Robert A. Altman

Robert A. Altman (February 23, 1947 – February 4, 2021) was an American business executive and lawyer. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of ZeniMax Media, a video game holding company and parent company of several video game studios and companies, including publisher Bethesda Softworks. Prior to co-founding ZeniMax in 1999, he worked as a lawyer in Washington, D.C. Altman also served on the Advisory Board of The George Washington University Law School.[2]

For other people with the same name, see Robert Altman (disambiguation).
Robert A. Altman
Altman in 2009
Born(1947-02-23)February 23, 1947[1]
Washington, D.C., United States
DiedFebruary 4, 2021(2021-02-04) (aged 73)
OccupationBusinessman
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1984)​
Children2

Early life

Robert A. Altman was born on February 23, 1947, in Washington, D.C.,[1] to a Jewish family.[3][4] He was the son of Sophie and Norman Altman (-1997). His father was a graduate of Harvard Law School, who was a real estate lawyer and investor, and founded the Washington, D.C. law firm of Krooth and Altman.[5] Sophie Altman, a graduate of Yale Law School worked in television broadcasting and was a multiple Emmy award-winning producer. One of the television shows Sophie produced was the high school educational program It's Academic which began in 1961 and is still running. Robert was one of four children.[6][7]

Altman was raised in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. He went to college at the University of Wisconsin and returned to D.C. to attend George Washington University Law School.[8]

Career

Law office

Altman practiced law for many years in Washington, D.C. as a partner of Clark Clifford, a former United States Secretary of Defense in the law firm of Clifford and Warnke. Altman later opened his own law firm, the Law Offices of Robert Altman where Clifford was of counsel. As a Washington, D.C. lawyer, Altman represented major companies before federal regulatory agencies, before Congress, or in litigation.[9]

From 1978–1982, Altman and Clifford represented a group of wealthy Arab businessmen, including members of the royal family from Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia in their efforts to acquire a multi-state bank holding company, Financial General Bankshares. The Arab investors used a British bank, Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) as their financial advisor in this transaction. Following the acquisition, Altman became President of Financial General which was renamed First American Corporation.[8][9][10]

In 1980, he was the lawyer of Bert Lance, the adviser to Jimmy Carter during his trial about the financial management of the Calhoun First National Bank.[10]

BCCI trial

In 1991, it was alleged that BCCI, the financial adviser to the Arab shareholders and their "communications link" had acquired by means of offshore loans that were in default, the shares of the Arab investors in First American. Questions were raised whether the Arab investors had falsely represented to bank regulators the true ownership of First American.[11] During the ensuing investigations, Altman and Clifford testified at length before Congress, federal and state grand juries, and the Federal Reserve. Audits of First American by the Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller, and state banking agencies confirmed that the bank had been operated under Altman's management without any BCCI influence.[12]

In 1992, Clifford and Altman were charged in indictments by the New York District Attorney and the Department of Justice, as well as being named in a civil suit by the Federal Reserve.[13] Clifford, then in poor health was severed from the case as he was physically unable to go to trial. Altman maintained his innocence, refused offers of a plea to resolve the cases, and insisted on going to trial. In the summer of 1993, after a five-month trial the court dismissed the central count in the indictment of bribery, saying no evidence had been presented by the government to support it.[14] Altman declined to present a defense case and was acquitted by the jury of all remaining charges.[15][16] The Department of Justice dismissed the companion federal indictment. The civil suit by the Federal Reserve was settled[17] with Altman agreeing to be banned permanently from banking.[17] He was defended by a famous white-collar criminal defense lawyer Gustave Newman.[18]

ZeniMax Media
Main article: ZeniMax Media

Altman resumed his Washington, D.C. legal practice after the trial. In May 1999, he co-founded ZeniMax Media with Bethesda Softworks founder Christopher Weaver as a new parent company of Bethesda.[19][20] Altman was brought in as CEO with Weaver serving as CTO.[21] Weaver was pushed out of an operational role in 2002 and filed a related lawsuit that was settled out of court.[22]

Personal life

On January 29, 1984, Robert married former Wonder Woman actress Lynda Carter.[1] Together they have two children, James and Jessica Altman. They lived in Potomac, Maryland.[23]

James Altman works at his father's ZeniMax subsidiary Bethesda Softworks as Director of Publishing Operations.[24]

In 2015, both Robert and his wife Lynda Carter endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.[25]

Death

Bethesda announced that Altman died on February 4, 2021, aged 73.[26][27]

Publications
  • Altman, Robert A. (1970). The Upper Division College. Jossey-Bass. ISBN 978-0-87589-065-4.

References
  1. "Clark Clifford, Robert Altman / Biographies at a glance". The Desert Sun. Gannett News Service. September 12, 1991. p. 25. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  2. "Dean's Board of Advisors". law.gwu.edu.com. May 8, 2015. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  3. Metro Weekly: "World Wonder: "Lynda Carter talks about her new album, her upcoming show at the Kennedy Center and the importance of gay rights" Interview by Sean Bugg Archived April 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine June 3, 2009 |"I’m married to a Jewish man, I bar and bat mitzvahed my children, I was raised Catholic, my father is a Mormon, my sister is an Evangelical"
  4. Bloom, Nate (April 28, 2009). "Interfaith Celebrities: The Summer's First Blockbuster". InterfaithFamily. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016.
  5. "Norman S. Altman: : Washington Lawyer". The Washington Post. November 23, 1997. p. B8. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  6. Kurtz, Howard (October 26, 1991). "Sophie Altman, Sticking Up for Her Son". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  7. Martin, Douglas (May 29, 2008). "Sophie B. Altman, Who Started Quiz Show in 1961, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  8. Walsh, Sharon (August 2, 1991). "Cloud Over a Rising Star". The Washington Post. p. A1. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  9. Lewis, Neil A. (September 3, 1991). "A Friendship, a Washington Bank and a Trail of Money Leading to B.C.C.I.; Clifford and Altman, Mentor and Protege, At Center of Inquiry". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  10. (in Spanish) Biografia de Robert A. Altman Archived December 24, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Executives.technology
  11. S.C. Gwynne (August 30, 1993). "Innocent As Charged". TIME. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  12. Kerry, Sen. John; Brown, Sen. Hank (December 1992). "The BCCI Affair (pp.360-1)". Homeland Security Digital Library. US Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  13. Kerry, Sen. John; Brown, Sen. Hank (December 1992). "The BCCI Affair (pp.402)". Homeland Security Digital Library. US Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  14. "ALTMAN ACQUITTED OF BANKING FRAUD". NY Times. NY Times. August 15, 1993. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  15. "Politics News". The Washington Post. July 30, 1992. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  16. "Altman acquitted in BCCI trial". Tampa Bay Times. Poynter Institute. October 10, 1993. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  17. Truell, Peter (February 4, 1998). "Clifford and Altman Settle With Fed Over B.C.C.I." New York Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  18. Sam Roberts, Gustave Newman, Defense Lawyer in Sensational Cases, Dies at 90 Archived December 24, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Nytimes.com, May 4, 2017
  19. "Executive Profile Robert A. Altman". Bloomberg Businessweek. January 27, 2016. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016.
  20. Gamers at Work: Stories Behind The Games People Play. Morgan Ramsay. January 31, 2012. ISBN 9781430233510. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  21. "Bethesda: The Right Direction". The Escapist. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  22. "Christopher Weaver vs ZeniMax Media" (PDF). courts.state.md.us. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 21, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  23. Jensen, Erin (April 13, 2018). "Lynda Carter recalls marriage to Ron Samuels: 'He was a lot older, and I was just stupid'". Usatoday.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  24. "Conversation with the Dean: Robert and James Altman". law.gwu.edu. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  25. Price, Lydia (May 8, 2015). "Wonder Woman Lynda Carter Wants You to Vote for Her Friend Hillary Clinton". People. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  26. Plunkett, Luke (February 4, 2021). "Zenimax Co-Founder & CEO Robert Altman Has Died". Kotaku. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  27. S. Good, Owen (February 4, 2021). "Robert A. Altman, founder of Bethesda parent ZeniMax Media, dies at 73". Polygon. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
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