Howard Robard Hughes Jr. December 24, β April 5, was an American aerospace engineer , business magnate , film producer , investor , philanthropist and aircraft pilot. He first became prominent as a film producer, and then as an important figure in the aviation industry. Later in life, he became known for his eccentric behavior and reclusive lifestyleβoddities that were caused in part by his worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD , chronic pain from a near-fatal plane crash, and increasing deafness.
As a film tycoon, Hughes gained fame in Hollywood beginning in the late s, when he produced big-budget and often controversial films such as The Racket , [ 3 ] Hell's Angels , [ 4 ] and Scarface He later acquired the RKO Pictures film studio in , recognized then as one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age , although the production company struggled under his control and ultimately ceased operations in Through his interest in aviation and aerospace travel, Hughes formed the Hughes Aircraft Company in , hiring numerous engineers, designers, and defense contractors.
Hughes won the Harmon Trophy on two occasions and , the Collier Trophy , and the Congressional Gold Medal all for his achievements in aviation throughout the s. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in and was included in Flying magazine's list of the 51 Heroes of Aviation, ranked at No.
During his final years, Hughes extended his financial empire to include several major businesses in Las Vegas , such as real estate, hotels, casinos, and media outlets. Known at the time as one of the most powerful men in the state of Nevada, he is largely credited with transforming Las Vegas into a more refined cosmopolitan city.
After years of mental and physical decline, Hughes died of kidney failure in Hughes Sr. He had English , Welsh and some French Huguenot ancestry, [ 9 ] and was a descendant of John Gano β , the minister who allegedly baptized George Washington. The senior Hughes made the shrewd and lucrative decision to commercialize the invention by leasing the bits instead of selling them, obtaining several early patents, and founding the Hughes Tool Company in Hughes' uncle was the famed novelist, screenwriter, and film director Rupert Hughes.
