Melvin Belli

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Melvin Mouron Belli (born July 29, 1907 in Sonora , California , USA ; † July 9, 1996 in San Francisco , California, USA) was an American lawyer and film actor .

Melvin Belli (right) and David Woodard rehearse for The War Prayer in 1996

Belli's most famous clients include Jack Ruby , the killer of alleged Kennedy killer Lee Harvey Oswald . Other well-known clients Belli represented were Mae West , Muhammad Ali , Jim and Tammy Faye Baker , Errol Flynn , Tony Curtis , Lenny Bruce , Zsa Zsa Gabor , Chuck Berry , Alex Haley , Nick Nolte , Lana Turner and The Rolling Stones . In Germany, Belli became known for representing the German "starfighter widows" , for which he won 7 million US dollars from the aircraft manufacturer Lockheed in a class action lawsuit in the USA. No less than 600 million dollars in compensation claims of all kinds for his clients. Although his law firm took a third of the money in commission , it went bankrupt in 1996. The reason was a winning class action lawsuit against Dow Corning , which subsequently bankruptcy protection to Chapter 11 requested. Bellis law firm was left with the $ 5 million expense for experts and reports.

Belli also worked as a defense attorney in the short-lived court show " Guilty or Innocent " produced in 1984 , which is considered the forerunner of " Judge Barbara Salesch " or " Judge Alexander Hold ".

In 1968 Belli began working as a film actor. In the episode “ Course on Markus XII ” of the television series “ Raumschiff Enterprise ”, he stood in front of the film camera with his son Caesar , who now also works as a criminal defense lawyer . Belli was in front of the camera four more times until 1991, most recently in an episode of " Murder is Her Hobby ". In 1992 he worked as a legal advisor on the drama " In the Name of My Daughter ". He was played by Brian Cox in the US thriller Zodiac .

Melvin Belli was married six times and had three sons and three daughters. A few months after his last marriage, he died of a pancreatic tumor at the age of 88 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ RECHT / STARFIGHTER: Failure or In: Der Spiegel . No. 39 , 1970 ( online - Sept. 21, 1970 ).
personal data
SURNAME Belli, Melvin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Belli, Melvin Moulon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American lawyer and film actor
DATE OF BIRTH July 29, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH Sonora , California , USA
DATE OF DEATH July 9, 1996
Place of death San Francisco , California , USA