Jeffrey Lurie | $1B+
Get in touch with Jeffrey Lurie | Jeffrey Lurie, billionaire businessman and owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, has transformed the franchise into one of the NFL’s most consistently competitive and analytically driven organizations. After purchasing the team in 1994, he oversaw decades of playoff appearances, multiple NFC championships, and the Eagles’ first Super Bowl victory in 2018. A former film producer with a PhD from Brandeis, Lurie blends data-focused decision-making with a commitment to culture, innovation, and community impact. His leadership has positioned the Eagles as a model modern franchise and solidified his status as one of the most influential owners in professional sports.
Jeffrey Robert Lurie (born September 8, 1951) is an American businessman, documentary film producer, and owner of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) since 1994. With an estimated net worth of $7.6 billion as of September 2025, as a film producer he has three Academy Awards to his credit, while the Eagles have won two Super Bowls under his tenure as owner.
Early life and education
Lurie was born to a Jewish family[1] in Boston, the son of Nancy (née Smith) and Morris John Lurie. His grandfather, Philip Smith, founded the General Cinema movie theater chain, which was one of the largest operators of drive-in movie theaters in the United States.[2] His uncle is Richard A. Smith. He has two siblings, Peter and Cathy. His father died April 14, 1961, at the age of 44 when Jeffrey was nine years old.
In the late 1960s, General Cinema began acquiring bottling franchises, including a Pepsi bottling operation. General Cinema evolved over the years into Harcourt General Inc., a $3.7-billion conglomerate based in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, with 23,700 employees worldwide. In its heyday it was the nation's fourth-largest chain of movie theaters, owned several publishing houses, three insurance companies, and a leading global consulting firm. In 1984 minority interest in Carter Hawley Hale was acquired, which was at the time the tenth-largest clothing retailer in the United States, including Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman-Marcus.
Lurie attended Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then earned a B.A. from Clark University, a master's degree in psychology from Boston University, and a doctorate in social policy from The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, where he wrote his thesis on the depiction of women in Hollywood movies. He has spent his adult life as a non-practicing Jew.[3] Prior to entering business, Lurie served as an adjunct assistant professor of social policy at Boston University.
Career
In 1983, he left academia to join General Cinema Corporation, a major movie theater chain founded by his grandfather, Philip Smith, and headed by his uncle, Richard A. Smith. He worked as an executive in the company as a liaison between General Cinema Corporation and the production community in Hollywood. He was also an advisor in The General Cinema national film buying office.
He then founded Chestnut Hill Productions in 1985, which produced a string of Hollywood movies and TV shows. The company initially started off with a multi-feature joint venture with Tri-Star Pictures to develop projects, then in 1987, three of the Chestnut Hill projects were picked up by MGM/UA Communications Co., two with Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures each, and a single picture Chestnut Hill is producing for Universal Pictures, and a majority of the eight Chestnut Hill productions would be received by Tri-Star Pictures, after which Chestnut Hill became an independent production company. Tri-Star Pictures received first look at all projects that were handled by Chestnut Hill Productions, with Tri-Star and Chestnut Hill to co-finance development and Tri-Star could pick up the entire tab on production.[4]
On February 27, 2011, the Lurie-produced movie Inside Job won an Academy Award (Oscar) for best documentary film.[5] The company also produced television commercials. Two years later he won a second Oscar when Inocente, in which he was executive producer, won for Best Documentary Short Film.[6] In 2022, Lurie won a third Oscar as executive producer for Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), which received the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
In 2020, Forbes ranked him No. 319 on the Forbes 400 list of the richest people in America.[7]
Philadelphia Eagles ownership
As a fan of all the Boston sports teams, Lurie went to games and put himself to sleep listening to the Boston Red Sox on his transistor radio. The Luries had been season-ticket holders since the New England Patriots franchise began in 1960, the year the American Football League was founded. Lurie cheered for Gino Cappelletti, Houston Antwine, and Babe Parilli. In 1993, Lurie tried to buy the New England Patriots, but he dropped out of the bidding at $150 million when his uncle Richard Smith nixed the purchase based on the financials.
Lurie's name also had surfaced in sale talks regarding the Los Angeles Rams, and he was a potential investor in a bid for a Baltimore expansion team with Robert Tisch, who subsequently bought 50% of the New York Giants. Five months later, Smith agreed to let his nephew buy the Philadelphia Eagles. Lurie contacted Norman Braman, then owner of the Eagles. Lurie bought the Philadelphia Eagles on May 6, 1994, from Braman for $195 million (equivalent to $414 million in 2024). Lurie and his mother, Nancy Lurie Marks, the only daughter of Philip Smith, borrowed $190 million from the Bank of Boston to buy the Eagles.[8] To back the Bank of Boston loan, Lurie put up millions of dollars worth of personal stock in Harcourt General and GC Companies Inc. as equity.[8] He and his mother also put up stock in the family trust as collateral so Lurie could borrow the rest.[8]
In 2017, Forbes valued the Eagles at $2.65 billion, ranking them 10th among NFL teams in value.[9] By 2024 this valuation had increased to $6.6 billion with the Eagles ranked 8th amongst all 32 NFL teams in value.[10] As of August 2025, Forbes valued the team at $8.3 billion, ranking it 6th; this figure was confirmed in December 2024 when Lurie sold an 8% minority stake in the franchise.
On February 4, 2018, the Eagles defeated the Patriots to win Super Bowl LII by the score of 41–33, giving Lurie his first title as Eagles owner. The victory evened the score with New England, as the previous Lurie-era Super Bowl appearance was a 24–21 loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.[11]
On February 9, 2025, the Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl LIX by the score of 40–22, giving Lurie his second title as Eagles' owner. The win evened the score against Kansas City (the Eagles had lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII), and denied the Chiefs' bid to become the only team to win three Super Bowls in a row.[12]
Personal life
In a pre-production meeting for I Love You To Death, Lurie met Christina Weiss, who was working in film development and brought the project to him.[13] In 1992, Lurie married Weiss in Gstaad, Switzerland. They have two children: a daughter (born 1993) and a son (born 1995). In 2012, the couple announced that they were divorcing; the divorce was finalized in August 2012. Christina retained a minority ownership stake in the Philadelphia Eagles following the divorce. On May 4, 2013, he married Tina Lai.[14]
Filmography
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
Year Film Notes
1988 Sweet Hearts Dance
1990 I Love You to Death
1991 V.I. Warshawski
1996 Foxfire
2010 Inside Job Producer; Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
2012 Inocente Executive producer; Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject
2021 Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Producer; Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
As an actor
Year Film Role
1996 Jerry Maguire Himself
Thanks
Year Film Role
1996 Jerry Maguire Special thanks
Television
Year Title Credit Notes
1993 Blind Side Executive producer Television film
1994 State of Emergency Executive producer Television film
1996 Malibu Shores Co-executive producer
2014 POV Executive producer
As an actor
Year Title Role Notes
1998 The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon Barney's Friend Television film
2000 Arliss Himself
2022 Welcome to Wrexham Himself 1 episode
Awards and honors
Three-time Academy Award winner:
2011 for Best Documentary Feature as executive producer of Inside Job[5]
2013 for Best Documentary Short Subject as executive producer of Inocente[6]
2022 for Best Documentary Feature as executive producer of Summer of Soul.
Two-time Super Bowl champion as owner of the Eagles (LII[11] and LIX[12])
Disclaimer: This profile is based on publicly available information. No endorsement or affiliation is implied.
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