Table of Biography
Vidal Sassoon is a late British hairstylist, businessman, and philanthropist. Vidal Sassoon was noted for creating a simple geometric, “Bauhaus-inspired” hairstyle, also called the wedge bob.
Early Life
On the 17th of January 1928, Vidal Sassoon was born in Hammersmith, London, England. At the age of 84 years old, he died and has a birth sign of Capricorn. Meanwhile, he had his belief in the Judaism religion and holds British nationality.
He was born to his parents; Jack Sassoon (father) and Betty Sassoon (mother). In addition, he grew up with his younger brother, Ivor, who died from a heart attack at the age of 46. When he was just three years old, his father abandoned the family for another woman. As a result, the family started facing extreme poverty.
Caption: Vidal Sassoon with his mother (Source: Reddit)
Due to his mother’s poverty as a single parent, Vidal and his younger brother were eventually placed in a Jewish orphanage, where they stayed for seven years until he was eleven when his mother remarried. His mother was only allowed to visit them once a month and was never allowed to take them out.
Education
Sassoon attended Essential Road Primary School. He was frequently mocked by his classmates for being Jewish in the midst of a Christian majority. During WWII, he became a member of a Jewish anti-fascist organization in London. He then served in the Israeli army for a few years.
Vidal Sassoon – Death
On May 9, 2012, Sassoon died. He’d been battling leukaemia for a few years. Moreover, he died at home in Bel Air, surrounded by his family.
Professional Career
When Vidal was 14, his mother tried to get him into a hairdressing school as an apprentice. She was very disappointed when she discovered how expensive it was. Adolph Cohen, a well-known stylist, eventually decided to give him the spot for free.
After returning from the war, Sassoon began training with renowned hairdresser Raymond Bessone. He opened his salon on Bond Street in London in 1954. He began experimenting with different hairstyles. The architecture provided him with inspiration. He was fond of geometric shapes. Moreover, he also preferred clean and natural hair, free of styling products such as spray or lacquer.
Bob cut invention in 1964
Meanwhile, his company grew to be very successful. Among his clients were many well-known British women, including singer Georgia Brown and designer Mary Quant. Vidal invented a geometric, angular version of the bob cut in 1964. It became his most well-known creation. Soon after, he was discovered by Natalie Donny, a cosmetics executive who advised him to expand his business to the United States. He opened his salon on Madison Avenue in New York City in 1965.
In 1968, director Roman Polanski commissioned Sassoon to create a pixie cut for actress Mia Farrow for the film Rosemary’s Baby. He agreed, and his name was mentioned in the film. His company was rapidly expanding. He opened dozens of salons and beauty schools across the United States.
Caption: Vidal Sassoon cutting his client’s hair (Source:The Hollywood Reporter)
Sassoon launched his “Vidal Sassoon” hair-care product line in 1973. The shampoos and conditioners were sold all over the world, earning hundreds of millions of dollars. Several corporations purchased the company over the years. Finally, it ended up in the hands of the Ohio-based Procter and Gamble corporation.
Sassoon has written several books, including A Year of Beauty and Health, which he co-wrote with his ex-wife, Beverly Sassoon. In the late 1970s, he also had a short-lived TV show called Your New Day with Vidal .
Philanthropy
Sassoon had sold all of his businesses by the 1980s. He wished to devote more time to philanthropy. Moreover, he established the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism, or SICSA, in 1982 as a research centre dedicated to the non-political, interdisciplinary gathering of antisemitic information.
Additionally, he began donating to various charities that promote education and the arts. He was involved in the relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina.
Awards
In the 2009 Birthday Honours, Queen Elizabeth II named Sassoon a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) at Buckingham Palace.
Net Worth 2023
At the time of his death in 2021, his net worth was estimated around $200 million. Meanwhile, he has been able to earn such an amount of money in his career to his hard work as a hairstylist.
Relationship Status
In his personal life, Vidal has been married four times. At first, he married his salon receptionist, Elaine Wood in 1967 and divorced in 1981. After that, he married actress Beverly Adams in 1967, and were together until 1981. With the marriage, the couple has three biological children, Eden, Elan, and Catya.
Caption: Vidal Sassoon with his wife, Rhonda Holbrook (Source: Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the couple had an adopted son named David. Their daughter Catya died of a heart attack due to drug use in 2002. Later, he married former model Jeanette Hartford-Davis on November 6, 1983. They divorced soon after the wedding. Vidal married designer Rhonda Holbrook in 1992, and they remained married until his death in May 2012.
Body Measurements
Sassoon had grey hair with brown eyes colour. However, his exact body measurements such as height, weight, and many others are still missing.
Social Media
This man is no more alive in this world. Meanwhile, he was not present in any kind of social media platform.