Who is Don Laughlin? Find Net Worth, Quote, Awards, Fact, Wiki

Donald J. Laughlin Wiki Biography

Donald J. Laughlin was born on the 4th May 1931, in Owatonna, Minnesota USA, and is a gambling entrepreneur, hotelier and rancher, perhaps best known as the owner of Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino. Don has been active in the business since the late 1950s.

How rich is the gambler, entrepreneur, hotelier and rancher? It has been reported by authoritative sources that the total size of Don Laughlin’s net worth is as much as $1 billion, as of the data presented in the middle of 2016, making him one of the richest hoteliers in the USA. Hotels, ranches as well as gambling are the main sources of Laughlin wealth. His assets among others include a private helicopter, a collection of automobiles and other luxuries.

Don Laughlin Net Worth $1 Billion

To begin with, he was raised in Owatonna, and from a young age he knew the way to earn money, as in winters, he worked as a fur trapper, and invested the money to buy slot machines to make a bigger profit. As a high school student, he earned $500 per week, and decided to drop out of school in order to have more time for business.

In the late 1950s, he settled down in Las Vegas, Nevada and bought the casino called 101 Club, later selling it. In 1964, Laughlin was rich enough to buy a private plane, and while flying his own plane he foresaw the potential area of the resort and bought a motel there. Don initially entertained his guests with gambling facilities and cheap meals, installing gaming tables as well as slot machines. He then purchased all possible accommodation facilities in Riverside, and renamed the place to The Town of Laughlin, as the inspector of Postal Service of USA insisted. It is known that the expansions were made in 1972 adding 48 rooms, in 1975 52 rooms, in 1983 253 more rooms, and several more additions.

In line with his interest, an automotive museum was added in 1986, the latter being named Don Laughlin’s Classic Car Collection and is an exhibition of special and classic cars of Laughlin. It should be noted, that Laughlin added a bowling centre in 1999. The whole resort currently is known as the Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino. What is more, Don Laughlin financed the constructions of the bridge which united the northern tip of Laughlin and the Laughlin Bullhead International Airport over the Colorado River, which also connected the Arizona Highways 68 & 95 with Nevada Highway 163, and he also financed the building and expansion of the Laughlin Bullhead International Airport. To conclude, all the above mentioned facilities have helped increase the overall size of Don Laughlin’s net worth.

Finally, in the personal life of the billionaire, he is married to Elizabeth Laughlin, and they have three adults children. Laughlin and his wife split their time between his ranch in Kingman and their penthouse suite in Riverside.



Full Name Tom Laughlin
Net Worth $1 Billion
Date Of Birth May 4, 1931
Died December 12, 2013, Thousand Oaks, California, United States
Place Of Birth Owatonna, Minnesota USA
Profession Entrepreneur, hotelier and rancher
Education Marquette University, Washington High School, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of South Dakota
Nationality American
Spouse Elizabeth Laughlin
Children Teresa Kelly, Christina Laughlin, Frank Laughlin
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/public/Don-Laughlin
Twitter https://twitter.com/donlaughlin
IMDB www.imdb.com/name/nm0490871
Movies Billy Jack, The Born Losers, The Trial of Billy Jack, Billy Jack Goes to Washington, The Master Gunfighter, South Pacific, Tea and Sympathy, The Delinquents, Gidget, The Proper Time, Lafayette Escadrille, Tall Story, The Big Sleep, Battle of the Coral Sea, Senior Prom, Brannigan, ECW on TNN, The Ret…
TV Shows ECW Hardcore TV, ECW Pay-Per-View, WWE Heat
Fact
1 At the time of his death, his family requested publicly “In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family asks that donations be made to Friends of Pine Ridge or the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.”.
2 Waged campaigns for President of the United States in 1992, 2004, and 2008.
3 Living in Camarillo, California. [January 2004]
4 Tom and wife Delores Taylor have three children — Frank Laughlin, Teresa Kelly (was billed as either Teresa Laughlin or T.C. Laughlin), and Christina Laughlin.
5 Played Billy Jack for the fifth time in “The Return Of Billy Jack” (1985), an unfinished film in which Billy Jack battled child pornographers.
6 Was a running back for the University of Minnesota football team, and later tried out for the old Chicago Cardinals in the NFL.
7 Frank Laughlin, the name that Tom Laughlin often used as a pseudonym, is actually his son’s name.
8 Attended and graduated from Washington High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He returned to the school in 1978 and told an assembly that he was a ‘greaser’ during his High School years, and that he once beat up Gene Wilder. Wilder went to the same school and lived in the same neighborhood.
9 Garnered 147 votes in the January, 2004, New Hampshire primary.
10 Intends to run against Arnold Schwarzenegger for governor of California.
11 Has done extensive research on Jungian psychology and alternative cancer therapy treatments.
12 Tom’s movie Billy Jack (1971) cost $800,000 to make and grossed over $65 million.
13 Trained in hapkido karate by karate master Bong Soo Han.

Actor

Title Year Status Character
The Return of Billy Jack 1986 Billy Jack
The Legend of the Lone Ranger 1981 Neeley (Cavendish gang)
The Big Sleep 1978 Lou
Billy Jack Goes to Washington 1977 Billy Jack
Voyage of the Damned 1976 Engineering Officer (uncredited)
The Littlest Horse Thieves 1976
The Master Gunfighter 1975 Finley
The Trial of Billy Jack 1974 Billy Jack
Callan 1974 uncredited
Billy Jack 1971 Billy Jack
The Born Losers 1967 Billy Jack
The Proper Time 1962 Mickey Henderson
Like Father, Like Son 1961 Chris Wotan
Tall Story 1960 Fred Jensen
Tales of Wells Fargo 1959 TV Series Jess Wilson
Battle of the Coral Sea 1959 Ens. Franklin
Riverboat 1959 TV Series Tom Fowler
The Deputy 1959 TV Series Jim Stanton
Wagon Train 1957-1959 TV Series Jocko Naughton / Earl ‘Laramie Kid’ Halstead
Gidget 1959 Lover Boy
M Squad 1959 TV Series Nick ‘Sharpy’ Sharples
Senior Prom 1958 Carter Breed III
Lux Playhouse 1958 TV Series Killer
Flight 1958 TV Series
Man with a Camera 1958 TV Series Joey Savoyan
Studio One in Hollywood 1958 TV Series Templeton
South Pacific 1958 Lt. Buzz Adams
Lafayette Escadrille 1958 Arthur Blumenthal
Playhouse 90 1957 TV Series
The Silent Service 1957 TV Series Lou / Lanning
The Walter Winchell File 1957 TV Series Peter Rakosi
Lux Video Theatre 1957 TV Series Jess
The Delinquents 1957 Scotty
Climax! 1955-1957 TV Series Paisan
The Millionaire 1956 TV Series Vic Carter
Tea and Sympathy 1956 Ralph
These Wilder Years 1956 Football Player (uncredited)
Navy Log 1955-1956 TV Series Ensign Fred Scot / McQueen
Front Row Center 1956 TV Series Tom White
Matinee Theatre 1955 TV Series

Director

Title Year Status Character
The Return of Billy Jack 1986
Billy Jack Goes to Washington 1977 as T.C. Frank
The Master Gunfighter 1975 as Frank Laughlin
The Trial of Billy Jack 1974 as Frank Laughlin
Billy Jack 1971 as T.C. Frank
The Born Losers 1967 as T.C. Frank
The Proper Time 1962
Like Father, Like Son 1961

Writer

Title Year Status Character
The Return of Billy Jack 1986
Billy Jack Goes to Washington 1977 written by – as Frank Christina
The Master Gunfighter 1975 as Harold Lapland
The Trial of Billy Jack 1974 screenplay – as Frank Christina
Billy Jack 1971 screenplay – as Frank Christina
The Proper Time 1962 original screenplay
Like Father, Like Son 1961 written by

Producer

Title Year Status Character
The Return of Billy Jack 1986 executive producer
The Trial of Billy Jack 1974 executive producer – uncredited
Billy Jack 1971 producer – as Mary Rose Solti
The Born Losers 1967 producer – as Donald Henderson
The Proper Time 1962 producer
Like Father, Like Son 1961 producer

Editor

Title Year Status Character
Like Father, Like Son 1961 as Donald Henderson

Thanks

Title Year Status Character
When Life Gives You Lemons 2010/II Short very special thanks
Far from the Sea 2008 grateful thanks

Self

Title Year Status Character
Altman’s Apprenticeship: The Kansas City Years 2007 Video short Himself
Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick 1995 Documentary Himself
The Merv Griffin Show 1977 TV Series Himself

Archive Footage

Title Year Status Character
The 86th Annual Academy Awards 2014 TV Special Himself – Actor / Director / Writer (In Memoriam)
20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards 2014 TV Special Himself – In Memoriam

Won Awards

Year Award Ceremony Nomination Movie
1971 Golden Charybdis Taormina International Film Festival Billy Jack (1971)

Nominated Awards

Year Award Ceremony Nomination Movie
1971 Image Award Image Awards Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Billy Jack (1971)

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