Historical Figures Codexery

Calouste Gulbenkian

Armenian-British oil magnate and philanthropist known as 'Mr. Five Per Cent'

Calouste Gulbenkian

Unknown, part of the Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian whose rights are in the public domain as specified by their conditions of use: "All the content is free to use · via Wikipedia: Calouste Gulbenkian · CC0

He earned the nickname "Mr. Five Per Cent" for retaining a fixed 5% share of the Turkish Petroleum Company.[1][2] According to a 1955 New York Times obituary and other sources, at the time of his death Gulbenkian was considered one of the richest individuals globally.[3]

Quick Facts

Born
23 March 1869
Birth name
Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian
Birthplace
Scutari, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (present-day Üsküdar, Istanbul, Turkey)
Died
20 July 1955
Place of death
Lisbon, Portugal
Resting place
St. Sarkis Armenian Church, London
Citizenship
Ottoman Empire, United Kingdom (from 1902)
Education
Lycée Saint-Joseph, Istanbul; Robert College

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Gulbenkian was born on 23 March 1869 in Scutari, in the Ottoman capital Constantinople.[4] He studied petroleum engineering at King's College London, graduating in 1887 with a first-class degree.[5] He was the driving force behind the creation of the Turkish Petroleum Company in 1912.[6] The "Red Line Agreement" signed in July 1928 reserved 5% of the shares for Gulbenkian.[7]

He incorporated a Panamanian company in 1938 to hold his oil industry assets.[8] During the Second World War he left France for Lisbon in late 1942 and lived there until his death.[9] He died on 20 July 1955, aged 86.[9] Gulbenkian facilitated the 1907 combination of Royal Dutch Petroleum Company and "Shell" Transport and Trading Company Ltd.[2]

What the cited sources add

Benedict Cumberbatch portrays a character inspired by Gulbenkian's real-life son Nubar Gulbenkian.[10][11] On 20 July 1965, marking ten years since Gulbenkian's death, approximately 300 pieces from his collection were put on public display for the first time.[12] In Wes Anderson's 2025 film The Phoenician Scheme, Benicio del Toro portrays a character whose inspiration is Calouste Gulbenkian.[10] Anderson explained that Jonathan Conlin's book Mr. Five Percent demonstrated how Gulbenkian's ambition could shape the future.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Calouste Gulbenkian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.", Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2006, p. 817 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Calouste Gulbenkian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Vassiliou, "Historical dictionary of the petroleum industry", Scarecrow Press, 2009, p. 226–7; Norwich, J. J., & Henson, B. (1987). Mr. Five Percent: The Story of Calouste Gulbenkian. [S.l.]: Home Vision. , . (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Calouste Gulbenkian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Anheier Toepler List 2010, p. 816; "Calouste Gulbenkian Dies at 86. One of the Richest Men in the World. Oil Financier, Art Collector Lived in Obscurity, Drove in Rented Automobile.", The New York Times, 21 July 1955; "Solid Gold Scrooge", 23 July 1958; Chilvers 2005, p. 320 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Calouste Gulbenkian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Armenian Communities Department 2010, p. 11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Calouste Gulbenkian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "My B.B...: The Letters of Bernard Berenson and Kenneth Clark, 1925–1959", Yale University Press, 2015, p. 526; Armenian Communities Department 2010, p. 11; Armenian Communities Department 2010, p. 11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Calouste Gulbenkian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Coughlan, "Mystery Billionaire", 27 November 1950, p. 81–107; Coughlan, "Mystery Billionaire", 27 November 1950, p. 81–107 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Calouste Gulbenkian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Conlin 2010, p. 282 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Calouste Gulbenkian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Vassiliou, "Historical dictionary of the petroleum industry", Scarecrow Press, 2009, p. 226–7 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Calouste Gulbenkian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Coughlan, "Mystery Billionaire", 27 November 1950, p. 81–107; Kumar 2012, p. 113; Azeredo Perdigão 1969, p. 21 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. "Film about Calouste Gulbenkian – The California Courier", 2025-11-27. facts only, no text reused. thecaliforniacourier.com
  11. Wikipedia, "Calouste Gulbenkian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Phoenician Scheme: Wes Anderson's sense of an ending", New Statesman, May 2025; "Wes Anderson Talks 'The Phoenician Scheme' and the Legacy of Capitalist Icons", Mundo America, May 19, 2025; "Film about Calouste Gulbenkian – The California Courier", 2025-11-27; "Film about Calouste Gulbenkian – The California Courier", 2025-11-27 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  12. "Premises", Museu Calouste Gulbenkian. facts only, no text reused. gulbenkian.pt

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Calouste Gulbenkian (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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