Known from movies

Pawn Stars (2009-2015)
as Himself – The Old Man / Himself / Himself – ‘The O

The 2011 American Country Awards (2011)
as Himself

American Restoration (2010)
as Himself

Gun Stories from Midway USA (2016)
as Himself



Introduction

Not all famous people were born into wealthy families and had connections to make them famous at a young age. Some of them had to be business savvy for decades before they managed to make their small fortune. This was the case with the patriarch of “The Pawn Star”, Richard Benjamin Harrison. How did this small town person manage to become famous, and was the road easy?

Early life and education

Richard Benjamin Harrison Jr. was born on March 4, 1941 in Danville, Virginia, USA, of part Irish descent. He is said to have been related to former US Presidents Benjamin Harrison and William Henry Harrison, but Harrison himself never commented on these rumors. He passed away in 2018.

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HOY IN HISTORY Nacio Richard Benjamin Harrison; “El Viejo” Un día como hoy pero del año 1941, nacía Richard Benjamín Harrison, también conocido como The Old Man (El Viejo), co-propietario, junto a su hijo Rick, de la tienda de empeños de oro y plata Gold & Silver Pawn Shop is the head of the current program El Precio de la Historia, which History has broadcast since 2009. Nació and Danville, Virginia, a unque terminó convirtiéndose en un hombre de Las Vegas: luego de retirarse de la Armada de los Estados Unidos, intention Since the launch of Mercado inmobiliario, and the last installation in Las Vegas in 1981, we have a large part of the tenth base of the empeño built up to control the flight and including the family. He is a serious man who has a passion: he has let go of the man all his life and has never missed a solo día since 1994. has a special devoción for su Chrysler Imperial negro from 1957. #RichardBenjaminHarrison #ElViejo #PreciodelaHistoria #paseotablado

A post shared by 🄿🄰🅂🄴🄾 🅃🄰🄱🄻🄰🄳🄾 (@paseotablado) on Mar 4, 2017 at 12:23 PM PST

When he was just a toddler, his family moved to Peacock Avenue in Lexington, North Carolina, USA. He enrolled in Lexington High School, but dropped out during his junior year because his family barely had enough money to survive. He has worked as a bus driver since he was 14 years old, including night work for a minimum wage of just a few dollars a week.

Military life and marriage

At the age of 17, Harrison met the daughter of a county judge, Joseph Rhue, named Joanne Rhue, and they soon began dating. However, in early 1960, Harrison was involved in a car theft and was arrested. Before the court date, he and Rhue got married, and Rhue became pregnant just weeks later.

To avoid a prison sentence, Harrison accepted the judge’s offer to join the army. While he was in the military, his wife gave birth to their first child, Sherry, who was born with Down syndrome. He left the Navy a year and a half later, but re-enlisted just 14 months later, as the cost of his daughter’s medical care was too much, especially as the couple welcomed their second and third children, Joseph Kent Harrison and Richard. Kevin “Rick” Harrison, born in 1965. Despite their best efforts, Sherry died in 1966.

Harrison eventually served more than 20 years in the United States Navy, earning the rank of First Class Petty Officer. He was transferred to San Diego, California, USA in 1967, and his wife and children followed.

In 1970, Rhue got her real estate license and opened her own business, after which their fourth child, Chris Harrison, was born in 1971. When he was discharged from the military, Harrison worked part-time for his wife and took care of the children. and the house in his spare time. It was at this time that he got his nickname ‘The Old Man’, despite being only 38 years old. However, property values ​​began to decline and the Harrisons soon found themselves in $1 million debt, causing their company to collapse in 1981.

Career

After closing their business, Harrison and his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he opened the Gold and Silver Coin Shop with his oldest son, Rick.

Just five years later, they moved the business because they needed more space, and he was granted a license to buy and resell second-hand goods in 1987, but their business lease expired the following year.

In 1989, Harrison’s son opened the now globally renowned Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, located on Las Vegas Boulevard South, just about a mile away from the famed Las Vegas Strip. The store’s popularity quickly grew and they quickly became one of the largest second-hand resellers in the entire US.

The Gold and Silver Pawn Shop first appeared on TV in 2001, when a PBS documentary did an episode featuring the Harrison family and their business.

In July 2009, Harrison and Rick were joined by Rick’s son Richard Corey ‘The Big Boss’ Harrison and his good friend Austin ‘Chumlee’ Russell, and started their own reality TV show, “Pawn Stars”, which aired on the History Channel . . Harrison was often portrayed as a grumpy old man, and he himself has been said that his role on the show is to be an old grump. Just a few months after its debut, “Pawn Stars” was the most watched show on the channel, and the only reality show with a higher rating was “Jersey Shore”. During that period, the number of daily customers in the Gold and Silver Pawn store has increased more than 10 times. At the beginning of 2012, the store had several thousand customers every day.

The store and the Harrison family have been the subject of several lawsuits – at one point even being sued by their former manager – but nothing has stopped the success of their reality show and business.

Awards

For his business success, Harrison won numerous prestigious awards and recognitions.

In 2010, Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison and Austin Russell himself received the key to the city of Las Vegas from the mayor himself.

All of the “Pawn Stars” cast were grand marshals for the NASCAR race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2012, and just days later, Harrison received the key to his hometown of Lexington, on the day it was renamed “Richard Harrison’s Day”.

July 17, 2012 was declared “Gold and Silver Pawn Day” by the Clark County Commission, and Harrison donated $1000 to the Clark County Museum and even lent the U.S. Senate chair to the museum to be part of the exhibit. The chair was previously used by Senator Patrick McCarran himself!

Private life

One of Harrison’s greatest passions is vintage cars. He owned many vintage cars, including the 1966 Imperial Crown – he spent over 15 years trying to convince the previous owner to sell him the vehicle – a 1957 Chevy 150 and the mid-1960s B&Z Electra-King electric car which he used as a golf cart.

Harrison Reportedly never missed a day in a store due to illness, from 1994 until his death.

Dead

Harrison’s death was announced on Gold and Silver Pawnshop website at 25^e June 2018 at the age of 77. He died of Parkinson’s disease, and although the place of his death was not disclosed, he was said to have been surrounded by his family and friends at the time of his death. The web page also asked everyone to make a donation to The Epilepsy Foundation in his honor.

Net value

At the time of his death in 2018, Harrison’s net worth was estimated around $5 million. This was a huge leap considering he only invested $10,000 in opening his store.

As of April 2020, the store makes monthly sales of approximately $750,000! His son, Rick, has an estimated net worth of $8 million making him the richest star of the show, and his grandson Corey has a net worth of around $4 million – Corey is known to invest in other avenues, and will often do leave tips in excess of $1000.

Physical Characteristics

Richard Benjamin Harrison was 6 feet 8 inches (1.89 m) tall and weighed about 202 pounds (92 km). He was born with a brown hair color, but during his TV days, his hair was gray. He had blue eyes and was known to always have a frown on his face.

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia