Who Is Conrad Black? Age, Biography and Wiki
Conrad Black was born on August 25, 1944, making him 80 years old in 2025. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Black is a notable newspaper publisher, author, and former media mogul with citizenship in both Canada and the United Kingdom. He is well-known for his role in building a global media empire but also for the controversies surrounding his legal battles and convictions.
| Occupation | Autobiographer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | August 25, 1944 |
| Age | 80 Years |
| Birth Place | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Horoscope | Virgo |
| Country | Canada |
Popularity
Conrad Black's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
As of 2025, Conrad Black's height is approximately 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm), and he weighs around 180 pounds (82 kg). His impressive stature has always complemented his commanding presence in the media industry. Details about his body measurements, including arm, waist, and shoe sizes, are not publicly documented as he has generally kept the focus on his career and public persona rather than his physical attributes.
Black's thesis at McGill would become the first half of his first book on Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis.
Black had been granted access to Duplessis' papers, housed in Duplessis' former residence in Trois-Rivières, which included "figures from the famous Union Nationale caisse électorale (the party war chest), a copy of the Leader of the Opposition's tax returns, [and] gossip from bishops", as well as "historically significant letters from Cardinal J
ean-Marie-Rodrigue Villeneuve and Paul-Émile Léger, Governor General Field Marshal Alexander, Lord Beaverbrook, Canadian and French Prime Ministers and Eminent Canadian and American finance ministers side-by-side with hand-written, ungrammatical requests for jobs with the Quebec Liquor Board, unpaid bills, the returns of his ministers who were ch
eating on their taxes, a number of scribbled notes for Assembly speeches, tidbits of political espionage, compromising photographs, [and] a ledger listing the political contributions of every tavern-keeper in the province."Black subsequently had the principal items from the papers copied and microfilmed, and he donated copies to McGill, York, and W
indsor universities.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Conrad Black is married to Barbara Amiel, a Canadian journalist and author since 1992. The couple has often appeared together at public events and has been supportive of each other's careers despite the turmoil surrounding their lives. There have been no credible reports of extramarital affairs or controversial relationships. His family background includes a father, George Montegu Black, and a mother, Alice Black, who influenced his academic journey and initial forays into business.
Black's father was businessman George Montegu Black II, who had significant holdings in Canadian manufacturing, retail and media businesses through part-ownership of the holding company Ravelston Corporation. In 1978, two years after their father's death, Conrad and his older brother Montegu took majority control of Ravelston.
Over the next seven years, Conrad Black sold off most of their non-media holdings to focus on newspaper publishing.
He controlled Hollinger International, once the world's third-largest English-language newspaper empire, which published The Daily Telegraph (UK), Chicago Sun-Times (US), The Jerusalem Post (Israel), National Post (Canada), and hundreds of community newspapers in North America, before controversy erupted over the sale of some of the company's asset
s.
Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Conrad Black's net worth is estimated to be around $10 million. His financial trajectory has been tumultuous, with various ups and downs due to legal issues and the sale of his media assets. Despite these challenges, Black has managed to maintain a solid level of wealth. His earnings fluctuate based on book sales, public speaking engagements, and his investments in various business ventures.
Institutional investor Tweedy, Browne opposed the payment of non-compete fees to Hollinger management in connection with the sales and requested on the day before the annual meeting in May 2003 that a special committee be appointed to look into the compensation of management.
Black agreed to the demand but citing such fees was standard procedure in the newspaper industry and had been requested by buyers and had been properly disclosed. The special committee and its counsel, former chairman of the SEC Richard C.
Breeden, discovered that David Radler had misled the Hollinger directors, including Black, about the extent of his own participation in some of the related party transactions to sell otherwise unclaimed community newspapers in the US and also that two of the smaller transactions involving non-compete payments had not been signed by the vendors.
Breeden involved the US Attorney in Chicago, and Radler, after about 18 months, would promise to plead guilty to one count of fraud and to provide evidence against Black and others in exchange for a light sentence in Canada.
Career, Business and Investments
Beginning his career in the 1960s, Black became a prominent figure in the newspaper industry, acquiring and managing numerous publications, including the Chicago Sun-Times, The Daily Telegraph, and National Post. His business ventures have garnered both substantial profits and significant controversies, particularly related to corporate governance.
Black's investments extend into various industries, but he has also published several books on history and politics, further solidifying his reputation as an intellectual figure. Though he faced imprisonment in the late 2000s for fraud, he has since returned to writing and continuing his work in publishing.
Black became involved in a number of businesses, mainly publishing newspapers, starting when he was still in university. In 1966, Black bought his first newspaper, the Eastern Townships Advertiser in Quebec.
Following the foundation as an investment vehicle of the Ravelston Corporation by the Black family in 1969, Black, together with friends David Radler and Peter G. White, purchased and operated the Sherbrooke Record, the small English-language daily in Sherbrooke, Quebec.
In 1971, the three formed Sterling Newspapers Limited, a holding company that acquired several other small Canadian regional daily and weekly newspapers, including the Prince Rupert Daily News and the Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Journal Pioneer.
Social Network
Conrad Black maintains an active presence on various social media platforms, including Twitter, where he engages with followers about political and historical topics. His insights and opinions often attract attention, leading to discussions about current events and his interpretation of media trends.
Black is a longtime columnist and author, and has written a column for the National Post since he founded it in 1998. He has written eleven books, mostly in the fields of Canadian and American history, including biographies of Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis and US presidents Franklin D.
Roosevelt, Richard Nixon and Donald Trump, as well as two memoirs. He has also hosted two interview shows on the Canadian cable network VisionTV. A political conservative, he belonged to the UK's Conservative Party, but also has some idiosyncratic views, including his support for Roosevelt's New Deal.
Education
Conrad Black attended Upper Canada College, a prestigious private school, before pursuing his higher education at McGill University in Montreal and later at the University of Oxford in England. His educational background laid the groundwork for his business acumen and journalistic prowess, enabling him to navigate the complexities of the media landscape successfully.
In conclusion, Conrad Black's life in 2025 reflects a blend of controversy, resilience, and ongoing influence in media and literature. His journey continues to inspire discussions about ethics, governance, and the evolution of modern media.
"My family", Black wrote in 2009, "was divided between atheism and agnosticism, and I followed rather unthinkingly and inactively in those paths into my twenties." By his early thirties he "no longer had any confidence in the non-existence of God".
Thereafter, he "approached Rome at a snail's pace", and began to study the writings of Roman Catholic thinkers such as St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Cardinal Newman, and Jacques Maritain.
Having accepted the possibility of miracles and thus of the Resurrection of Christ, Black was received into the Roman Catholic Church on 18 June 1986 by Gerald Emmett Cardinal Carter, Archbishop of Toronto, at the cardinal's official residence.
He had a dispensation to receive the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church, from Cardinals Léger and Carter, starting in 1974.
