Guy Laliberté

Before founding the company, he had busked, performing as an accordion player, stiltwalker, and fire-eater. In 2006, he was named the Ernst & Young Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2007, he was named Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year. In January 2018, Laliberté was ranked by Forbes as the 11th-wealthiest Canadian.

The recorded working language is French. Positions recorded include chief executive officer. Distinctions recorded are Officer of the Order of Canada, Knight of the National Order of Quebec, Companion of the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec and honorary doctorate at the Laval University.

• Name — Guy Laliberté • Born — 2 September 1959 • Birthplace — Quebec City, Quebec, Canada • Occupation — Businessman • Known for — Co-founder of Cirque du Soleil • Political Party — Rhinoceros (1980) • Spouse — Rizia Moreira (ex de facto spouse) Claudia Barilla (ex-girlfriend) • Children — 5

Laliberté was born in 1959 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. His interest in show business began when his parents took him to watch the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, an experience which led him to read the biography of P. T. Barnum. While he was still in school, he produced several performing arts events. After school, Laliberté left Canada to hitchhike around Europe at the age of 18. While travelling, he made money by playing the accordion. He also learned fire-eating and stilt-walking during his time abroad, and after returning to Canada, became a street performer on the streets of Quebec. Laliberté joined a performing troupe called Les Échassiers, which included fire-breathers, jugglers, and acrobats who hitchhiked around the country to shows. He later returned to Quebec, where he obtained a full-time job at a hydroelectric dam. However, soon after his employment began, the company's employees went on strike. Laliberté took the opportunity to return to his life as a street performer. He ran as a Rhinoceros Party candidate for the electoral district of Charlevoix in the 1980 federal election.

• Illustration — Laliberté during a press conference at the Johnson Space Center

Laliberté co-founded Cirque du Soleil in 1984 with Gilles Ste-Croix and a small group of colleagues. The group obtained the support of a government grant for the celebration of the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada. Cirque du Soleil was originally set up as a one-year project. However, the government of Quebec wanted a touring event that would perform in other provinces. The name 'Cirque du Soleil' ("circus of the sun"), which Laliberté came up with while he was in Hawaii, reflects his notion that "the sun stands for energy and youth" and that the circus is about those two words. Cirque du Soleil now has activities on five continents. Its shows employ approximately 4,000 people from over 40 countries and generate an estimated annual revenue exceeding US$810 million. In 2015, he sold 90% of his stock in the company. On 17 February 2020, he sold the remaining 10% to Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec.

Laliberté started playing super-high-stakes online cash games and live tournaments for recreation around 2006. In April 2007, he finished fourth in the World Poker Tour Season Five event at Bellagio in Las Vegas and won $696,220. He also played on GSN's High Stakes Poker Season 4 show and took part in Poker After Dark season 4 alongside Tom Dwan and Phil Hellmuth. He was also known for frequenting the highest stakes games on Full Tilt Poker. In 2011, Laliberté announced the Big One, a US$1 million buy-in tournament which was featured at the 2012 World Series of Poker. Part of the prize money was donated to Laliberté's philanthropic organization One Drop Foundation, whose primary goal is to provide clean drinking water and hygiene products around the globe. Forty-eight players participated in the tournament and Antonio Esfandiari won the $18,346,673 first-place prize. The tournament raised $5,333,328 for the One Drop foundation. Laliberté has lost the most money on online poker cash games. Over his six accounts, noataima, patatino, lady marmelade, elmariachimacho, Esvedra and Zypherin, Laliberté has lost approximately US$31,000,000.

In September 2009, Laliberté became the first Canadian space tourist. He launched on the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft and landed in the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft. His spaceflight was dedicated to raising awareness on water issues facing humankind. The event was accompanied by a 120-minute webcast program featuring various artistic performances in 14 cities on five continents, including the International Space Station. In May 2020, Canada's Federal Court of Appeals ruled that his trip should be considered primarily personal, and not work related, and directed that income tax be assessed on 90% of the cost of the trip. The cost of the spaceflight was $41,816,954. In June 2011, Laliberté published a book, entitled Gaia, containing photos of Earth from his space flight. Proceeds from his book were to go to the One Drop Foundation.

In 2007, Laliberté became the owner of the atoll of Nukutepipi in the French Polynesia. In May 2014, Laliberté told the Journal de Montréal that he wanted to make the atoll a shelter that could accommodate his family and friends in the event of a global catastrophe. "Because of all that's happening in the world, I said to myself: that could be the place where, in case of an epidemic or a total war, I could bring people I like and my family so that we'd be protected. It will be completely autonomous in terms of operation: solar, environmental, ecologic, all that." On 13 November 2019, following his arrest for cannabis cultivation, Laliberté's investment firm Lune Rouge stated that "Laliberté is being questioned in respect of cultivation of cannabis for his personal use only at the residence on the island of Nukutepipi" in Tahiti.

Laliberté's son Kami is a racing driver competing in the European junior formulae. He recorded one race victory in F4 but has no record of racing after 2017. His daughter Naïma is a competitive dressage rider.

Guy Laliberté is recorded with the occupation poker player. Recorded with the occupation entrepreneur. Recorded with the occupation musician. Recorded as having received Officer of the Order of Canada, Knight of the National Order of Quebec and Companion of the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec.