14. Sir Run Run Shaw was one of the richest men in the global movie business but is now best remembered in his native Hong Kong for the schools and hospitals he built
At some point in the mid-1920s, Runje Shaw was given a run-down cinema in order to repay a debt. His younger brothers soon followed him into the business, though of the family, it was to be the youngest brother Run Run who would go on to make a global name for himself. For several decades he was one of the most powerful men in the global movie industry. Naturally, he made a fortune, much of which he gave away.
Sir Run Run Shaw was born to an entrepreneurial family in eastern China in 1907. As a young boy, he started out helping his brother with his fledgling movie theatre business. At 19, however, he ventured out on his own. He travelled to Singapore and set up the Shaw Organisation. He started out with one cinema. By the time the Japanese invaded less than a decade later, Run Run had an empire of more than 130 venues.
After the war, he moved again. This time to Hong Kong. Here, he became a major producer and distributor. Millions watched his movies, and some were even exported to Western audiences. He added to his fortune by investing wisely in commercial TV before it became big, though he wisely chose to stay out of politics. Instead, he preferred to engage in philanthropy and over the years he gave away tens, perhaps even hundreds, of millions of dollars.
In Hong Kong, an estimated 5,000 buildings have Run Run’s name on them. He established schools, clinics and hospitals. He also set up the Run Run Institute of Chinese Affairs at Oxford University and, in 2008, he gave millions in aid to help survivors of a major earthquake in the Sichuan Province of China. He died in his beloved Hong Kong in 2014 at the age of 106.