Dodi Fayed

Dodi first met Princess Diana at a polo match in 1986, when she was married to the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles of Wales. At the match Dodi played against Prince Charles’ team.

Dodi had reportedly dated Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder, Brooke Shields, and Nancy Sinatra at different points of time. In 1986, he married model Suzanne Gregard, but the couple divorced after eight months. In 1997, he was engaged to an American model, Kelly Fisher, and bought a house in Malibu, California, to live with her.

Diana and Charles divorced in August 1996, after separating in 1992. After the divorce, she was hosted by Dodi’s father Al-Fayed in south of France, with her two sons, Princes William and Harry, for a holiday. She also met Dodi there and the two started dating.

Dodi Fayed was born on April 15, 1955, in Alexandria, Egypt, as Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Muna'im Al-Fayed. He was the eldest son of Mohamed Al-Fayed, who owned the luxury department store Harrods in London, the Fulham football club, and the Hotel Ritz Paris.

His mother was Samira Khashoggi, an author, and a Saudi-citizen of Turkish descent. Her father was Dr Muhammad Khashoggi, and brother the billionaire arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.

Dodi attended College Saint Marc in Egypt, and the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland.He graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy in the UK. He loved London, and as a teen, was a popular figure at London’s nightclub scene. Best known for his flamboyant lifestyle, he had a penchant for “fast cars and beautiful women.”

Immediately after completing his education, Dodi Fayed served as an attaché at the United Arab Emirates Embassy in London. He also worked on Harrods' marketing for his father.

After serving the United Arab Emirates air force for some time, he developed an interest in the film industry after being taken on a tour of a James Bond set by friend Cubby Broccoli in 1979. He entered the world of films in the same year. With financial help from his father, he started Allied Stars, a production company.

In 1980, he co-produced ‘Breaking Glass’, a British film, written and directed by Brian Gibson. The film was screened at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.

He was the executive producer of the films ‘Chariots of Fire’, a 1981 British historical drama film; and ‘F/X’, a 1986 American action-thriller film directed by Robert Mandel, along with its sequel and television series—‘F/X: The Series’. He also served as the executive creative consultant for the series.

He was also the executive producer of ‘F/X2: The Deadly Art of Illusion’, a 1991 American action thriller film directed by Richard Franklin; ‘Hook’, a 1991 American fantasy adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg; and ‘The Scarlet Letter’, a 1995 American romantic drama film.

‘Chariots of Fire’ that was ranked 19th in the British Film Institute's list of Top 100 British films, was one of the memorable films that Dodi produced. The film was also notable for its memorable electronic theme tune by Vangelis, who won the Academy Award for Best Original Score.