Gigi Pritzker

Gigi Pritzker – “Ender’s Game” UK Q&A Photocall – Odeon Leicester Square, 2013 – Photo Credit: Landmark / PR Photos

Birth Name: Jean Pritzker

Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Date of Birth: July 27, 1962

Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish

Gigi Pritzker is an American billionaire, film producer and television producer, and philanthropist. She co-founded film production and financing company Odd Lot Entertainment.

Gigi is the daughter of Marian “Cindy” and Jay Arthur Pritzker, a co-founder of Hyatt. She is a member of the prominent Pritzker family of Chicago. Her siblings are businesspeople Thomas Pritzker and John Pritzker, and musician and film director Daniel Pritzker. Her paternal uncles were businesspeople Robert Pritzker, founder of Marmon Group, and Donald Pritzker. Her first cousins include Penny Pritzker, who was U.S. Secretary of Commerce, from June 26, 2013 to January 20, 2017; businessperson Anthony Pritzker; businessperson and politician J. B. Pritzker, who has been Governor of Illinois, since January 14, 2019; investor and philanthropist Jennifer Pritzker; and actress Liesel Pritzker Simmons, who has been credited as Liesel Matthews.

Gigi is married to Michael Pucker, and has three children.

Gigi’s paternal grandfather was Abram/Abraham Nicholas “Abe” Pritzker, a prominent businessperson and business lawyer (the son of Nicholas Jacob Pritzker and Anna/Annie P. Cohen/Cohn). Abram was born in Illinois, the son of Ukrainian Jewish parents. He was the brother of businesspeople Harry Nicholas Pritzker and Jack Nicholas Pritzker. Gigi’s great-grandfather Nicholas was born in Kiev, the son of Jacob/Yakov Yechezkel Nicholas Pritzker and Sophia/Sophie Schwartzman, who was born in Germany. Anna was born in Nezhin, the daughter of Eleazar/Levie Cohen and Fannie/Rosalie Schniroff.

Gigi’s paternal grandmother was Fanny/Fannie L. Doppelt (the daughter of Jacob Doppelt and Hannah/Chane Henshi/Henschy Dichter). Fanny was born in Illinois, to Austrian Jewish parents. Jacob was the son of Asher/Usher/Isidore Halevi Doppelt and Charlotte/Lottie Prend/Weinberger, who were from Gmina Brzozów, Subcarpathia, Poland. Hannah was the daughter of Salomon Hersch Dichter and Chane Grossman.

Gigi’s maternal grandfather was Hugo Morris Freund/Friend (the son of Markus/Marcus Freund and Emilia/Emilie Straschnow). Hugo was a jurist, who was a Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, from 1920 to 1966. Hugo born in Prague, Bohemia (now Czech Republic). Markus was born in Veliš, Bohemia (now Czech Republic), the son of Moses Freund and Anna Weiss. Emilia was born in Mladá Boleslav, Bohemia (now Czech Republic), the daughter of Heinrich L. Straschnow and Julie Weil.

Gigi’s maternal grandmother was Sadie Cohn (the daughter of Esau M. Cohn/Cohen and Ethel Feidelberg/Faldberg). Sadie was born in Nebraska, to parents from Russia.

Sources: Genealogy of Gigi Priztker – http://www.geni.com

Death record of Gigi’s paternal great-grandmother, Anna/Annie P. (Cohen/Cohn) Pritzker – https://www.familysearch.org

Gigi’s mother on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org