Peter Morton
| Peter Morton | |
|---|---|
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Morton in 2011
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| Born | August 7, 1947 Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | B.S.B.A. University of Denver |
| Occupation | businessman |
| Known for | co-founder of the Hard Rock Café |
| Spouse(s) | Paulene Stone (1980-1989) Tarlton Pauley (1990-1997) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Arnie Morton |
Peter Morton (born August 7, 1947) is the co-founder (along with Isaac Tigrett) of the Hard Rock Café, a chain of casual dining restaurants.
Contents
Early life and education
Morton is the son of Arnie Morton, founder of the Morton's Steakhouse chain, and his first wife.[1] In 1969, he graduated from the University of Denver with a B.S.B.A. in restaurant and hotel management.[2] He was a member of the Phi Sigma Delta fraternity.[citation needed]
Career
Morton's first Hard Rock Cafe opened near Hyde Park Corner in London, England. The chain began global expansion in 1982 when Morton and Tigrett agreed to develop their own cafes in various cities. Morton (Hard Rock America) opened Hard Rocks in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Houston, Las Vegas; San Diego, La Jolla, and Newport Beach, California; Sydney and Melbourne, Australia; Honolulu and Maui, Hawaii; among others. In 1995, The Rank Organisation (now The Rank Group) acquired the cafes owned by Morton, but Morton retained the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In May 2006, Morton sold the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to New York-based Morgans Hotel Group. The sale included the rights to the Hard Rock Hotel brand West of the Mississippi River which includes Texas, California, Australia and Vancouver, British Columbia. Morton later founded Morton’s Restaurant in Los Angeles.
Community Involvement
Morton is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA)[3] and sits on the board of trustees for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).[4] After Morton made a donation to UCLA, the building at 200 UCLA Medical Plaza was renamed the Peter Morton Medical Building.[5]
Personal life
He is the brother of restaurateur and businessman Michael Morton.
His first wife was Paulene Stone, the former wife of Laurence Harvey.[6] They had one son, Harry Morton, the founder of Pink Taco restaurants. His former stepdaughter with Stone was Domino Harvey, the subject of the October 2005 film Domino starring Keira Knightley and directed by Tony Scott. They divorced in 1989.
In 1990, he married Tarlton Pauley; they divorced in 1997.[7]
He is the godfather of film producer Matthew Vaughn, who introduced him to a Hard Rock Cafe tour. It was through Peter that Matthew was introduced to Guy Ritchie.
References
- ↑ People: "Happy Days Are Here Again as Peter Morton Opens a Hot Spot That Makes Hollywood Hanker for the '50s" By Wanda McDaniel February 21, 2013
- ↑ University of Denver Alumni Relations Bulletin: "Daniels Lunch and Learn with Peter Morton" March 1, 2013
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- ↑ The Guardian: "The man who feeds Hollywood" March 8, 2003
- ↑ Los Angeles Times: "Hard Rock founder is sued by ex-wife" by Kim Christensen January 10, 2007
External links
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