Jeffrey Lurie Jeffrey Lurie ( born September 8 , 1951 ) is the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . Early life and education . Jeffrey Lurie was born into wealth in Boston ; His grandfather Philip Smith founded the General Cinema movie theater chain . His father Morris John Lurie married Nancy Smith , the daughter of entrepreneur Philip Smith . Morris and Nancy Lurie had three children : Jeffrey , Peter , and Cathy . Morris John Lurie died on April 14 , 1961 at the age of 44 . In July his grandfather Philip Smith died . Jeffrey was nine years old . In the late 1960s General Cinema began acquiring bottling franchises , including a Pepsi bottling operation . General Cinema evolved over the years into Harcourt General Inc . , a $ 3 . 7 billion conglomerate based in Chestnut Hill , Mass . , with 23 , 700 employees worldwide . In it ' s heyday it was the nation ' s fourth - largest chain of movie theaters , owned several publishing houses , three insurance companies and a leading global consulting firm . In 1984 Carter Hawley Hale was acquired , which was at the time the tenth largest clothing retailer in the United States , including Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman - Marcus . Lurie earned a B . A . from Clark University , a Master ' s degree in psychology from Boston University and a Ph . D in social policy from Brandeis University where he wrote his thesis on the depiction of women in Hollywood movies . He was born to Jewish parents but has spent his adult life as a non - practicing Jew . Prior to entering business , Lurie served as an adjunct assistant professor of social policy at Boston University . Career . In 1983 he left academia to join General Cinema Corporation , a major film company founded by his grandfather , Philip Smith , and now headed by his uncle , Richard Smith . He worked as an executive in the company as a liaison between General Cinema Corporation and the production community in Hollywood . He was also an advisor in The General Cinema national film buying office . He then founded Chestnut Hill Productions in 1985 which produced a string of Hollywood Movie & TV " Bombs " . 1988 Sweet Hearts Dance ( producer ) $ 3 , 790 , 493 1990 I Love You to Death ( producer ) $ 16 , 186 , 793 1991 V . I . Warshawski ( producer ) $ 11 , 128 , 309 1993 Blind Side ( TV movie ) ( executive producer 1994 State of Emergency ( TV movie ) ( executive producer ) 1996 Malibu Shores ( TV series ) ( co - executive producer ) ( co - producer ) 10 episodes 1996 Foxfire ( producer ) $ 269 , 300 2009 Sergio ( documentary ) ( executive producer ) 2010 Inside Job ( documentary ) ( executive producer ) $ 4 , 312 , 735 Academy Award for Best Documentary The company also produced television commercials . On February 27 , 2011 , the Lurie - produced documentary film " Inside Job " won an Academy Award for best documentary film . Philadelphia Eagles ownership . Jeffrey Lurie loved all the Boston teams . He went to games and put himself to sleep listening to the Red Sox on his transistor radio . The Luries had been season - ticket holders since the New England Patriots since franchise was born in 1960 , the year the American Football League was founded . Lurie cheered for Gino Cappellitti , Houston Antwine and Babe Parilli . This was the team of his dreams . In 1993 Jeffrey Lurie tried to buy the New England Patriots but he dropped out of the bidding at $ 150 million when his uncle Richard Smith nixed the purchase based on the financials . Lurie ' s name also had surfaced in sale talks regarding the Los Angeles Rams , and he was a potential investor in a bid for a Baltimore expansion team with Robert Tisch , who subsequently bought 50 percent of the Giants . Five months later , Smith agreed to let his nephew buy the Eagles . Lurie contacted Norman Braman , then - owner of the Eagles . Lurie bought the Philadelphia Eagles on May 6 , 1994 from Norman Braman for $ 195 million . Lurie and his mother , Nancy Lurie Marks of Chestnut Hill , Mass . - Philip Smith ' s only daughter - borrowed an estimated $ 190 million from the Bank of Boston to buy the Eagles . To back the Bank of Boston loan , Lurie put up millions of dollars ' worth of personal stock in Harcourt General and GC Companies Inc . , as equity capital . Additionally , he and his mother pledged their stock in the family trust as collateral so Lurie could borrow the rest . " I am very excited at the prospect of acquiring the franchise and becoming a Philadelphian , " Lurie said in a statement . " Philadelphia is one of the great sports cities in America , and I look forward to a long and successful relationship with the city , its team and its loyal fans . " The club is now estimated to be worth $ 1 . 164 billion , as valued in 2011 by Forbes . The NFL has grown exponentially over the last 11 years , as the league ’ s growth continues to be driven in large part by highly profitable national TV rights fees . Personal life . In a pre - production meeting for I Love You To Death , Lurie met Christina Weiss , a former actress who was working for his production company . In 1992 , Lurie married Weiss in Gstaad , Switzerland . They had two children : a son and a daughter . Weiss was born in Mexico City and has dual citizenship in Mexico and the United States . She speaks three languages fluently : Spanish , French ( her mother ' s native tongue ) , and English ; she also speaks passable German and Italian . She is ethnically Jewish but was raised non - religious . She feels closest to Buddhism . The Luries celebrate Passover and exchange presents with their children on Christmas . She was instrumental in changing the Eagles ' colors from the traditional kelly green and recreating the logo . In 2012 , the couple announced that they were divorcing . In August 2012 Jeffrey Lurie and his wife of 20 years , Christina , quietly settled their divorce .