Irving Belzberg is a Canadian businessman, financier, and one of the three Belzberg brothers—along with William (Bill) and Marc—who rose to prominence in the 1980s as aggressive corporate raiders through their family-owned investment firm, Belzberg Investments Ltd. Born into a Jewish immigrant family in Calgary, Alberta, the brothers built on the foundation laid by their father, H. Anthony Belzberg, who founded the company in the 1950s as a small brokerage. Under their leadership, the firm engaged in high-profile leveraged buyouts and hostile takeover attempts, targeting undervalued companies such as Southam Inc., Maclean Hunter, and Campeau Corporation. Irving, often described as the strategic mind among the brothers, was instrumental in these operations, which amassed the family fortune estimated in the hundreds of millions but also drew widespread criticism for practices like greenmail—buying stakes to force companies to repurchase shares at a premium—and short-term profit extraction that allegedly harmed long-term corporate stability. The Belzbergs were condemned by business leaders and regulators for contributing to the era's hostile takeover frenzy, with some accusing them of unethical market manipulation, though no major criminal convictions resulted. By the late 1980s and 1990s, the Belzberg brothers shifted focus from raiding to more conventional investments and philanthropy, particularly in Jewish causes. Irving has been involved in charitable endeavors through the Belzberg Family Foundation, supporting education, health, and community initiatives in Canada and Israel. The family's influence extended to political donations, with ties to both Liberal and Conservative parties, though Irving's personal political affiliations remain less documented. Despite their controversial past, the Belzbergs are credited with pioneering activist investing in Canada, influencing modern hedge fund strategies. Irving has largely stayed out of the public eye in recent decades, residing primarily in Calgary, while the family business evolved into private equity and real estate holdings.