- Born
- Died
- Birth nameMelvin Moulon Belli
- Nickname
- King of Torts
- Melvin Belli was born on July 29, 1907 in Sonora, California, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Tokyo File 212 (1951), Star Trek (1966) and Hunter (1984). He was married to Nancy Ho, Lia Triff, Pat Montandon, Betty Ballantine, Toni Nichols and Joy Turney. He died on July 9, 1996 in San Francisco, California, USA.
- SpousesNancy Ho(March 29, 1996 - July 9, 1996) (his death)Lia Triff(June 3, 1972 - 1988) (divorced, 1 child)Pat Montandon(1966 - 1966) (annulled)Betty Ballantine(1933 - 1951) (divorced, 4 children)Toni Nichols (divorced)Joy Turney (divorced, 1 child)
- The flamboyant attorney represented such celebrities as Mae West, Muhammad Ali, Jim Bakker & Tammy Faye Bakker, Errol Flynn, Beverly Aadland, Tony Curtis, Lenny Bruce, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Chuck Berry, Alex Haley, Nick Nolte, Lana Turner and The Rolling Stones. Though he won more than $600 million in damages for his clients, keeping a third for himself as commission, he filed for bankruptcy the year he died.
- As an attorney, he defended Jack Ruby, the man who shot Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of President John F. Kennedy.
- He won a class-action suit against Dow-Corning. Despite his victory in court, Dow-Corning's subsequent bankruptcy left him unable to recoup the $5,000,000 his firm has spent on physicians and other expert witnesses. This forced his firm, not him personally, to seek bankruptcy protection in December, 1995, just months before his death.
- His son, Caesar Belli (full name Melvin Caesar Belli), now a personal injury lawyer, appeared with his father Melvin in the Star Trek (1966) episode And the Children Shall Lead (1968).
- Ex-father-in-law of Gretchen Belli.
- I'm not an ambulance chaser. I'm usually there before the ambulance.
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