Dan Bilzerian
Friday, January 24, 2020Daniel Brandon Bilzerian (born December 7, 1980) is an American actor, internet personality, and gambler. He is best known for his lavish lifestyle.
Bilzerian was born on December 7, 1980, in Tampa, Florida, the son of corporate takeover specialist Paul Bilzerian and Terri Steffen. He is the brother of fellow poker player Adam Bilzerian. He is of Armenian descent through his father. His father was a corporate raider on Wall Street who set up trust funds for both of his sons. Bilzerian entered the Navy SEAL training program in 2000; however, after several attempts, he did not graduate. One Navy SEAL reported that Bilzerian was dropped from the program for a "safety violation on the shooting range." Bilzerian subsequently enrolled at the University of Florida, majoring in Business and Criminology.
Bilzerian splits his time between homes in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. He moved to Bel Air, Los Angeles from Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles.
On March 9, 2011, Bilzerian raced and beat Tom Goldstein for a wager of $385,000 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with Bilzerian racing a 1967 AC Cobra and Goldstein behind the wheel of a Ferrari 458 Italia.
Due to his heavy drug abuse attributed to his living an indulging lifestyle, Bilzerian reportedly suffered two heart attacks before the age of 32.
In October 2016, American rapper T-Pain released a song named after Dan Bilzerian.
In June 2015, Bilzerian announced his bid to run to be President of the United States in the 2016 election. He stopped his run for the presidency in December 2015.
On August 28, 2018, Bilzerian flew to Armenia with his brother Adam and father Paul in order to take their oaths to obtain Armenian citizenship and join the Armenian Armed Forces. On that same trip he visited the Republic of Artsakh where he visited a shooting range, and fired weapons there. The government of Azerbaijan sent a note of protest to the United States over these actions due to the contested status of Artsakh, and summoned U.S. Chargé d'Affaires William Gill to take an official note of protest addressed to the U.S. Department of State. A court in Baku issued an arrest warrant for Bilzerian and put him on the international wanted list.
Bilzerian stated his support for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. He cited Trump's unfiltered and politically inflammatory statements as factors in his support.