Larry Ellison Biography: Spouse, Net Worth, Children, Age, Oracle, Parents, Height, Books, Business
Biography
Larry Ellison, born Lawrence Joseph Ellison on August 17, 1944, in New York City, is a celebrated American entrepreneur and philanthropist best known for co-founding Oracle Corporation in 1977.
As Oracle‘s chairman and chief technology officer, he transformed the company into a global leader in database software and cloud computing, amassing a personal fortune that ranks him among the world’s wealthiest individuals.
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A bold and competitive visionary, Ellison is also known for his passion for yachting, real estate investments, and philanthropy, including significant contributions to medical research and education.
| Chief technology officer of Oracle | |
| Larry Ellison | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Real Name: | Lawrence Joseph Ellison |
| Stage Name: | Larry Ellison |
| Born: | 17 August 1944 (age 81 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | The Bronx, New York, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Education: | University of Illinois, University of Chicago |
| Height: | 1.91 m |
| Parents: | Florence Spellman, Louis Ellison, Lillian Ellison |
| Siblings: | Janice Ellison |
| Spouse: | Jolin Zhu (m. 2023), Melanie Craft (m. 2003–2010), Barbara Boothe (m. 1983-1986), Nancy Wheeler Jenkins (m. 1977–1978), Adda Quinn (m. 1967–1974) |
| Girlfriend • Partner: | Nikita Kahn (en. 2011-2020) |
| Children: | David Ellison, Megan Ellison |
| Occupation: | Businessman • Philanthropist |
| Net Worth: | $393 billion (USD) |
Early Life & Education
Lawrence Joseph Ellison, also known as Larry Ellison, was born on August 17, 1944, in the Bronx, New York City, to an unwed 19-year-old Jewish mother named Florence Spellman.
His biological father was an Italian-American U.S. Air Force pilot whose identity Ellison did not learn until much later in life.
At nine months old, after contracting pneumonia, he was given up for adoption by his mother and raised by his maternal aunt and uncle, Lillian Ellison and Louis Ellison, a childless couple of Russian Jewish descent in a middle-class Jewish neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.
Ellison was raised in the Jewish faith, though he later identified as an atheist. He had one adopted sister, Janice Ellison.
Ellison‘s early life was marked by a strained relationship with his adoptive father, a civil servant who often belittled his ambitions.
For education, he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1962 to 1964 but dropped out after his sophomore year following Lillian‘s death.
He briefly enrolled at the University of Chicago in 1966 for one semester, studying physics and mathematics, before dropping out again to pursue various jobs in computer programming.
Career
Larry Ellison’s career is defined by his role as the co-founder, longtime CEO, and current chairman and chief technology officer of Oracle Corporation, one of the world’s leading forces in database software and cloud computing.
After leaving college without a degree, Ellison built his foundation in programming during the 1960s and 1970s, working at companies like Ampex. There, he contributed to a database project for the CIA, code-named “Oracle,” which later inspired the name of his future company.
In 1977, Ellison teamed up with Bob Miner and Ed Oates to launch Software Development Laboratories (SDL) with just $2,000 of his own savings.
By 1979, the group had released Oracle Database, the first commercially viable relational database management system (RDBMS) based on IBM’s SQL concepts. The company rebranded as Oracle Systems Corporation in 1982 and quickly became a pioneer in enterprise technology.
Ellison’s bold leadership style and relentless vision propelled Oracle’s rise. As CEO from 1977 to 2014, he oversaw the company’s transformation into a global tech powerhouse, navigating near bankruptcy in the early 1990s before orchestrating a remarkable rebound.
Under his direction, Oracle expanded into enterprise software, cloud services, and hardware through major acquisitions, including PeopleSoft (2005), BEA Systems (2008), Sun Microsystems (2010), and Cerner (2022). The Sun deal brought Java and MySQL under Oracle’s umbrella, solidifying its dominance in software infrastructure.
Though he stepped down as CEO in 2014, Ellison continues to shape Oracle’s strategy as chairman and CTO, pushing its evolution into cloud infrastructure and AI-driven technologies while competing head-to-head with Amazon and Microsoft.
Beyond Oracle, his ventures include early investment in NetSuite (later acquired by Oracle), as well as significant interests in real estate, yachting—highlighted by winning the America’s Cup in 2010—and philanthropy through the Ellison Medical Foundation.
Ellison’s personal fortune, largely tied to Oracle stock, frequently places him among the richest individuals in the world, with a net worth often exceeding $100 billion.
Known for his competitive edge and flamboyant persona, he remains one of the most influential figures in modern technology.
Social Media
- Wikipedia: Larry Ellison
- Twitter: Larry Ellison (@larryellison) / X
Personal Life
Larry Ellison, born on August 17, 1944, is 81 years old. He stands at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 meters) tall.
Ellison has been married five times. His first marriage was to Adda Quinn in 1967, ending in divorce in 1974 with no children.
He married Nancy Wheeler Jenkins in 1977, but the union lasted only until 1978, also childless.
His third marriage, to Barbara Boothe from 1983 to 1986, produced two children: son David Ellison (born 1983), a film producer and founder of Skydance Media, and daughter Megan Ellison (born 1986), a producer at Annapurna Pictures.
Ellison‘s fourth marriage was to romance novelist Melanie Craft in 2003, ending in 2010 without children. His current wife is Jolin “Keren” Zhu, a 33-year-old University of Michigan alumna originally from China; they married in late 2024 in a private ceremony.
Prior to this, Ellison had a long-term relationship with Ukrainian-American model and actress Nikita Kahn from approximately 2011 to 2020, during which they were engaged but did not marry.
Net Worth
Larry Ellison‘s net worth stands at an estimated $393 billion, propelled by a $101 billion surge in Oracle stock following strong quarterly earnings, briefly dethroning Elon Musk as the world’s richest person.
This positions Ellison, Oracle‘s co-founder and chairman, at the top of global wealth rankings according to Bloomberg and other trackers.
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