creative difference. In 2010, he caused controversy when he fired Terence Howard from Iron Man 2 for asking for a higher fee and replaced him with Don Cheadle, arguing that black people "look the same." After 2015, Feige was asked not to report to Perlmutter. He continued to oversee Marvel Television till 2019, before he was sidelined from there too.
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