Avi Arad

Avi Arad was born in 1948 in Ramat Gan

Avi Arad was born on August 1, 1948, in Ramat Gan to a Jewish family. His parents were Holocaust survivors from Poland. As a child he read Superman and Spider-Man comics in Hebrew.

He was drafted into the IDF in 1965 and was wounded in the 1967 Six-Day War. He spent 15 months recovering and left the army in 1968.

In 1970 he moved to the United States and studied at Hofstra University. He paid for his studies by driving a truck and teaching Hebrew. He earned a business degree in 1972.

He began in the toy industry and met Isaac Perlmutter, who became his business partner. In 1996, as Marvel faced bankruptcy, the two gained control of the company through Toy Biz. Arad led Marvel Studios and produced films such as X-Men, Spider-Man and Hulk.

In 2006 he left his Marvel posts and formed Arad Productions. His company has worked on adaptations of video games and other works. In 2003 he became a United States citizen.