In 1973, at the age of 16, John Paul Getty III was kidnapped in Italy. The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of $17 million, but J. Paul Getty, the boy’s grandfather and one of the wealthiest men in the world at the time, initially refused to pay. The kidnappers then sent a lock of the young Getty’s hair and his severed right ear to a newspaper to pressure the family.
Eventually, J. Paul Getty agreed to pay a reduced ransom amount, and his grandson was released after being a captive for several months. This story inspired a feature film by Ridley Scott and a ten-part series featuring our favorite Hollywood comeback story–Brendan Fraser. This story has it all–miserable rich people, hippies, Italian mafiosos, and strained family relationships.
Sources for this episode:
- All That’s Interesting
- The Daily Beast
- Town & Country magazine
- New York Post
- New York Times
- Vanity Fair
- People magazine
- All the Money in the World, directed by Ridley Scott
- Painfully Rich by John Pearson
- People magazine 2
- J. Paul Getty Wikipedia
- The Gentleman’s Journal
- NPR
- Time
- Trust on FX
- Growing Up Getty: The Story of America’s Most Unconventional Dynasty by James Reginato
Trigger warning: Addiction and kidnapping