Peter Morton - Los Angeles, California

Chairman of the Board

Los Angeles, California

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Morton is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) and sits on the board of trustees for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). After Morton made a generous donation to UCLA, the building at 200 UCLA Medical Plaza was renamed the Peter Morton Medical Building.

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An entrepreneur, environmentalist, and humanitarian, Peter Morton entered the international business community in 1971, when he co-founded the Hard Rock Cafe (HRC). Along with his business partner, Isaac Tigrett, he built the distinctive theme restaurant from the ground up, ultimately creating a global brand that continues to thrive today. Although Peter Morton sold his stake in the Hard Rock restaurants in 1996 and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas in 2006, he continues to serve as the Chairman of the Board for Hard Rock Hotel Holdings, LLC.

Over the years, Morton has dedicated his time to a range of charitable endeavors. During his tenure with HRC, he helped design and popularize the restaurant's famous "Save the Planet" banner. Under Morton's guidance, HRC earned a reputation for corporate social responsibility. Several years ago, he made a generous donation to the University of California, Los Angeles. In honor of his gift, the school renamed one of the buildings in its medical plaza the Peter Morton Medical Building. At present, he sits on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles as well as the Board of Trustees of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The son of a famous restaurateur, Peter Morton became familiar with the dining industry at a young age. Before launching the first HRC, he established the Great American Disaster, a restaurant that served American fare in Chelsea, London. Although the venture proved successful, Morton soon met Tigrett and opted to devote his full energy to HRC. Nearly a decade later, he returned to Los Angeles to launch Morton's, a preeminent dining locale that served the Hollywood elite until 2007.