Warren Buffett is a self-made billionaire nicknamed the “Oracle of Omaha” for his investing prowess. His Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate – which owns Geico and See’s Candies, and holds large stakes in Apple and Coca-Cola – is one of the biggest, most successful companies in the world.
Unsurprisingly, Buffett and Berkshire have attracted investment from a number of rich and famous people seeking someone to grow their fortunes.
Here are 10 of Berkshire’s best-known shareholders, according to “Margin of Trust: The Berkshire Business Model” by Lawrence Cunningham and Stephanie Cuba:
1. LeBron James
The Los Angeles Lakers star calls Buffett for advice, sends him financial statements to get his take, and has had dinner with him and Microsoft founder Bill Gates in the past.
2. George Lucas
The “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” creator, who sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, took Buffett’s Giving Pledge to donate the bulk of his fortune to charity.
3. Bill Gates
Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates is one of Buffett’s closest friends.
Buffett took Gates and his wife, Melinda, wedding ring shopping in 1993. Gates frequently attends Berkshire’s annual shareholder meeting, where he competes against Buffett in table tennis and newspaper tossing.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is one of Berkshire’s biggest investors.
4. Paul Ryan
The retired Wisconsin politician was the Speaker of the House of Representatives between 2015 and 2019, and the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2012.
5. Alex Rodriguez
The retired New York Yankee, who is engaged to pop star Jennifer Lopez, asks Buffett for investing advice and calls the billionaire his “mentor.”
“A-Rod would have done very well in business if he had never seen a baseball,” Buffett told Vanity Fair in 2017.
6. Glenn Close
The Hollywood actress – whose movie credits include “Fatal Attraction,” “Dangerous Liaisons,” and “101 Dalmatians” – has been friends with Buffett for years.
Buffett and Close performed “The Glory of Love” as a duet at a Fortune conference in 2013.
“No one can match Glenn Close,” Buffett told the New York Post in 2017.
7. Jimmy Buffett
The “Margaritaville” singer and the Berkshire Hathaway boss took a 23andMe DNA test to check if they shared more than a last name, The New York Times reported.
They aren’t related, but still refer to each other as “Cousin Jimmy” and “Uncle Warren,” The Times said.
8. Billy Beane
The New Yorker described the Oakland Athletics general manager as “the Warren Buffett of Baseball” for using statistical analysis to identify undervalued pitchers and hitters – similar to Buffett spotting underpriced stocks.
Beane was portrayed by Brad Pitt in “Moneyball,” the movie adaptation of the Michael Lewis book of the same name.
9. Sen. Orrin Hatch
The retired Utah senator said Buffett called him in 2014 to ask what Congress could do about companies moving abroad to pay lower taxes.
“He called me to say, ‘You’ve got to do something about tax inversions,'” Hatch said.
10. Billie Jean King
The former tennis champion famously beat Bobby Riggs in the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match, after the retired male champion claimed women’s tennis was inferior to men’s, and that he could beat a top female player even at the age of 55.
King – a vocal advocate for gender equality and social justice – was portrayed by Emma Stone in the “Battle of the Sexes” movie, released in 2017.
