Francis Alexander Shields
Encyclopedia
Francis Xavier Alexander Shields (May 16, 1941 - April 27, 2003) was an American
businessman and an executive at Revlon
in New York
, but is perhaps best known as the father of the actress Brooke Shields
.
He was born in New York City
, the eldest son of Francis Xavier Shields Senior, a top-ranking American tennis player and of the Italian Princess Donna Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi. Through his mother he is related to several Italian princely families (most notably Borgia
, Medici
, d'Este, di Savoia
). His uncle, for example, was Don Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi, the husband of the Spanish
Infanta Beatriz de Borbón
y Battenberg
, so that he and King Juan Carlos of Spain share cousins in the Torlonia
-de Borbón family.
He attended the Buckley School in Manhattan
and St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire
, before graduating from the University of Pennsylvania
, where he captained the crew that rowed
in the Henley Royal Regatta
in 1962 and was a member of St. Anthony Hall
. An avid sportsman, Shields never lost his love of rowing and founded the Power Ten New York, an organization dedicated to the sport, in 1980.
After starting his career on Wall Street, he moved to Palm Beach, Florida
in 1988, forming a real-estate company. An avid hunter and fisherman, the 6-foot-5 inch Shields spent much of his free time at the camp he owned in rural west Florida, Canoe Creek.
In 1964, he married Maria Theresia Schmon (or Schmonn), better known as Brooke Shields' mother/manager, Teri Shields
. After their divorce, when Brooke was only five months old, he married, in 1970, Diana "Didi" Lippert, former wife of Thomas Gore Auchincloss, who is the son of Hugh D. Auchincloss
and half-brother of Gore Vidal
and a stepbrother of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
. He had three daughters by his second marriage: Marina, Olympia, and Christina.
He died in Palm Beach, Florida
of prostate cancer
at the age of 61.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman and an executive at Revlon
Revlon
Revlon is an American cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company founded in 1932.-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon name...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, but is perhaps best known as the father of the actress Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
.
He was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the eldest son of Francis Xavier Shields Senior, a top-ranking American tennis player and of the Italian Princess Donna Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi. Through his mother he is related to several Italian princely families (most notably Borgia
Borgia
The Borgias, also known as the Borjas, Borjia, were a European Papal family of Italian and Spanish origin with the name stemming from the familial fief seat of Borja belonging to their Aragonese Lords; they became prominent during the Renaissance. The Borgias were patrons of the arts, and their...
, Medici
Medici
The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...
, d'Este, di Savoia
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
). His uncle, for example, was Don Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi, the husband of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Infanta Beatriz de Borbón
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
y Battenberg
Battenberg
-Places:* Battenberg, Hesse, a town in Hesse, Germany* Battenberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany* Battenberg Mausoleum, mausoleum of Prince Alexander of Battenberg in Sofia, Bulgaria...
, so that he and King Juan Carlos of Spain share cousins in the Torlonia
Torlonia
200px|thumb|Coat of arms of the House of Torlonia.The princes Torlonia are an Italian noble family from Rome, who acquired a huge fortune in the 18th and 19th centuries through administering the finances of the Vatican.-History:...
-de Borbón family.
He attended the Buckley School in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, before graduating from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, where he captained the crew that rowed
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
in the Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
in 1962 and was a member of St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall, also known as Saint Anthony Hall and The Order of St. Anthony, is a national college literary society also known as the Fraternity of Delta Psi at colleges in the United States of America. St...
. An avid sportsman, Shields never lost his love of rowing and founded the Power Ten New York, an organization dedicated to the sport, in 1980.
After starting his career on Wall Street, he moved to Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
in 1988, forming a real-estate company. An avid hunter and fisherman, the 6-foot-5 inch Shields spent much of his free time at the camp he owned in rural west Florida, Canoe Creek.
In 1964, he married Maria Theresia Schmon (or Schmonn), better known as Brooke Shields' mother/manager, Teri Shields
Teri Shields
Teri Shields is an American actress, film producer, socialite, and former model....
. After their divorce, when Brooke was only five months old, he married, in 1970, Diana "Didi" Lippert, former wife of Thomas Gore Auchincloss, who is the son of Hugh D. Auchincloss
Hugh D. Auchincloss
Hugh Dudley Auchincloss, Jr. was an American stockbroker and lawyer who became the second husband of Janet Lee Bouvier, the mother of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.-Biography:...
and half-brother of Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
and a stepbrother of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle...
. He had three daughters by his second marriage: Marina, Olympia, and Christina.
He died in Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
at the age of 61.