Basil Zaharoff, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Basil Zaharoff

Greek-born arms dealer and industrialist

Date of Birth: 06-Oct-1849

Place of Birth: Muğla, Turkey

Date of Death: 27-Nov-1936

Profession: businessperson, arms trader

Nationality: Greece, France

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Sir Basil Zaharoff, GCB, GBE, born Vasileios Zacharias (Greek: ?as??e??? Za?a??a? ?a????f; October 6, 1849 – November 27, 1936), was a Greek arms dealer and industrialist.
One of the richest men in the world during his lifetime, Zaharoff was described as a "merchant of death" and "mystery man of Europe".
His success was forged through his cunning, often aggressive and sharp, business tactics.
These included the sale of arms to opposing sides in conflicts, sometimes delivering fake or faulty machinery and skilfully using the press to attack business rivals. Zaharoff maintained close contacts with many powerful political leaders, including British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, Greek Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos and Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II; he served as a primary inspiration for Ian Fleming's fictional James Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Agence de presse Meurisse
Alternative names	Agence Meurisse
Description	French
Work period	between 1909 and 1937 date QS:P,+1950-00-00T00:00:00Z/7,P1319,+1909-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1326,+1937-00-00T00:00:00Z/9
Authority control	: Q13230870 VIAF: 143525780 BNF: 155660770 BNE: XX5169281