Silvio Berlusconi is the former Prime Minister of Italy, a media tycoon, and the owner of the AC Milan soccer team. He has an estimated net worth of $7.68 billion in May 2019.

Silvio Berlusconi, one of Italy’s richest men, is also one of Italy's longest-serving post-war prime ministers. He continues to capture headlines in Italy at 76 years of age.

His rise to the ranks of Italy’s superelite is one worthy of a Hollywood screenplay. Born into a lower middle class family, the versatile Berlusconi studied law in Milan and worked as a singer on cruise ships and nightclubs. Securing a small loan from a local bank he oversaw the construction of small-scale projects in the city of Milan and later built Milano 2 the first condo community on the outskirts of Milan.

It was in Milano Due, a residential neighborhood for families of the upper middle class with children that Berlusconi launched his first television stating, TeleMilano which later evolved into Canale 5 available nation wide.

Berlusconi’s media empire increased early on when his television stations such as Canale 5 become the first to offer American television shows dubbed in Italian, a common trait on Italian television today. For many, it was the beginning of a new era in Italian television. It also solidified Berlusconi’s position as a media tycoon.

In 1986, Berlusconi purchased the nearly defunct AC Milan football Club and transformed the team into what would become the first European powerhouse adding large local and international players to its roster. In 25 years, AC Milan under Berlusconi’s ownership would win more international silverware than any other club in the world.

Berlusconi’s Fininvest holding group founded during this time is now composed of a number important companies including Mediolanum an insurance and banking company, film production company Medusa, Mondari Italy’s leading publishing house and Ac Milan. One its largest assets is the Mediaset which remains the biggest private entertainment competitor in Italy.

In 1993 Berlusconi entered the political arena running for Prime Minister under his newly formed political party Forza Italy (Go Italy). His on again off again reign continues to this day where he recently re-entered the election race.

Berlusconi has 5 Children from two marriages 3 of which occupy important posts within Fininvest. In 2009, Berlusconi’s second wife Veronica Lario filed for divorce and in 2012 Italian courts ordered Berlusconi to pay his ex-wife 100 thousand euros a day or 3 million euros a month in alimony.

That same month 76-year-old Berlusconi announced he was getting engaged to 27-year old Francesca Pascale a tv performer turned politician.

One of Berlusconi’s most prized possessions is his Villa in Sardinia worth an estimated 500 million euros. Known as Villa Certosa, it rests on of 200 acres of beachfront property in one of the most luxurious destinations in the world Costa Esmeralda in Sardinia. It contains three villas, a total of 26 bedrooms, seven swimming pools, a lake and an artificial volcano. It also includes an underground cave, complete with an emergency escape exit to the sea.

As of 2012, Forbes magazine reported that Berlusconi was Italy's sixth richest man, sitting behind Michele Ferrero famous for brands such as Nutella and Kinder as well as Fashion Mogul Giorgio Armani.

Earnings & Financial Data