Dan Bilzerian is an American-Armenian actor, businessman, poker player, and social media influencer.
Wiki/Biography
Daniel Brandon Bilzerian was born on Sunday, December 7, 1980 (age 40 years; as of 2020), in Tampa, Florida. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. After his father started serving his sentence in prison, he got expelled from his high school for two years in a row. His family then moved to Utah, where he joined a high school. However, a few weeks before his high school graduation, he was expelled from his school and ended up in jail for possessing a machine gun (that he had brought to school), which was his father’s from the Vietnam War. He was also told to leave Utah and never return. He then went to the US Naval Academy under the care of drill instructors. He also went for SEAL training for 502 days and two-hell weeks, the first of which left him with a broken leg. After his second attempt, he dropped out permanently over a safety violation. According to him,
I completed hell week in 229, got rolled then dropped 3 weeks after for compound stress fractures. Went back in 238, made it 2 days before graduation on the island and, got rolled back to the beginning of the second phase with 239, got a couple of weeks before graduation and got admin dropped for no real good reason.”
Dan Bilzerian during his navy days
He enrolled at the University of Florida to do Majors in Business and Criminology, which he never completed. According to him,
Some weeks I was making, like, $90,000, so I’m looking at these professors, thinking, what am I doing here?”
His education at the University of Florida was funded by a $6,000-a-month “disability allowance as a veteran” that he qualified for due to his injuries and honorable discharge.
Physical Appearance
Height : 5′ 9½”
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Black
Family & Ethnicity
He is of Armenian descent from his father’s side. His ancestors survived the Armenian Genocide (1914–1923) that occurred during World War 1; the Armenian Genocide was the mass murder of ethnic Armenians in Turkey and adjoining regions by the Ottoman government. His forefathers came to the United States in the early 20th century.
Parents & Siblings
He is the son of corporate takeover specialist Paul Bilzerian and Terri Steffen. He is the brother of the poker player and writer Adam Bilzerian.
Dan Bilzerian with his family
Relationships
Dan is notorious for being with multiple women at a time and his relationships with them don’t last much longer.
Dan Bilzerian with his girlfriends
For three years in Las Vegas, he was romantically linked with Jessa Hilton, a lifestyle blogger, and model.
Dan Bilzerian with Jessa Hinton
He was in a relationship with the girls like Sofia Bevarly (model), Leidy Amelia Labrador (model), Corin Jamie-Lee Clark (model), Morgan Hultgren, Chloe Othen (model), Tawny Jordan (ring girl and Model), Katie Bell, Lauren Blake (fitness promoter), Desiree Schlotz (rumored), Lindsey Nicole Pelas (social media influencer and model), and Suelyn Medeiros.
Dan Bilzerian with Sofia Bevarly
Dan Bilzerian with Leidy Amelia Labrador
Corin Jamie-Lee Clark
Dan Bilzerian with Chloe Othen
Dan Bilzerian with Katie Bell
Dan Bilzerian with Lauren Blake
Dan Bilzerian with Desiree Schlotz
Lindsey Nicole Pelas
Suelyn Medeiros
Career
Poker
Dan Bilzerian started gambling when he was in the navy. He learned to play poker during the first year of his graduation at the University of Florida. In an interview, he said,
I used to beat the shit out of my roommate and force him to sign onto his poker act at 2am and ritually busted it before sunrise. Then every morning end up writing him a check for the lost sum and berate him for letting him play. After pissing away my college drinking money I was forced to play a little tighter and am now a winning player.”
By the time, he reached the second year, he was broke and had to sell his guns at $750 to play poker. He turned those $750 to $10,000 and bought a one-way ticket to Las Vegas and turned that $10,000 into $187,000. When he was 27 years old, he garnered attention from the high-stakes pokers. In 2008, he participated in the World Series of Poker with his brother, Adam, and ended up in 108th place with a winning of $36,000. Talking about it to a magazine, he said,
I wanted to kill myself.”
Dan Bilzerian playing poker
However, he grabbed the attention of a few sponsors and signed a sponsorship deal with Victory Poker, a now-defunct online cardroom. This led him to the first public stunts that include him betting $400,000 on a drag race with his lawyer and him swimming through an alligator-filled lake at midnight. According to him, the largest amount that he had won in a single night of poker was $10.8 million and the biggest amount he had lost was $3.6 million on three separate occasions. . He even claimed that he doesn’t play professionals anymore. In 2020, GGPoker, an online poker room, announced that Dan had joined their team as their brand ambassador.
Dan Bilzerian as the brand ambassador of GGPoker
Ignite
In 2018, he founded his global lifestyle company Ignite International Brands Ltd., which sells electronic cigarettes, CBD oils, water bottles, beverages, and apparel, and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. In January 2019, the company saw its expansion in the UK and Mexico and continued to expand in the middle east and Canada. In 2020, it was reported that the company lost over $50 million in 2019, mostly on marketing and office rental expenses.
Logo of Ignite
Films
In 2013, he made his film debut with ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ as a stunt performer.
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
He made his acting debut with the film ‘Lone Survivor’ (2013) as ‘SCPO Daniel R. Healy.’
Dan Bilzerian in Lone Survivor (2013)
He has also acted in the films The Other Women (2014), Cat Run 2 (2014), The Equalizer (2014), Extraction (2015), and War Dogs (2015).
Controversies
- In 2013, Dan sued the producers of the Lone Survivor, a film in which he made his acting debut. According to him, he invested $1 million in the film in return for eight minutes of screen time and 80 words of dialogue. To his dismay, his role was reduced to just a line and less than a minute of screen time during the final edit. His lawsuit demanded $1.2 million—the original investment plus 20 per cent. The lawsuit was dropped later, but he generated $1.5 million from the film’s commercial success reportedly. Talking about the controversy in an interview, he said,
The producers begged me to put the million dollars into Lone Survivor as they couldn’t meet their budget, and had I not done so, the movie prob wouldn’t have gotten made. I requested to play Dan Healey as he was the guy who pulled my friend Laz Cor off the chopper and took his place. He died trying to save Marcus, and they weren’t even going to mention him in the movie. He died not because he was ordered to, but because he demanded to go. I met with Dan’s mother, visited his memorial, and the family was happy he was represented in the movie, after all he gave his life, I think a cameo is the least they could do for him. The producers and directors promised me eight minutes of screen time, and for Dan to have a memorable role in the movie, this was not honored, so they will be sued for a breach of contract.”
- In April 2014, the pornographic actress Janice Griffith and Dan were featured in a photoshoot for Hustler magazine, which involved Dan throwing Janice off the roof of a house into a pool. However, during the process, she hit the edge of the pool and broke her foot. Janice then unsuccessfully demanded $85,000 for her injuries from Dan. In December 2014, she filed a lawsuit against the magazine and Dan to which Dan’s attorney stated,
It shows facts your client always omits: she was under contract to Hustler and agreed with Hustler’s request that she be photographed while being thrown off the roof. I always thought that this kind of thing was Photoshopped instead. Perhaps Hustler’s editorial standards would not permit it. Perhaps she insists on doing all her own stunts. I really do not know. In all events, she agreed. Very few people I know would make that choice. But there it is. And chronologically, she’s an adult competent to make it. Hustler and your client asked Mr. Bilzerian to be the thrower, and we can all agree that was the better end of the deal. Like your client, the facts of the claim won’t, quite, fly.”
- In 2014, he was at a nightclub in Miami, where he kicked a model named Vanessa Castano in the face during an argument. Following this, he was banned from the nightclub and was sued for $1 million by the model for her injuries and warned that he might have to go through greater damages if the suit went to trial. According to Vanessa,
There were two girls standing next to me at the table that were fighting. People started getting shoved and I tried to separate them. Then Dan pushed me off the banquette and once I fell he kicked me in the face.”
- On December 9, 2014, he was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport (also known as LAX) on a fugitive warrant from Nevada based on the charges of possessing or manufacturing explosive or incendiary devices. Reportedly, he had brought the tractor-trailer cab on federal land near Las Vegas in November and put more than 90 pounds of an explosive powder mix inside of a beverage cooler in the truck, filing a rifle from a distance to cause an explosion. He was held without bail but was released the next day around 1:16 pm after his charges were dropped. In February 2015, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of “negligently failing to extinguish a fire in the open” and was fined $17,231.50.
- On October 1, 2017, Dan was present at the Las Vegas shooting, where he filmed himself several times and posted a series of videos on Instagram. In the first video, he was describing the scenario as he was fleeing to safety; in the second one, he said ‘had to go grab a gun. I’m f—ing headed back;’ In some other videos, he was standing in front of a police car and asking them for a gun; in the final video, he was seen heading home and saying ‘I don’t think there’s much I can do.’ He faced criticism for his actions as he claimed to be a hero but did not do anything. Later, he gave a few interviews in which he claimed to have helped a few injured people.
- In August 2018, he visited Armenia to issue a passport of Armenian citizenship. On the same trip, he visited a shooting range in Nagorno-Karabakh, where he fired weapons. The government of Azerbaijan saw it as a violation of its laws and sent a note of protest to senior American diplomats over these actions. The note of protest stated,
It was brought to the notice of the senior American diplomat that Bilzerian had violated the law of Azerbaijan on the state border and the country’s Migration Code as, without presenting relevant documents, bypassing our checkpoints, he entered the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Dan Bilzerian illegally acquired firearms and for provocative purposes demonstratively opened fire on the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. We also informed the American diplomat that this person was making insulting and immoral statements on camera affecting the dignity and moral values of the Azerbaijani people and contradicting the spirit of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and the United States.”
After this, a criminal case was registered against him and a court in Baku issued an arrest warrant for Dan, putting him on the international wanted list. According to Dan,
They only issued the warrant for my arrest, and nobody else on the trip, I think it’s because I am a public figure and they want to try to make an example out of me.”
- In July 2020, he was sued by the former Ignite president Curtis Heffernan for wrongful termination over calling out Dan for his misappropriation of company funds for his lavish lifestyle; the expenses included $15,000 for a ping pong table, $40,000 for a rock-climbing wall, and $130,340 on a Bahamian photo shoot.
Curtis Heffernan
Favorite Things
- Book: ‘Walter Chandoha. Cats. Photographs 1942-2018′ by Susan Michals
- Travel Destinations: Hawaii, India, Thailand, Iceland, Tulum
Car & Plane Collection
- 1965 Shelby Cobra 427
Dan Bilzerian in his 1965 Shelby Cobra 427
- Lamborghini Aventador
Dan Bilzerian talking about his Lamborghini Aventador
- Mercedes Benz Brabus G63 AMG 6×6
Dan Bilzerian talking about his Mercedes Benz Brabus G63 AMG 6×6
- 2018 Ferrari 812 Superfast
Dan Bilzerian talking about his 2018 Ferrari 812 Superfast
- M35 Cargo Truck
Dan Bilzerian talking about his M35 Cargo Truck
- Rolls Royce Ghost
Dan Bilzerian with his Rolls Royce Ghost
- Bentley Flying Spur
Dan Bilzerian with his Bentley Flying Spur
- 1970 Toyota Land Cruiser
Dan Bilzerian in his 1970 Toyota Land Cruiser
- Gulfstream GIV N701DB
Dan Bilzerian walking towards his Gulfstream GIV N701DB
Properties
- A house in 10979 Chalon Road, Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, with 12-bedroom, 21-bathroom, and five bar edifice. He left the house in July 2020.
Dan Bilzerian’s former house in 10979 Chalon Road, Bel Air
- A home in La Jolla, San Diego, California
Dan Bilzerian’s home in La Jolla, San Diego
- A house in Las Vegas, Nevada
Dan Bilzerian’s house in Las Vegas
Net Worth
In a July 2014 radio interview with Howard Stern, Dan declared that his net worth was $100 million.
Facts/Trivia
- He likes to spend his free time doing extreme sports, training in MMA, scuba diving, mountain biking, snowmobiling, surfing, jet skiing, and racing cars.
Dan Bilzerian scuba diving
- He is also known as Marilyn Manson of Poker, Blitz, King of Instagram, and Modern Day Hugh Hefner.
- He got his nickname ‘Blitz’ when he was in the Navy going through his BUD/S Underwater Demolition SEAL training.
- Due to his drug abuse, he suffered two heart attacks before the age of 32.
- In 2011, he defended baseball player Alex Rodriguez publicly when Alex was accused of gambling illegally claiming that Alex was not present when the alleged gambling event had taken place.
- In June 2015, Dan announced that he was running for President of the United States in the 2016 elections. He even started a political campaign. However, in the end, he endorsed Donald Trump, praising Trump for his unfiltered and politically inflammatory statements.
Dan Bilzerian with Donald Trump
- In October 2016, American rapper T-Pain released a song in collaboration with Lil Yatchy named after Dan.
- In 2017, he produced an animated TV program called ‘Blitz’s Real Hollywood Stories.’
- On August 28, 2018, Bilzerian traveled to Armenia with his brother and father (Adam and Paul) to obtain his Armenian citizenship and join the Armenian armed forces.
Paul Bilzerian showing off his Armenian Passport
- He loves watches and claims that the least expensive watch he owns cost about $40,000.
- He also owns at least one hundred guns, and considers guns an ‘accessory.’ The first gun he received was a ‘Viet Nam issue-M16,’ which was a present from his father. According to him,
I got functional guns… guns for looks… hunting rifles… and everything in between.”
Dan Bilzerian talking about his collection of guns
- Apart from living a luxurious life, he also likes helping people. He supports L.V.’s foster family, a family supporting homeless children. After Dan came to know about the good work of the family, he donated the $10,000 once and has since then remained in contact with them.
- He has two pet goats named Zeus and Beatrice. He also has a pet cat named Smushball. Zeus was a surprise from a friend who won $5.2 million in the World Series of Poker.
Dan Bilzerian talking about his pet goat, Zeus
- He once turned down the offer of $100,000 from one of the (unnamed) founders of Facebook, who had challenged him to shave off his beard.
- Dan’s wealth and lavish lifestyle has always been a topic of controversy as many believe that he inherited his wealth from his father, Paul. However, he claims that his wealth is a result of his gambling career. In an interview, he accepted that he did inherit money from a trust that was set up by his father for his two sons, Dan and Adam. His funds became accessible in 2010. There had been assumptions that Adam and Dan’s trust was worth $11.96 million in stocks of Cimetrix, a software company whose president was once his father, Paul.
- In the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Dan and his brother and father donated $250,000 to the Hayastan All-Armenia Fund to support Armenia and Artsakh against Azerbaijan.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education