Harry Strauss Zelnick (born June 26, 1957) is an American businessman and lawyer. He is the founder,
chief executive officer (CEO), and managing partner of
private equity firm ZMC, the chairman and CEO of video game company
Take-Two Interactive, and the former chairman of media conglomerate
CBS Corporation.
Early life and education
Harry Strauss Zelnick was born on June 26, 1957, in Boston into a Jewish family.[1][2][3] His mother, Susan Strauss Manello, died on October 22, 1967, when Harry was ten years old.[4] He and his siblings were raised by their aunt Elsa (née Strauss) and her husband Allan Zelnick (died in 2013). He grew up in
South Orange, New Jersey.[2][5][6]
In 1983, he started as vice president for television international sales at
Columbia Pictures International Television. In 1986, he joined
Vestron Inc. as senior vice president of corporate development. He became executive vice president the following year and was promoted to president in 1988, overseeing all managing operations for the company.[10] He quit in 1989 to join 20th Century Fox as president and CEO[11] before leaving that role in 1993 to join
Crystal Dynamics.[12]
Zelnick is the chief executive officer and managing partner of ZMC, a
private equity investment firm based in New York City specializing in
leveraged buyouts and
growth capital.[13] He founded ZMC in 2001 with a starting capital of US$300,000.[14][15] Following an investor-staged takeover of
Take-Two Interactive in 2007, Zelnick became the chairman, chief executive officer, and largest single
shareholder of Take-Two.[16]
Zelnick was appointed to the board of CBS Corporation in 2018.[17]
In 2021, ZMC purchased a controlling interest in
The Second City, a Chicago-based comedy troupe.[18]
Personal life
Zelnick is Jewish.[1] He has four sisters: Karen Davis, Beth Kaufman, Marci Zelnick Rodriguez, and Laurie Zelnick.[6] His brother, Carl D. Zelnick, died in 1995.[19] Zelnick married Wendy J. Belzberg (the daughter of
Samuel Belzberg) in January 1990; their engagement was announced by Belzberg's parents in December 1989.[20] They have two sons, Cooper (born in 1992) and Lucas, as well as a daughter, Leigh.[2][1]: 204 His sister-in-law Lisa Belzberg was previously married to
Matthew Bronfman of the
Bronfman family.[21][22]