Famed attorney Melvin Belli was flamboyant, eccentric, and narcissistic. He was called a liar, a charlaton, a womanizer, and an ambulance chaser. It was suggested more than once that he should be disbarred. But those who knew Belli also described him as a genius and a revolutionary thinker, a lawyer who changed the legal landscape like none before.A legal pioneer who fought powerful corporations and consorted with strippers, madams, and Mafioso, Belli was the first to win multi-million dollar lawsuits. He famously - and unsuccessfully - represented Jack Ruby, the who shot Lee Harvey Oswald. Dubbed the "King of Torts" by Life Magazine, his unorthodox strategies and courtroom theatrics made him one of the most controversial lawyers in America history. Married six times, Belli courted glamorous women around the world and represented such famous clients as The Rolling Stones, actor Errol Flynn, mobster Mickey Cohen, evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, Mohammed Ali, Lenny Bruce, and Mae West. His beloved dog, Welldone Rumproast III, was listed in the telephone book. Belli's connection to the famous Zodiac Killer brought his name to life again in 2008. But more than anything, Belli was a one-of-a-kind courtroom fighter who represented the famous, the infamous, and the downtrodden. His unique personal and professional lives make him one of the most fascinating characters of the twentieth century.
advertisement