Missing Facts About John Paul Getty III, The Neglected Rich Boy

He Was Left On His Own

All the money in the world doesn’t guarantee a happy home life. Just ask John Paul Getty III. An absent father and a cold-hearted—but extremely rich—grandfather both left Getty to his own devices. And when the mafia cruelly chained him up in a cave, his family wasn’t there to help him. 

Getty survived the ordeal but spent the rest of his short life dealing with the aftermath. 

1. His Family Was Privileged 

John Paul Getty III was born on November 4, 1956, in Minneapolis, Minnesota into one of the richest families in the world. His grandfather was John Paul Getty Sr, who had made his millions in the oil business. Getty’s father was John Paul Jr, whose destiny was ultimately shaped by his father's success. However, the Getty family's existence wasn't all sunshine and roses.

 Ron Galella, Getty Images

2. He Needed To Feed His Family

Before John Paul Getty III was born, his father served in the US military in Korea. Upon his return, he married Abigail Harris, and the couple eventually welcomed John Paul Getty III. Since John Paul Jr's family was in the oil business, it seemed like he was destined to be a part of it. However, the first offer he received was utterly mind-blowing.

 Umberto Pizzi, Wikimedia Commons

3. He Did A Menial Job

When John Paul Jr asked his very rich brother for a job, he didn’t get an office in a highrise. Nope, he started working at a gas station. If it seems a little strange that a member of such a rich family would be pumping gas, you don’t know the Getty family very well. 

John Paul III was still a baby, and his father was the only Getty to be working a blue-collar job. Who knew what the future held for him?

 Bettmann, Getty Images

4. His Granddad Was Cheap

The patriarch (and main moneymaker) of the Getty family was John Paul Sr—and he had a daunting reputation. In spite of his great wealth, John Paul Sr actually set up a payphone at his house because he didn’t want to pay for his guests’ phone calls. He also hadn't met with his son for 12 long years. 

Luckily, he didn't completely turn his back on John Paul Jr.

 Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images

5. He Got A Promotion

Getty's father eventually got his fingers in the family fortune. John Paul Sr offered him a much better job—and it wasn't just a small promotion. He made him the president of Getty Oil Italiana, which involved a move to Rome. Young John Paul III was about to make a life-altering move to Europe. 

 Keystone, Getty Images

6. His Family Fell Apart 

John Paul Getty III spent his youth in Rome—but fate had a twist in store for him. Life went on rather peacefully until his parents’ marriage fell apart. John Paul Jr and Harris divorced in 1964 when Getty was eight years old. Two years later, his father met and married actress and model Talitha Pol. That’s when the real trouble started.

 Keystone / Getty Images,  Wikimedia Commons

7. His Father Went Wild

When John Paul III’s dad remarried, his lifestyle changed dramatically. He and Pol began acting like hippies and spent a considerable amount of their time being wild in Morocco. Getty stayed with his mother in Rome, but his father’s recklessness would soon be mirrored in his own behavior.

 Keystone, Getty Images

8. His Father Was Scandalous

Getty didn’t see a lot of his father at this time, but he likely heard the rumors. His father and new wife were getting heavily into recreational drug use. They travelled to Thailand where their addictions only worsened. In July 1971, Getty’s stepmother tragically passed due to an overdose. 

Worse still, his father was trying his best to evade the authorities. 

 Bettmann, Getty Images

9. He Was Carefree

While his father had his own tragic downfall to deal with, Getty was busy hanging out in the underground scene in Rome. Even though he was still a teenager, his friends were artists, left-wing radicals, and socialites. He also met two wild women who would have a huge impact on his life. 

 Nik Wheeler, Getty Images

10. They Became Besties 

While living his bohemian lifestyle in Rome, Getty met German twins Gisela Martine and Jutta Schmidt. Even though the twins were seven years older than him, the three quickly became extremely close and got an apartment together in Rome. Though they all shared one bed, Gisela later insisted that the extent of their intimacy was simple hand-holding.

Having older and wilder friends had a very negative impact on Getty’s education. 

 V.O. Filmes, The Territory (1981)

11. They Gave Him the Boot

Of course, being a Getty, John Paul III ended up at some very prestigious schools. Unfortunately, he wasn’t that much into academia. In fact, several of the schools had to expel him for bad behavior. One of his stunts was more than just a little unnerving. 

 V.O. Filmes, The Territory (1981)

12. He Had A Dark Sense Of Humor

Getty gave one of his schools a real scare with a painting prank. He had heard of the horrendous behavior of the Manson Family back in California. So, for a laugh, he painted the school’s halls in a way that made reference to the horrible deeds of the infamous cult. This was scary enough, but soon his antics would become dangerous.

 V.O. Filmes, The Territory (1981)

13. He Got Taken In

While hanging out with his bohemian friends, Getty became involved in protests. On one occasion, his passion for the cause got out of control, and he hurled an explosive Molotov Cocktail. This dangerous deed led the Italian authorities to put him under arrest. But this was child’s play compared to what he got up to next. 

 V.O. Filmes, The Territory (1981)

14. He Had A Strange Idea

Around this time Getty and his girlfriend Gisela had some serious financial woes—and that's when Getty began coming up with some strange ideas. According to Gisela, he believed a fake kidnapping would be an easy way to make some very easy cash. It all went oh so wrong. 

 V.O. Filmes, The Territory (1981)

15. He Called It Off

Getty actually met up with some small-time hoods and started talking about a potential abduction plot that would help them get money from the Getty coffers. Before they went through with the outrageous plan, though, Getty got some much-needed work as a model. He called off the fake kidnapping, but somehow his hair-brained plan didn’t end there. 

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

16. They Went Ahead Anyway

If Getty thought the kidnapping plan was off the table, he was sorely mistaken. Gisela later confessed that "Paul didn't want to be kidnapped anymore, but the kidnappers continued following him". On July 10, 1973, the worst happened. 16-year-old Getty was in the Piazza Farnese at 3 am when men grabbed him, put him in a vehicle, blindfolded him, and drove to Southern Italy. 

This had suddenly become very real. 

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

17. He Was In Serious Trouble 

Getty’s abductors threw him into a cave in Calabria and kept him prisoner. As it turned out, these were not some petty thieves, they were members of Italy’s notorious ‘Ndrangheta, which is one of the most powerful gangs in the world. Getty was now in very serious trouble. 

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

18. They Wanted A Huge Sum

Of course the ‘Ndrangheta wanted money, and they didn’t waste any time issuing their demand. They wanted $17 million dollars, which would be worth over $120 million today. Getty’s mother didn’t have anything close to that amount of money, so she contacted her ex-husband. But he didn’t have the money either. 

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

19. He Had To Ask Grandpa

Of course, everyone knew that the ‘Ndrangheta had their sights on John Paul Sr’s money. Getty Jr had the unenviable task of going to his tight-fisted father and asking for it. It was a huge sum, and it’s hard to know what John Paul Jr expected to hear from his stubborn father. 

Well, he was about to learn how heartless dear old dad really was.

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

20. He Said No

John Paul Sr gave his son a hard no on paying the ransom. His reasoning was that if he paid this one, then his other grandchildren might also need bailing out of a difficult situation. He famously said: “I have 14 other grandchildren, and if I pay one penny now, then I will have 14 kidnapped grandchildren”. 

But there was another reason why he wasn’t ready to part with his money. 

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

21. They Were Suspicious 

More than one member of the Getty family had a sneaking suspicion. They thought that Getty had faked the whole kidnapping. When you think about it, they weren't so far off. Getty had talked about doing it, and it ended up being a bit like the boy who cried wolf. 

Now Getty was in the hands of his captors, and no one was coming to save his life. 

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

22. It Wasn’t That Bad At First

Getty's charmed life had become a nightmare in the blink of an eye, finding himself held against his will in a cave. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. At first, the treatment he received from his captors wasn't too alarming. They did annoying things like taking away his radio, which was his only form of entertainment. Then, when he caught a bird and kept it as a pet, they snuffed out its life. 

Unfortunately, as the captors grew impatient, they began treating him in increasingly horrifying ways.

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

23. They Didn’t Believe It 

The kidnappers started to understand that the Getty family didn’t believe that their son had really been kidnapped. They got him to write a letter so that the family would understand the authenticity of their threats. The letter read: “Dear Mummy, Since Monday I have fallen into the hands of kidnappers. Don’t let me be killed”. 

Unfortunately, things were about to get even more deranged.

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

24. It Went From Bad To Worse

At some point, Getty’s captors started playing a tormenting game of Russian Roulette on Getty’s head. Of course, this distressed him on a deep psychological level. On top of this, he was also beaten. There was still no word from John Paul Sr about paying the ransom. His captors were ready to take it to the next level. 

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

25. They Sent A Gruesome Package

Amping up the horror, the kidnappers sent out another demand—but, this time, with one chilling addition. About four months after Getty first went missing, an Italian newspaper received a letter through the mail. In the envelope, there were three things: a written message, a lock of hair, and a human ear. It soon became apparent that the hair and the ear belonged to Getty. 

The enclosed message was equally shocking. 

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

26. The Price Went Down

In the letter, the ‘Ndrangheta assured everyone that the hair and ear were Getty’s: "This is Paul's ear. If we don't get some money within 10 days, then the other ear will arrive. In other words, he will arrive in little bits". The strange thing was that they had reduced the amount owing drastically. 

They were now after only $3.2 million, down from the $17 million they'd asked for previously. If John Paul Sr was heartlessly trying to wriggle the price down, he was winning. 

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

27. His Health Declined

Meanwhile, back in the cave, Getty was in very rough shape. Obviously, he had a wound where they’d removed his ear. But when the injury got infected, the situation got even dicier—and to make things even worse, he also came down with pneumonia. With Getty's health spiraling out of control, his captors needed to get their hands on some penicillin to keep him alive. 

But even this went awry.

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

28. He Had An Allergic Reaction

Treating Getty turned out to be a major headache for his captors. Unfortunately, giving him such high doses of penicillin had a negative effect—and he developed an allergy to the medicine. Their solution to this problem, however, had even darker consequences.

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

29. He Had One Hope

When the penicillin stopped working, Getty’s captors began treating him with large amounts of booze. They thought this would help with the pain and maybe keep him warm, but it only caused him to become extremely dependent on it. Getty really needed his grandfather to pay the lower ransom. It was his only hope. 

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

30. He Gave The Bare Minimum

John Paul Sr still wasn’t willing to fork over what they needed to pay the ransom—but he did make Getty’s dad an offer. He finally coughed up $2.2 million, which turned out to be the highest amount that he could use as a tax deduction. Then he gave the remaining money as a loan—one that his son would have to repay at four percent interest. 

Getty’s father finally had the money, now he just had to save his son. 

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

31. They Found Him

The payment of the ransom went off without a hitch. Authorities found Getty at a gas station on December 15, 1973. He’d been in captivity for more than five months, and he was now a year older. Obviously, he was in terrible shape, both physically and mentally. He also had to face his family. The same ones who had let him languish in captivity before they paid his ransom. 

It was going to be awkward. 

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

32. He Had To Say Thank You

Likely, at some point, Getty eventually found out that his grandfather refused to pay the initial ransom, allowing him to remain in anguish for months. Still, in the end, John Paul Getty Sr had come through in his own stingy way. Getty's mother insisted that he call up his grandfather to say thank you. Sadly, John Paul Getty Sr refused to pick up the phone. 

Getty may have won his freedom—but his suffering didn't end there.

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

33. They Accused His Friends

On the bright side, Getty still had his friends, the twins. Or did he? As the authorities investigated the kidnapping, the twins came under suspicion. They wondered if Gisela and Jutta had orchestrated the whole thing. Authorities detained the twins but soon ruled them out as suspects. 

So, what would happen to Getty’s relationship with the twins?

 RedRum Films, All the Money in the World (2017)

34. He Got Married

Before the kidnapping, the relationship between Getty and Gisela had gotten more intense—and after the kidnapping, they built on this romantic foundation, eventually marrying in 1974. However, Getty was still just a teenager—and a traumatized teenager at that. The responsibilities of adulthood were about to be thrust upon him.

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

35. He Adopted her Daughter

Now remember, Gisela was older than Getty, so she came to the relationship with a daughter from a previous marriage. Anna was born just a year before Getty’s kidnapping but had been living with Gisela’s family as her mother's lifestyle was too unstable. Getty would eventually adopt Anna as his own—but that wasn't all.

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

36. He Had A Chance At Normalcy 

Getty was just 18 years old when he and Gisela had their own child. After all, Gisela had been five months pregnant at the time they said "I do". This was a son they called Balthazar. It seemed possible that Getty could put the trauma of his kidnapping behind him and have a normal life with his wife and children. But that all depended on one thing. He had to get over the psychological scars.

On the surface, he tried his best to return to some semblance of normalcy.

 Hulton Archive, Getty Images

37. He Took A Strange Role

In 1981, Getty appeared in the dark comedy The Territory. This seems like a strange choice for his recovery. The film is about a group of lost campers who resort to cannibalism, which sounds a little too close to his ordeal in the cave. Well, I guess he knew what he was doing because his next film was an equally strange choice. 

 V.O. Filmes, The Territory (1981)

38. It Was Ominous

Experimental filmmaker Wim Wenders borrowed the entire cast and crew from The Territory to make his film The State of Things. The film has an eerie reference to owing money to the mafia, which mirrors Getty's own life. Also, Getty sings a song about finding happiness only when he’s drinking or high. 

This ended up being an eerie omen of the future. 

 V.O. Filmes, The Territory (1981)

39. He Made Poor Choices

As it turned out, Getty wasn’t coping that well with his psychological scars. He and Gisela moved to New York City where they became involved with the art crowd surrounding Andy Warhol. Just as the film had predicted, Getty was drinking and getting high. He was in no condition to be a husband or a father. And worst of all? He was in jeopardy of losing his family. 

 Graham Morris, Getty Images

40. He Was Alone 

Reportedly, Gisela grew weary of Getty’s lifestyle—and sources say she packed up the kids and moved to San Francisco, where she started working for a theater company. Getty was left to his own devices back in New York, and that's when his life went completely off the rails.

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

41. He Was In Rough Shape 

With his wife and children gone, Getty continued on his downward spiral. In 1981, his addictions took him to a very bad place. He mixed Valium, methadone, and booze and ended up having both a stroke and liver failure. While these two things sound treatable, together they resulted in something much, much worse. 

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

42. He Became Paralyzed

This chilling medical incident changed John Paul Getty III's life forever. He would never be the same. Not only did he lose his ability to speak, but his eyesight was also disastrously affected. Getty was now a quadriplegic and would need to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. His troubles didn't end there.

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

43. He Needed Help

After his catastrophic medical event, it would be reasonable to think that his wife would return to help her husband recover—but in truth, they had already separated beforehand. Though they remained amicable, she wound up moving to Germany and found a home in Munich. 

Of course, you might expect someone from the Getty clan to step up. But this didn't happen either. The only one willing to lend a helping hand was Getty’s mother. But there was one big problem. 

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

44. She Needed Money 

Getty’s mother was on board to help her son through his recovery, but she wasn’t rich like the Gettys. She had to go to great lengths to get the family to help her. Even her ex-husband had a shocking response to their son's dire situation: He did not want to dip into his own fortune to help him out.

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

45. Like Father Like Son

Getty’s father had an enviable trust fund that allowed him over $20 million every year, so paying for his son’s medical expenses might have seemed like a no-brainer. Shockingly, though, he resisted as best he could. It was Getty's uncle Gordon who initially stepped in to pay the bills—but the mess just kept getting messier.

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

46. His Mother Sued His Father

Ultimately, Getty's mother took legal action against his father, suing him so that he would pay the $28,000 per month she needed for Getty's medical expenses. But, as we’ve learned, money can’t solve all problems—and Getty certainly couldn't turn back the clocks. Still, there were some glimmers of hope.

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

47. He Hit the Slopes

In 1987, Getty did something he probably thought he’d never do again. He went skiing. No, he hadn’t started walking, but he did have a metal frame that he could use to let him glide down the slopes. It was a brief moment of respite from a life that had seen so much tragedy. 

Though Getty's family had failed him on several occasions, there was still time for a reconciliation. 

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

48. He Mended Broken Bridges

At this time, Getty's not-so-supportive father had become a “Sir," because of his philanthropic enterprises. It seemed that John Paul Jr had been generous with everyone except his own son. But at the very least, he did try to fix his relationship with Getty. He bought a huge country estate in Buckinghamshire, England and invited Getty to visit. 

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

49. He Spent Time With His Father

It’s not clear if Getty ever forgave his grandfather for not paying his ransom, or his father for not willfully covering his medical expenses. We do know that Getty spent some time at his father’s estate. In fact, that's where he ended up passing. It happened on February 5, 2011—a consequence of his long-term health struggles since his overdose.

It was the end of a tragic story—one that the world wanted to hear. 

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

50. The World Was Curious 

Getty’s tragic story inspired two books: Painfully Rich: the Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J Paul Getty and Man on Fire. There was enough interest in this story that both books became movies. There was also a TV version of the story called Trust. It seems there’s no end to the public’s desire to see rich families face problems. 

But there is one Getty who seems to have missed the curse. 

 Cloud Eight Films, Trust (2018)

51. He Broke The Mold

In spite of the Getty family's extreme wealth, the lives of its members seems to involve the inheritance of family dysfunction. Somehow, Getty’s son Balthazar has had a pretty normal life. He’s an actor known for his roles in Lord of the Flies and TV’s Brothers and Sisters. Okay, there was that affair with Sienna Miller. But he did reconcile with his wife and—at least for the time being—they’re still together. 

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 Castle Rock, Lord of the Flies (1990)

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10