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How Jordan Belfort's 37m superyacht Nadine sank off the coast of Sardinia

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Coco Chanel was famously outspoken on many things, but yachting, in particular, attracted her ire. “As soon as you set foot on a yacht you belong to some man, not to yourself, and you die of boredom,” she was once quoted as saying.

Her solution was to buy her own yacht. A 37m with a steel hull, built by the Dutch yard Witsen & Vis of Alkmaar. The yacht passed through many hands, finally ending up belonging to the Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort, on whose watch she foundered and sank in 1996.

The yacht was originally built for a Frenchman under the name Mathilde , but he backed out and she caught Chanel’s eye instead. With a narrow beam, a high bow and the long, low superstructure typical of Dutch yachts of her era, she was certainly a beautiful boat. But she was also well equipped, with five staterooms in dark teak panelling, magnificent dining facilities, room for big tenders and, later, a helipad. A frequent sight along the Florida coast, she caught the eye of a young skipper called Mark Elliott.

“In those days, she was the biggest yacht on the East Coast,” he remembers. “Nobody had ever seen anything like it. I needed a wrench once and went up to the boat - Captain Norm Dahl was really friendly.” He didn’t know it then, but Elliott was destined to become the skipper of the boat himself and was at the helm when the storm of the century took her to the bottom off Sardinia.

Coco Chanel died in 1971 and sometime thereafter the yacht was renamed Jan Pamela under the new ownership of Melvin Lane Powers. He was a flamboyant Houston real estate developer, fond of crocodile skin cowboy boots and acquitted of murder in a trial that gripped the nation.

Powers sent Jan Pamela to Merrill Stevens yard in Miami, where a mammoth seven-metre section was added amidships. “We made templates for the boat where we were going to cut her in half, then she went out for another charter season,” remembers Whit Kirtland, son of the yard owner. “When the boat came back in, we cut it just forward of the engine room, rolled the two sections apart and welded it in.”

He remembers how the sun’s heat made the bare and painted metal expand at different rates. “You had to weld during certain time periods – early in the morning or late at night,” says Kirtland.

The result of the extension was a huge new seven-metre full-beam master stateroom, an extra salon and one further cabin – pushing the charter capacity to seven staterooms. During this refit, the boat’s colour was also changed from white to taupe. “No one had really done it before and it was gorgeous,” says Elliott. By 1983, Powers was bankrupt and the yacht was sold on again. She next shows up named Edgewater .

Elliott’s chance came in 1989. He was working for the established yacht owner Bernie Little, who ran a hugely profitable distribution business for Bud brewer Anheuser-Busch. “Bernie Little had always wanted to own the boat,” Elliott says. “He loved it. He bought it sight unseen – and I started a huge restoration programme, including another extension to put three metres in the cockpit.”

It was a massive task, undertaken at Miami Ship. “We pulled out all the windows, re-chromed everything, repainted – brought it back to life,” says Elliott. They also cut out old twin diesels from GM and replaced them with bigger CAT engines, doubling her horsepower to 800. “Repowered, she could cruise at up to 20 knots. She was long and skinny, like a destroyer.”

A smart hydraulic feature was also brought to life for the first time. Under two of the sofas in the main stateroom were hidden 3.6m x 1.2m glass panels giving a view of the sea under the boat. At the push of a button, the sofas lifted up and mirrors above allowed you to gaze at the seabed – from the actual bed.

Now called Big Eagle , like all of Little’s boats, she was a charter hit and her top client was a certain New York financier named Jordan Belfort. He fell in love with her and begged Little to sell to him. But he needed to secure financing, and in 1995, Little agreed to hold a note on the boat for a year if Mark Elliott stayed on as skipper.

With the boat rechristened Nadine after his wife, Belfort set about another round of refit work, restyling the interior with vintage deco and lots of mirrors, extending the upper deck this time, and fitting a crane capable of raising and stowing the Turbine Seawind seaplane.

Nadine also carried a helicopter, a 10m Intrepid tender, two 6m dinghies on the bow, four motorbikes, six jetskis, state-of-the-art dive gear. “You pretty much needed an air traffic controller when all these things were in the water,” says Elliott.

Belfort’s partying was legendary and Elliott clearly saw eye-watering things on board, but as far as he was concerned, he was there to safeguard the boat. “When Jordan Belfort became the owner, he could do whatever he wanted. I was there to protect the note,” says Elliott. “He is a brilliant mind and a lovely person. It was just when he was in his party mode, he was out of control.”

Nadine and her huge cohort of toys and vehicles plied all the usual yachting haunts on both sides of the Atlantic. But Belfort’s love story was to be short-lived. Disaster struck with the boss and guests on board during an 85-mile crossing between Civitavecchia in Italy and Calle de Volpe on Sardinia.

What was forecast to be a 20-knot blow and moderate seas degenerated into a violent 70-knot storm with crests towering above 10.6m, according to Elliott. Wave after wave pounded the superstructure, stoving in hatches and windows so that water poured below and made the boat sluggish. By a miracle the engine room remained dry and they could maintain steerage way, motoring slowly through the black of the night as rescue attempt after rescue attempt was called off.

Nadine eventually sank at dawn in over 1000m of water just 20 miles from the coast of Sardinia. Everyone had been taken off by helicopter, and there was no loss of life. Captain Mark Elliott was roundly congratulated for his handling of the incident. “The insurance paid immediately because it was the storm of the century,” he says. “I took the whole crew but one with me to [Little’s next boat] Star Ship . That was my way to come back.”

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Jordan Belfort’s ex-wife tells the real story behind the yacht on The Wolf of Wall Street

The ex-wife of jordan belfort shed some light on the infamous scene.

Ben Thompson

Jordan Belfort's ex wife, Nadine Macaluso, has set the record straight about the scene in The Wolf Of Wall Street where Belfort splashes out and buys his wife a yacht on their wedding day.

I mean, when you have a lot of money , what better way to treat your new spouse after saying I do?

After their lavish wedding, Belford ( Leonardo DiCaprio ) covers Nadine's, or Naomi as she's known in the movie, eyes with a blindfold before revealing the huge yacht, which has been christened the 'Naomi'.

And Naomi (played by Margot Robbie ) cannot contain her excitement.

"Are you serious? A f***ing yacht?!" she exclaims.

However, it seems that the real Belfort wasn't very serious, as Macaluso revealed on TikTok that her ex-husband, who she was married to from 1991 to 2005, 'did not' actually buy her a boat on their wedding day.

She said: "Actually what happened I think we were married for a few years and we were always chartering yachts, because he loved to do that.

"And I had given birth to my beautiful daughter Chandler and he said 'I want to buy a yacht'."

However, this idea didn't sit well with Macaluso at the time.

She continued: "I said 'I don't think we should buy a yacht, we have a baby and I don't feel comfortable.

'She can't swim.'

"I had visions of her falling off the boat and I was actually terrified.

"I did not want to buy the yacht ironically. And he was like 'Nope, I'm buying a yacht and I'm calling it the Nadine'. And I was like 'Okay, here we go'.

"And you know how that went."

Macaluso's final line is a nod to a scene in the film, in which Belfort and Naomi need to be rescued from the yacht after it gets caught up in a storm.

This scene was indeed based on the real life sinking of the ship in June 1996, which resulted in a rescue by the Italian Navy Special forces.

The yacht was sunk after violent waves repeatedly hit it, but luckily everyone on board was able to escape the ship in time.

Macaluso has previously commented on the scene's accuracy , where she admitted in a TikTok video that the yacht sinking scene was 'totally true'.

Speaking of the memory, she said: "It was horrific, horrifying, we were in a squall for 12 to 18 hours and we lived, thank god, for my kids."

She even showed real life footage of her, Belford and their friends being rescued by the Navy.

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Jordan Belfort Yacht: The True Story and The Wolf of Wall Street Version

The true Jordan Belfort yacht story is as strange and unbelievable as the hit movie The Wolf of Wall Street depicts it to be. There are several insider stories behind the sinking of the mighty yacht that are not widely known but are quite interesting and different from the reel version in several ways.

What happened to the Jordan Belfort yacht Nadine?

As the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street shows, the superyacht Nadine sank close to the coast of Sardinia in 1997 while battling what many calls “the storm of the century”. Jordan Belfort narrates the event in detail in the memoir describing his life in the 90s, which is what the Martin Scorsese movie is about.

Before getting into the details of the sinking, it is worth noting that the 37m yacht had a long and interesting history. She carried renowned celebrities like Coco Chanel before reaching Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie) and was one of the largest yachts in the East Coast’s waters.

While the yacht was initially manufactured for a French native and given the name Matilda, he backed out of the deal. This led Coco Chanel to buy the beautiful yacht with the low superstructure that Dutch yachts are famous for.

You can learn more about our yacht charter services in Dubai

The yacht took on different names as it passed through famous hands, even those of the murder trial acquitted Melvin Lane Powers. Belfort named the yacht after his wife and renovated it with the capacity to carry a helicopter, 6 Jetskis, 4 motorbikes, and much more. Under Belfort’s ownership, the yacht witnessed a series of wild parties that were like unlimited glamour and fun in a package until disaster struck unexpectedly.

Did the yacht scene in The Wolf of Wall Street actually happen?

The Jordan Belfort yacht sinking scene in The Wolf of Wall Street was heavily inspired by a real-life event, though the movie did take some creative liberties. For one, the yacht was called Naomi in the reel version since the name of Belfort’s wife (played by Margot Robbie ) was changed in the movie. In reality, the yacht was named Nadine.

The movie further depicts Belfort’s helicopter getting thrown off the yacht by strong waves. In reality, the yacht’s crew went up to the deck and pushed off the helicopter so that Italian navy seals would have a space to land. The yacht’s itinerary was altered a bit by the movie’s director Martin Scorsese to add to the drama, though the power of the storm was scarily accurate.

Belfort admitted that the yacht’s captain Mark Elliot explicitly warned them not to sail to Sardinia on that fateful night. But according to the movie, there was a business opportunity in the city that Belfort could not bear to miss out on despite his wife’s protests.

Some sources claim that in reality, the passengers were simply eager to hit the golf course at Sardinia the next morning. They refused to pay heed to the captain’s warning and asked him to go through the storm, which eventually led to the famous Jordan Belfort yacht sinking incident. Therefore, unfortunately, if someone wants to have a yacht rental in Dubai or any other destination, they have missed their chance with this yacht.

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Interesting insights on the sinking as portrayed in the movie

The movie captures the fear and stress that each passenger felt when the yacht got caught up in the 70-knot storm. There is some hilarity when Belfort starts yelling for his drugs to avoid the horror of dying sober.

Several rescue attempts were made, but due to rising risks, each of them was called off. By some twist of luck, the yacht’s engine room remained mostly undamaged for a while, because of which they were able to make their way through the sea.

In the end, everyone survived the incident without any major injuries. At dawn, the Nadine made its way 1000m under the water only 20 miles away from Sardinia’s coast. Now, the movie’s audience gets to watch the Jordan Belfort yacht story unfold on the screen with a pinch of humor.

The Nadine’s captain Mark Elliot’s heroic actions did not go unnoticed. He was praised for leading all the passengers to safety, though he was able to get out of the yacht only 10 minutes before it sank. The captain also admitted that the insurance was granted immediately considering the ferocity of the storm. As for the yacht, many still wonder about the highly expensive equipment that had to be thrown into the water and is probably rusting away at the bottom of the sea.

The best features of the Jordan Belfort yacht Nadine

The 167 ft Nadine, as its former passengers claim, was a beautiful yacht. When owned by Coco Chanel under the name Matilda, the yacht had five staterooms, large dining areas, and a helipad. The interiors were furnished with dark teak paneling. Each new owner customized the yacht’s name and interiors based on their tastes.

Belfort decorated the Nadine lavishly with a variety of mirrors and set a vintage deco theme. He renovated the upper deck to fit a crane that was able to stow his Turbine Seawind seaplane. The yacht carried the best dive gear available in the market plus a variety of Belfort’s ‘toys’ such as his motorbikes and jetskis.

Which model was portrayed as the Jordan Belfort yacht Nadine in the movie?

Martin Scorsese got the yacht Lady M to represent Nadine onscreen. While Nadine actually had a luxuriously vintage charm to it, Lady M is a modern vessel with contemporary features. Lady M was manufactured in 2022 by Intermarine Savannah, while Nadine was built in 1961 by Witsen & Wis. The 147 ft Lady M is currently worth $12 million and is similar to Benetti yachts in its glamorous design.

Jordan Belfort’s life today

The entrepreneur and speaker Jordan Belfort’s shenanigans are well-known thanks to his detailed memoir and the hit movie based on some parts of his life. He spent 2 years in prison and now, at 59 years of age, has a practically negative net worth. Yet, his extraordinary motivational speaking skills continue to attract and inspire people even today.

It is easy for anyone watching the movie to wonder if many of the incidents are exaggerated. But considering Belfort’s eccentric life, even the Nadine sinking incident remains another regular anecdote shared in the movie.

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Jordan Belfort Yacht: The True Story and The Wolf of Wall Street Version

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The true Jordan Belfort yacht story is as strange and unbelievable as the hit movie The Wolf of Wall Street depicts it to be. There are several insider stories behind the sinking of the mighty yacht that are not widely known but are quite interesting and different from the reel version in several ways.

Nadine yacht model

What happened to the Jordan Belfort yacht Nadine? As the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street shows, the superyacht Nadine sank close to the coast of Sardinia in 1997 while battling what many calls “the storm of the century”. Jordan Belfort narrates the event in detail in the memoir describing his life in the 90s, which is what the Martin Scorsese movie is about.

Jordan belfort yacht sailing

Did the yacht scene in The Wolf of Wall Street actually happen? The Jordan Belfort yacht sinking scene in The Wolf of Wall Street was heavily inspired by a real-life event, though the movie did take some creative liberties. For one, the yacht was called Naomi in the reel version since the name of Belfort’s wife (played by Margot Robbie) was changed in the movie. In reality, the yacht was named Nadine.

Interesting insights on the sinking as portrayed in the movie

The movie captured each passenger’s fear and stress when the yacht got caught up in the 70-knot storm. There is some hilarity when Belfort starts yelling for his drugs to avoid the horror of dying sober. Several rescue attempts were made, but each was called off due to rising risks. By some twist of luck, the yacht’s engine room remained undamaged primarily for a while, because of which they were able to make their way through the sea.

The best features of the Jordan Belfort yacht Nadine

The 167 ft Nadine, as its former passengers claim, was beautiful. When owned by Coco Chanel under the name Matilda, the yacht had five staterooms, large dining areas, and a helipad. The interiors were furnished with dark teak paneling. Each new owner customized the yacht’s name and interiors based on their tastes.

Which model was portrayed as the Jordan Belfort yacht Nadine in the movie?

Martin Scorsese got the yacht Lady M to represent Nadine onscreen. While Nadine had a luxuriously vintage charm, Lady M is a modern vessel with contemporary features. Lady M was manufactured in 2022 by Intermarine Savannah, while Nadine was built in 1961 by Witsen & Wis. The 147 ft Lady M is currently worth $12 million and is similar to Benetti yachts in its glamorous design.

Jordan Belfort’s life today

The entrepreneur and speaker Jordan Belfort’s shenanigans are well-known thanks to his detailed memoir and the hit movie based on some parts of his life. He spent 2 years in prison and now has practically negative net worth at 59 years of age. Yet, his extraordinary motivational speaking skills continue to attract and inspire people even today. It is easy for anyone watching the movie to wonder if many of the incidents are exaggerated. But considering Belfort’s eccentric life, even the Nadine sinking incident remains another regular anecdote shared in the movie.

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The Wolf of Wall Street: History vs. Hollywood

Did Jordan Belfort really meet his future business partner in a restaurant?

What was the name of Belfort's brokerage house?

The Wolf of Wall Street true story confirms that, like in the movie, Stratton Oakmont was the name of the real Jordan Belfort's Long Island, New York brokerage house. Belfort and co-founder Danny Porush (played by Jonah Hill in the movie) chose the name because it sounded prestigious ( NYTimes.com ). The firm would later be accused of manipulating the IPOs of at least 34 companies, including Steve Madden Ltd. (their biggest deal), Dualstar Technologies, Paramount Financial, D.V.I. Financial, M. H. Meyerson & Co., Czech Industries, M.V.S.I. Technology, Questron Technologies, and Etel Communications.

What exactly did Jordan Belfort do that was illegal?

Belfort's Stratton Oakmont brokerage firm ran a classic "pump and dump" operation. Belfort and several of his executives would buy up a particular company's stock and then have an army of brokers (following a script he had prepared) sell it to unsuspecting investors. This would cause the stock to rise, pretty much guaranteeing Belfort and his associates a substantial profit. Soon, the stock would fall back to reality, with the investors bearing a significant loss. -NYTimes.com

How many employees worked for Jordan Belfort's brokerage firm?

At its peak in the 1990s, Stratton Oakmont, Belfort's firm that he co-founded with Danny Porush, employed more than 1,000 brokers. -TheDailyBeast.com

Danny Porush says the movie's dwarf-tossing scene (above) never happened. Even Belfort's book only discusses it as a possibility. Did Jordan Belfort really host an in-office dwarf-tossing competition?

No. "We never abused [or threw] the midgets in the office; we were friendly to them," Danny Porush (the real Donnie Azoff) says. "There was no physical abuse." Porush does admit that the firm hired little people to attend at least one party. Jordan Belfort's memoir The Wolf of Wall Street only discusses the tossing of little people as a possibility, not something that actually happened. -MotherJones.com

During what years did the events in the movie take place?

The events in The Wolf of Wall Street movie took place during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Jordan Belfort and Danny Porush founded the brokerage firm of Stratton Oakmont in the late 1980s. The securities fraud and money laundering charges brought against the firm involved companies that Stratton Oakmont helped raise money for in public stock offerings from 1990 through 1997. In 1996, Stratton Oakmont was banned from the brokerage industry, which eventually forced the company to close its doors. -NYTimes.com

Was Jordan Belfort really known as the "wolf" of Wall Street?

No, at least not according to the former co-founder and president of the Stratton Oakmont brokerage firm, Danny Porush (portrayed by Jonah Hill in the movie). The real Porush says that he is not aware of anyone at the firm calling Jordan the "wolf." Porush says that it's just one of a number of exaggerations and inventions in both Belfort's book and the movie. -MotherJones.com

Is Matthew McConaughey's character, Mark Hanna, based on a real person?

Yes. In exploring The Wolf of Wall Street true story, we learned that Jordan Belfort claims to have met Matthew McConaughey's character's real-life counterpart, Mark Hanna, in 1987 when he was working at the old-money trading firm of L.F. Rothschild. His new acquaintance was an uproarious senior broker at the firm and introduced Belfort to the excess and debauchery that Belfort would later make a daily staple at Stratton Oakmont. Like in the movie, the real Mark Hanna behind McConaughey's character told Belfort that the key to success was masturbation, cocaine and hookers, in addition to making your customers reinvest their winnings so you can collect the commissions. -TheDailyBeast.com

Did Jordan Belfort really abuse cocaine and other drugs?

Yes. In The Wolf of Wall Street movie, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) is shown snorting cocaine off a prostitute's backside and nearly crashing his private helicopter while high on a cocktail of prescription drugs, including Quaaludes, morphine and Xanax. In researching The Wolf of Wall Street true story, it quickly became clear that Belfort used drugs heavily in real life too. In his memoir, he states that at times he had enough "running through my circulatory system to sedate Guatemala."

Jordan Belfort did give speeches like DiCaprio in the movie (left). Right: The real Belfort speaks at a 1994 Stratton Oakmont Christmas party (right). Did Belfort really stand in front of his employees and give riling speeches with a microphone?

Yes. Belfort was known to stir his troops into action by belting out words of motivation through a microphone. However, his speeches were often filled with more self-adulation than DiCaprio's speeches in the movie.

Did a female employee really let them shave her head for $10,000 to pay for breast implants?

The real Jordan Belfort claims this is true in his memoir. The female employee let them shave off her blonde hair for $10,000, which she used to pay for D-cup breast implants. Co-founder Danny Porush also says that the shaving took place, "...the worst we ever did was shave somebody's head and then pay 'em ten grand for it," says Porush. -MotherJones.com

Was Jordan Belfort's Quaalude dealer in the movie, Brad Bodnick (Jon Bernthal), based on a real person?

Yes. The character in the movie, Brad Bodnick, who has a goatee and is portrayed by The Walking Dead 's Jon Bernthal, is based on Jordan Belfort's real-life Quaalude supplier, Todd Garret. In his memoir, the real Jordan Belfort claims that Garret sold him approximately 10,000 Quaaludes.

Was there ever a chimpanzee in the office?

No. According to co-founder Danny Porush (played by Jonah Hill in the movie), the scene where Leonardo DiCaprio's character pals around with a chimp is pure monkey business. "There was never a chimpanzee in the office," says Porush. "There were no animals in the office...I would also never abuse an animal in any way" (though he does admit to eating the goldfish, see below). -MotherJones.com

Did he really almost crash his helicopter in his yard?

Did Danny Porush really marry his own first cousin?

Yes. According to Jordan Belfort's memoir, the real Donnie Azoff (whose actual name is Danny Porush) did marry his first cousin Nancy "because she was a real piece of ass." After twelve years of marriage, the couple divorced in 1998 after Danny told Nancy that he was in love with another woman ( NYPost.com ). Danny and his ex-wife share three children together.

Did Belfort and his colleagues really have drug-addled nights and sexcapades with prostitutes on a near daily basis?

Though the movie and Belfort's memoir might seem like gross exaggerations of the truth, depicting heavy drug use and sexcapades in the office during trading hours, they're not exaggerations at all says the F.B.I. agent who finally took Belfort into custody, "I tracked this guy for ten years, and everything he wrote is true." Kyle Chandler portrays the agent in the Martin Scorsese movie. -NYTimes.com

Was Belfort really arrested for crashing his Lamborghini while high on expired Quaaludes?

Yes, but according to Belfort the car wasn't a Lamborghini like in the movie, it was a Mercedes. He was so high in a drug daze that he couldn't remember causing several different accidents as he tried to make his way home. In real life, one of the accidents was a head-on collision that actually sent a woman to the hospital. -TheDailyBeast.com

The real Donnie Azoff, Daniel Porush, says that he really did swallow a goldfish like Jonah Hill (pictured). Did Danny Porush really swallow a goldfish?

Yes. According to the real Donnie Azoff, whose actual name is Danny Porush, the scene where Jonah Hill's character eats a goldfish is based on a true story. "I said to one of the brokers, 'If you don't do more business, I'm gonna eat your goldfish!'" Porush recalls. "So I did." -MotherJones.com

Did they really tape money to a woman's body?

In one scene of The Wolf of Wall Street movie, bricks of cash are taped to a Swiss woman's body. "[I] never taped money to boobs," the real Danny Porush says (played by Jonah Hill in the movie). According to Jordan Belfort's memoir, the event did happen but his partner Porush wasn't there. -MotherJones.com

Was footwear mogul Steve Madden really involved in Belfort's scheme?

Yes. As shown in The Wolf of Wall Street movie, Steve Madden had been a childhood friend of Belfort's partner Danny Porush (renamed Donnie Azoff in the movie and portrayed by actor Jonah Hill). Their fondness for drugs and alcohol reunited the two of them. During the initial public offering of his footwear company, Steve Madden Ltd., Madden acquired a large number of shares of his company, which were actually being controlled by Belfort and his firm, Stratton Oakmont. Once shares became available to the public, Stratton Oakmont got down to the business of selling them to unsuspecting suckers. Billing Madden's company as the hottest issue on Wall Street, Belfort's brokers in turn drove up the price. Eventually, Steve Madden was to sell off his shares when the hype was at its peak, just before the stock began its inevitable decline. Similar to what is seen in the movie, Belfort still maintains that Steve Madden tried to steal his Steve Madden shares from him. However, Jordan Belfort did make approximately $23 million in two hours as part of the deal with Steve Madden, who would later be charged as an accomplice to Belfort's scheme. -NYTimes.com For his part, Steve Madden was sentenced to 41 months in prison and was forced to resign as CEO of Steve Madden Ltd. He also resigned from the company's board of directors. However, he did not leave the company entirely. He kept his foot (or shoe) in the door by giving himself the title of creative consultant, for which he was well-compensated even while he was in prison. -Slate.com

Did Jordan Belfort really name his yacht after his wife?

Did Belfort's yacht really sink in a Mediterranean storm?

Yes. In real life, Belfort's 167-foot yacht, which was originally owned by Coco Chanel, sunk off the coast of Italy when Belfort, who was high on drugs at the time, insisted that the captain take the boat through a storm ( TheDailyBeast.com ). Listen to Belfort tell the story during The Room Live 's Jordan Belfort interview . As he states in the interview, his helicopter didn't fall off the boat during the storm like in the movie. Instead, they had to push the helicopter off of the top deck of the boat to make room for the rescue chopper to drop down an Italian Navy commando.

How long did FBI agent Gregory Coleman spend tracking Jordan Belfort and his firm?

FBI agent Gregory Coleman, renamed Patrick Denham for the film and portrayed by actor Kyle Chandler, made tracking Belfort and his firm, Stratton Oakmont, a top priority for six years. In an interview ( watch here ), Coleman says that the factors that drew his attention to the firm were "the flashiness, the brashness of their activities, the blatantness of the way they were soliciting people and cold calling people, and the number of victims that were complaining on a daily basis." -CNBC

Did Jordan really strike his wife?

Yes. The Wolf of Wall Street movie shows Jordan (Leonardo DiCaprio) hitting his wife (Margot Robbie) with his hand and fist. According to his memoir, he actually kicked his wife Nadine down the stairs while he was holding his daughter. She landed on her right side with "tremendous force."

Did Belfort really endanger his 3-year-old daughter's life by crashing his car through the garage door?

Yes. In real life, he put his daughter Chandler in the front seat of the car without a seat belt on, before crashing it through the garage door and then driving full speed into a six-foot-high limestone pillar at the edge of the driveway. Like in the movie, he was high at the time.

Tommy Chong was Jordan Belfort's cellmate in prison and encouraged him to write the book. What was Jordan Belfort's punishment?

When he was finally arrested in 1998 for money laundering and securities fraud, Jordan Belfort was sentenced to four years in prison. This was after agreeing to wear a wire and provide the FBI with information to help prosecute various friends and associates. In the end, the true story reveals that he served only 22 months in a California federal prison. His cellmate in prison was Tommy Chong of "Cheech and Chong" fame, who was serving a nine month sentence for selling bongs. -TheDailyBeast.com

What inspired Jordan Belfort to write his memoir?

It wasn't so much a what as it was a who. Tommy Chong (one half of "Cheech and Chong") was Jordan Belfort's cellmate in prison. After laughing at some of Belfort's stories from his days running the firm, Chong encouraged him to write a book. -TheDailyBeast.com

Why is Jordan Belfort's memoir filled with so many exclamations?

Jordan Belfort attempted to model his writing after Hunter S. Thompson ( Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ), who was known for using plenty of exclamation points.

What happened to Belfort's partner, Danny Porush, portrayed by Jonah Hill in the movie?

Danny Porush, renamed Donnie Azoff for the movie and played by actor Jonah Hill, served 39 months in prison for his part in the corrupt dealings of Stratton Oakmont, the firm that he co-founded with Jordan Belfort. Porush currently runs a medical supply business in Florida, where he lives with his second wife Lisa in a $4 million mansion. A 2008 Forbes article pointed out his company's fraudulent tactics, which included trying to persuade people to order diabetic supplies and getting them to provide information about their physicians that could be used to bill Medicare. A number of complaints surfaced accusing Porush's company of sending unsolicited packages that were accompanied by unexpected Medicare charges. Back in 2001, Porush was arrested in connection to a fraud scheme surrounding Noble & Perrault Collectibles, a company that sold commemorative coins over the phone. Victims saw their credit cards charged repeatedly, at times for thousands of dollars, while often never receiving any merchandise for purchases that were largely unauthorized to begin with. -Sun Sentinel Enjoying a well-to-do life in Florida, Daniel Porush and his wife drive matching Rolls-Royce Corniche convertibles. With regard to The Wolf of Wall Street movie, Porush said, "I really have no comment other than to say I would never try to profit from a crime I'm so remorseful for." -NYPost.com

I heard that Jordan Belfort is a motivational speaker, is that true?

How much did Jordan Belfort earn from his books and the movie?

Catching the Wolf of Wall Street includes more of Belfort's outrageous stories that were not included in his first book. As we investigated The Wolf of Wall Street true story, we discovered that Jordan's books, The Wolf of Wall Street and Catching the Wolf of Wall Street , netted him a $1 million advance from Random House. He also earned $1 million for the film rights to his story ( TheDailyBeast.com ). In a response to criticism over these profits and future profits from the movie, Jordan Belfort said the following via his Facebook page, "I am not turning over 50% of the profits of the books and the movie, which was what the government had wanted me to do. Instead, I insisted on turning over 100% of the profits of both books and the movie, which is to say, I am not making a single dime on any of this." According to Jordan, the money is being used to pay back the millions still owed to those who were scammed by his brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont.

Does Jordan Belfort have a cameo in The Wolf of Wall Street movie?

Yes, the real Jordan Belfort appears at the end of the movie as the person who introduces Leonardo DiCaprio's character before he takes the stage at his Straight Line seminar.

Have any other movies been based on Jordan Belfort's story?

Yes, but only loosely. The brokerage firm in the movie Boiler Room , released in 2000, was inspired by the illegal practices of Jordan Belfort's Stratton Oakmont firm. In the movie, actor Ben Affleck portrays Jim Young, the Belfort-esque co-founder of the firm, who, like Jordan Belfort, trains his brokers in the "pump and dump" scheme. -NYTimes.com

Watch The Wolf of Wall Street movie trailer. Also, view Jordan Belfort interviews and home video footage of him speaking at a Stratton Oakmont party in the 1990s.

• Jordan Belfort's Website
• Danny Porush's Website (played by Jonah Hill)
• Mark Hanna's Website (played by Matthew McConaughey)
• The Wolf of Wall Street Official Paramount Movie Site

Naomi Lapaglia

• Edit source
• 1.1 South Hampton Party
• 1.2 Mrs. Belfort
• 1.3 Belfort Estate
• 1.4 Switzerland
• 1.5 Sinking of the Naomi

History [ ]

South hampton party [ ].

In 1992, Naomi Lapaglia was dating Blair Hollingsworth, where both attended a party hosted by Jordan. It was unknown how either were connected to Jordan at this time although it could be surmised somehow they knew a Stratton Oakmont employee as the intent of the party was to celebrate the firm. When arriving to the beach house, she catches the attention of Jordan Belfort, the host of the party, who is immediately infatuated with her. A friend of hers at the party, Cristy , initiate their conversation by introducing the couple to Jordan. Jordan pays no attention to her date Blair, as the two converse with each other, with her being specifically invited to jet ski with Jordan. Blair, seeing Jordan's true intentions, tries to get Naomi to leave with him. This is also noticed by Hildy Azoff, who approaches Jordan and announces that his wife has been looking for him in front of Naomi and Blair. The attention turns to a more evident situation, as Donnie Azoff is publicly masturbating while saying aloud his lust for Naomi, which the other partygoers laugh derisively or egg him on. Hildy realizes what her own husband is doing and drags him out of the situation with a tirade about his filthy behavior. During the commotion, Blair says he has had enough of this scene and ushers Naomi out. Naomi goes with Blair, but her looking longingly at Jordan suggests that her relationship with Blair is on the skids.

However, Jordan becomes obsessed with Naomi and manages to convince Cristy to give him Naomi's telephone number. The two flirt with each other over dinner, though Naomi is slightly reluctant due to Jordan being married. Jordan dispelled the notion, as he said that they can be friends, but Naomi simply rebuts with a very suggestive comment, of them "Not going to be friends". The two later leave, heading towards her apartment and discussing her new line of women's lingerie. As the duo reach the apartment, Naomi invites him up for tea, after Jordan is unable to make the first move. In her apartment, she introduces him to her dog, Rocky, and asks Jordan to light a fire as she freshens up. Jordan in the meantime is contemplating on whether or not to leave, after being paged by his wife, but Naomi comes back out in nothing but high heels and stockings, presenting herself seductively to him. She and Jordan proceed to have sex, though Jordan initially finishes in eleven seconds and her dog Rocky interrupts them, but they are able to go on for another round.

Mrs. Belfort [ ]

After their initial hook up, Naomi begins a passionate affair with Jordan, meeting each other on a fairly regular basis behind his wife's back. This all comes to a boiling point, when one afternoon, Jordan and Naomi ride a limousine back to Jordan's apartment. While in the process of fondling each other and Jordan sniffing cocaine off her body, his wife Teresa catches them in the act, yanking Jordan out of the limo, and leaving Naomi utterly shocked. Teresa berates Jordan for cheating on her and finally questions if Jordan is in love with Naomi, with Jordan's silence affirming his feelings for her, breaking Teresa down completely. Jordan afterwards divorces Teresa and moves Naomi up into his apartment in a matter of a few weeks.

Naomi settles into Jordan's loft very well, decorating and furnishing it extravagantly, while as well bringing in her butler, Nicholas, who provides a manner of class. But, after an afternoon of shopping, Naomi comes home early to Nicholas in the middle of a gay orgy, traumatizing her. She discloses the events prior to Jordan the next day, but as well informs him that all their money and jewelry in their bedroom is gone. Jordan and his pals interrogate and beat Nicholas, after his unwillingness to give up information on the attendees, and is subsequently arrested by Jordan's bribed police.

Jordan secures an IPO on Steve Madden's company, resulting in a heavy payday for himself and his company. With the money being so fluid, Jordan plans an extravagant proposal and wedding for Naomi. During a date in a private restaurant, Jordan proposes to her with a yellow canary diamond ring. In her disbelief, she asks Jordan if he's sure about all of this, with him rather rebutting back if she's sure that she wants to be his wife, with Naomi joyfully accepting and embracing him in the middle of the empty night.

The two are soon wedded in the Bahamas, as the wedding is described akin to a fairy tale by Jordan. In the after party, Naomi introduces Jordan to her Aunt Emma , from Britain, whom she adores and was glad could make it after hearing that her flight from England was delayed. After the wedding, Jordan presents Naomi a luxury yacht, named after her, which amazes and delights her, as she hugs and kisses Jordan for his gift, telling him that she loves it. The two set sail across the Caribbean, concluding their trip by heading towards New York. The couple buy a house in Long Island, complete with two retired military personnel as a security team and a complete domestic staff to include a middle-aged black woman named Violet , who serves as housekeeper and nursemaid to the future Belfort children. Naomi eventually becomes pregnant after the wedding and gives birth to a little girl named Skylar .

Belfort Estate [ ]

In the 18 month period since their wedding in 1992, Naomi's relationship with Jordan starts to crack, as Jordan's constant drug use and late nighters with hookers, has caused a noticeable rift between them. On one occasion, after coming home from a dangerous helicopter ride in the night, Jordan apparently uttered the name of a hooker, "Venice", in his sleep. Naomi, furious about who Venice is, throws a cup of water at Jordan to wake him up and questions him about this infidelity. Jordan tries lying to her, saying he is talking about investing in condominiums in Venice, California, to only get splashed in the face with water again by a seriously doubtful Naomi. The two continue to rant at each other, as Naomi berates him on wrecking the yard the night before, as he had the helicopter land in the middle of their backyard. Jordan as well rather mocks her uptight nagging nature and obliviousness to her luxurious lifestyle, that he is paying for her. Naomi retaliates by going to splash another cup of water at his face, but Jordan tries to appease Naomi, asking for a kiss and them to make up, which Naomi is disgusted by, and splashes his face with water yet again.

After their morning fight, the two calm down and play with Skylar in her nursery, though Naomi is still disgruntled with Jordan. Jordan tries to make another attempt to apologize to Naomi, again asking for a kiss. Naomi cuts him short, telling him "daddy" won't be touching "mommy" for a long time, in a playfully frustrated matter. Jordan tries to apologize again, telling her he didn't mean the things he said to her in their bedroom, but Naomi continues to tease him, as she says that she's going to be wearing nothing but short skirts around the house, attracting Jordan's full attention. She further reveals seductively that she is tired of wearing panties around the house and has thrown them all away, while spreading her legs. Jordan crawls down to his legs, enamored, and tries to get closer, but is stopped by Naomi, telling him that he can only look, not touch. Jordan lays down, defeated, as Naomi begins masturbating in front of him, playfully teasing her dominance over him. Jordan in his moments of ruin, realizes that Skylar's room has a teddy bear that is disguised as a security camera, meaning that their security team has been watching everything. Jordan begins to tease Naomi, telling her if she notices something off with the teddy bear on the cabinet. Jordan then waves enthusiastically at his security, to Naomi's absolute embarrassment, as she shuts her legs and tries to conceal herself. She immediately gets up and smacks Jordan, leaving the room as Jordan lays happily triumphant.

Switzerland [ ]

After Jordan's meeting goes sour with Agent Denham of the FBI , Jordan and Naomi need to hide their money from the federal agency in 1993. Jordan sparks a deal with Swiss banker, Jean-Jacques Saurel , and gets Naomi's Aunt Emma to sign the account with her name. Jordan returns to Naomi, where they must pack their money to ship out to Switzerland, and they do so, but take some time to have sex on the pile of cash.

Naomi is present when Jordan plans with Brad Bodnick and Donnie to move the money with Brad's wife, Chantalle , having the money taped onto her, to fly over with no intervention by the FBI. The plan is mostly successful, as the account is secure with their money. Donnie later plans to due some ludes with Jordan in their house, after accidentally getting Brad arrested, much to Naomi's suspected disappointment. As the duo waits for the drugs to kick in, Naomi tells Jordan that Bo Dietl is on the line for him. Jordan rapidly leaves for the local clubhouse a few miles down from the house, to talk privately. During this period, Donnie became extremely high, as the drugs had a late fuse to activation. Donnie begins to call Saurel, to set up an account incoherently, with Naomi scared to do anything to stop him. She frantically calls Jordan, who as well is hit with a heavy intoxication by the drugs, telling him to come over quickly. Jordan haphazardly drives home, busting his car, as he is led into the kitchen by Naomi, and the two fight over the phone deliriously, due to Jordan finding out the phones have been tapped. She takes Skylar, crying over the sight, out of the room, rushing her away from the scene. When she comes back, Donnie is choking on food, going into a wild state, as she tries to save Donnie. She yells for Jordan's help, as he snorts a small stash of cocaine to sober up and saves Donnie with CPR. The two proceed to doze off, as Naomi is left to look on over the scene.

The next morning, Naomi answers the door to be greeted by two police officers. She is mortified by this and is told that they are investigating charges against her husband for driving under the influence the night before. Jordan is taken in for questioning, but it is later revealed that the charges were dismissed due to no witnesses and lack of evidence. Naomi soon gives birth to the couple's second child, Parker , taking both children out for pony lessons as Jordan looks on. Jordan realizes that the only way to make sure they are safe is by leaving the firm, much to Jordan's chagrin, but uneasy acceptance. Jordan however, backtracks on his retirement from Stratton Oakmont, staying on to continue his work and putting his case back on the FBI's watch.

Sinking of the Naomi [ ]

The two escape the drama around the FBI enclosing on Jordan's firm and coworkers by decamping in Italy, where Donnie and Jordan are calling the shots out of the immediate sight of the FBI, with Rugrat acting as a puppet ruler of Stratton Oakmont back in the States. However, during their trip, Naomi returns back to Jordan in tears as she has just received news that her aunt Emma died of a heart attack. Jordan is also distraught over Emma's death, but rather because her ownership of the account in Saurel's bank could be seized by the Swiss government. Saurel says that this is the case but claims that Emma named Jordan as an heir. The paperwork needs to get to Zurich within three days and Saurel will make arrangements for them to meet with a calligrapher, strongly suggesting Emma did not in fact make Jordan her heir and Saurel is employing a forger. Upon finding out that Jordan plans to sail towards Monaco, Naomi is saddened by this and believes they should rather be heading to England for the funeral. Jordan blindly and insensitively tells her that Emma will still be dead by the time they arrive, and right now, they should go to Monaco, where they can head out to Switzerland. He does not explain why it is so important to get to Switzerland this instant, but assures her that once he is done they will go right to England. Jordan then orders Captain Ted to proceed to Monaco, despite the captain's warning that he got reports of a storm in that area.

The storm hits the "Naomi" head on, as the yacht sails through dangerously destructive waves. Jordan and Naomi are in the front, holding on from the whiplash of the boat, while Donnie tries to hold out as well. As the captain calls for assistance, Jordan wants Donnie to get the ludes downstairs, so Jordan can relax. Jordan jeopardizes Naomi's safety, leaving her for a time, as he takes some of the drugs as Donnie returns with a bag full of them. The yacht eventually capsizes from a massive wave, with the group heading out into a raft. Luckily, a cruiser comes to save them, being relatively nearby, saving the group from the storm. Naomi and Hildy dance with the Italian sailors, being happy and thankful for their help.

Jordan tries to sober up his act, with the events prior really sobering him up, as he tries to rebuild his relationship with Naomi and his children, though Naomi is starting to doubt her love for Jordan as well in this period. She appears in his newly branded infomercials, but after Saurel is arrested on American soil, Jordan is ratted out for his money laundering and put on trial. Jordan for the time, is placed under house arrest and must sell many of his valuables, and possibly his house, to just possibly pay bail. Naomi's feelings for Jordan start to sink, as she becomes more distant to Jordan as he falls into despair. Jordan eventually strikes an uneasy deal with the FBI, as he needs to rat out his friends, in exchange for a lighter sentence. Naomi never expressly states why her love for Jordan is cooling, though it could be that she realizes she never knew Jordan before marrying him, or that she sees the writing on the wall in that he will soon be penniless and unable to afford to pamper her as he did during the start of their marriage.

Jordan discusses the matter with Naomi in the night, who is very emotionally detached from everything he going through, as Jordan tries to soothe her worries on the matter. He tries to play it as a menial matter and that they will get their money back, but Naomi is unfeeling to his attempts at appeasing her. As she folds her clothes, Jordan tries to get Naomi to make love to him, by kissing and embracing her, much to Naomi's outright refusal. Jordan pulls her down to the bed, forcing himself onto her, as she tries to get him off of her. Jordan however is able to overpower and gets himself on top of her and begins to rape her, being in absolute bliss while Naomi is absolutely disgusted. Naomi tells Jordan that she hates him, berating him to Jordan's denial of the subject, as he continues to rape her. Naomi, realizing that she won't be able to get Jordan off of her, plays into his advances, telling him to cum for her and grinds herself against him, so they can end this quickly. Jordan plays into her insistence, as he thrusts deep into her, climaxing inside her, much to her visible loathing. While the pair lay on the bed, Naomi finally informs him that this will be the last time they will have sex, as she wants a divorce. Jordan confused, as the two just had sex together, tries to reason with her, but Naomi is simply nonreciprocal to his pleas, telling him that she doesn't love him anymore. She tells him that she will allow visitation for their kids if he agrees to her demands, but Jordan, betrayed and enraged, tells her that he will not allow her to take custody of his children and that she can't do this to him. As Naomi tries to escape the conflict, by continuing to pack her clothes, Jordan slaps Naomi to the ground and proceeds to wreck the house, with a Naomi emotionally degrading Jordan for being a lunatic, telling him that she won't ever let her kids near him ever again. Jordan, still in a fit of anger, goes to Skylar's room to take her away, to punish Naomi on her threats. As Naomi tries to pull him back, Jordan knocks her to the ground once again, with a blunt punch to the stomach. Jordan carries his scared daughter out of her bed, racing along the stairs towards his car, much to Naomi's pain ridden screams for Jordan to stop. Naomi, with the help of Violet, try to stop Jordan and get Skylar back, but Jordan reaches his car in time to reverse the car out of the garage, but loses control and crashes into a concrete slab. Naomi quickly runs towards the wreckage, pulling her daughter out to safety, comforting her as Jordan laid in the car, hurting from the crash. After Jordan's reckless attempt to kidnap and almost seriously injure Skylar, Naomi leaves with the kids and divorces Jordan, as he is left to face his troubles, alone.

Relationships [ ]

• Jordan Belfort - Husband; divorced
• Skylar Belfort  - Daughter
• Parker Belfort  - Son
• Max Belfort  - Father-in-law
• Leah Belfort - Mother-in-law
• Aunt Emma - Aunt

Gallery [ ]

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) clip — "What's wrong, daddy?"

• 1 Naomi Lapaglia
• 2 Donnie Azoff
• 3 Mark Hanna

Who is Jordan Belfort? True Story of “The Wolf of Wall Street”

The guide will examine the life and fraudulent activities of  Jordan Belfort , whose real-life events inspired the movie “ Wolf of Wall Street “. It will delve into Belfort’s career, particularly his time at Stratton Oakmont and the financial schemes that eventually led to his downfall.

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Who is Jordan Belfort?

Belfort spent 22 months in prison, during which he found his passion for writing. Soon after his release, he published his first memoir, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” recounting his time as a stockbroker, later popularized in the 2013 Martin Scorsese film, in which he is depicted by Leonardo DiCaprio.

After various scandals and a term in prison for fraud, Jordan Belfort has reinvented himself as a motivational speaker, his primary topic being the distinction between greed, ambition, and passion on Wall Street.

Jordan Belfort’s early life 

Jordan Belfort was born in 1962 in the Bronx, New York City, to Jewish parents, who were both accountants. Around 16, Belfort and his close childhood friend earned $20,000 selling Italian ice from styrofoam coolers at a local beach. 

After graduating from American University with a degree in biology, Belfort planned on using the money earned selling ice cream to pay for dental school, subsequently enrolling himself at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. However, he dropped out on the first day after the school dean warned the students saying: “The golden age of dentistry is over. If you’re here to make a lot of money, you’re in the wrong place.”

Jordan Belfort’s personal life

While Jordan Belfort had a tumultuous business life and a flair for corrupt practices, his personal life wasn’t far from it. While running his company Stratton Oakmont, Belfort was already divorced from his first wife, Denise Lombardo. Jordan Belfort’s first wife, Denise Lombardo, whose movie character in “Wolf of Wall Street,” was played by Cristin Milioti.

You may also recognize the name Naomi, Jordan Belfort’s wife, portrayed by Margot Robbie in the movie “Wolf of Wall Street.” In real life, Naomi’s name is Nadine Caridi, Belfort’s second wife . Nadine and Jordan Belfort had two kids together (or Belfort and Naomi in the movie), but ultimately divorced in 2015 after domestic violence accusations.

Belfort’s ex-wife Nadine now goes by the name of Nadine Macaluso and works as a therapist, using her experience to help other women in abusive relationships via social media. Nadine has said she “ walked away from my marriage with absolutely nothing ,” reasoning “ it was the right thing to do ,” after realizing Belfort’s money was all “blood money.”

@drnaelmft I left my marriage from The Wolf of Wall Street with my kids and my curtains. #wolfofwallstreet #wolfofwallstreetmovie #wallstreet #nadinemacaluso #drnadinemacaluso #drnae #drnadine #marriedtothewolfofwallstreet #margotrobbie #margotrobbieofficial #tiktok #tiktokviral #tiktoker #tiktoknews #tiktokcelebsnews #tiktokfamous #naomiwolfofwallstreet #wolfofwallstreetnaomi #leonardodicaprio #leonardodicaprioedit #martinscorsese #martinscorsesefilms #martinscorsesemoviesbelike #icon #tiktoktherapist #tiktoktherapy #therapy #therapist #90s #longisland #wallstreet #wallstreet90s #goldcoast ♬ You Found Me – Instrumental Pop Songs & Kris Farrow

Jordan Belfort’s yacht was named after his second wife Nadine (or Naomi in the “Wolf of Wall Street” movie), which was previously built for Coco Chanel in 1961. It ultimately sank off the Sardinian east coast in 1996 after Belfort insisted on sailing out in high winds against the captain’s advice. 

Jordan Belfort’s net worth

It is estimated that Jordan Belfort’s net worth peak was around  $400 million  in 1998; however, the exact figures are unknown. Despite his fraudulent past, Jordan Belfort has leveraged his years working in the financial industry, engaging in different ventures.

Motivational speaking, book sales, movie rights, as well as various real estate, stocks, and crypto investments, have accumulated Jordan Belfort a sizeable fortune, which as of February 2024 was an estimated $115 million, according to  data  from  caknowledge . However, Medium   estimates it  at between $100 million and $134 million.

A large chunk of Belfort’s annual income of $18 million comes from book sales (a book titled “The Wolf of Wall Street”) and motivational speaking events worldwide, where he shares his story of triumph and failure. He also makes an impressive $50 million by selling the movie rights to his story.  

Furthermore, Belfort has invested roughly $27 in luxury real estate, owns multiple high-end cars worth $4 million, has an estimated cash reserve of over $32 million, and has an investment portfolio valued at around $15 million, adding crypto-related products.

Jordan Belfort’s largest stock holding

Jordan belfort’s podcast.

Besides working as a motivational speaker and earning money through books and movies, Belfort keeps sharing his doings through a personal YouTube channel called The Wolf of Wall Street, where he posts monthly episodes of a podcast, “The Wolf’s Den,” where he shares his business ventures, motivational speaking events, life events, and new partnerships.

For example, in his session from January 13th with Robert Beadles, speaking to the founder of the Monarch crypto wallet, he shared his outlook on Bitcoin and the current crypto market and discussed the new regulations surrounding Bitcoin outlook for 2023 and the likely events that would follow.

Jordan Belfort’s career

Early endeavours.

At 23, Jordan Belfort became a door-to-door meat and seafood salesman on New York’s Long Island, dreaming of getting rich. He grew his business to a string of trucks and several employees, moving 5,000 pounds of beef and fish a week. But as he expanded too fast, the lack of capital ultimately failed the business, and he filed for bankruptcy at 25.

Wall Street

After the meat and seafood business went bust, Belfort’s interest turned to Wall Street, where he got a position as a trainee stockbroker at L.F. Rothschild. However, he was later let go after the company experienced financial difficulties due to the Black Monday stock market crash of 1987 .

Stratton Oakmont

Jordan Belfort eventually ended up at Investor Center, a small brokerage firm on Long Island, in 1988. There, he was introduced to penny stocks (high-risk securities with small market caps that typically trade for a low price over-the-counter (OTC) and are therefore less regulated than stocks traded on a major market exchange), which would later propel him to success. 

A year later (1989), Belfort started an over-the-counter brokerage house in the franchise “Stratton Securities” with partner Danny Porush. Within five months, the two had earned enough to buy the whole Stratton franchise, renaming the company Stratton Oakmont. The company essentially functioned as a boiler room that marketed penny stocks and defrauded investors with pump-and-dump stock sales.

Stratton Oakmont did astonishingly well over the next several years, at one point employing over 1,000 stock brokers, and was linked to the IPOs of nearly three dozen companies. However, during his years at Stratton, Jordan Belfort led a life of lavish parties and intensive recreational drugs (especially methaqualone under the brand name “Quaalude”), which resulted in addiction.

Jordan Belfort’s famous sales pitch 

Part of Belfort’s strategy was to teach his brokers his infamous sales pitch, the “ Kodak pitch ,” by which they were directed to cold-call clients and entice them with a trusted blue-chip company, only to then recommend stocks with higher margins for the seller, such as penny stocks.

The name came from using the blue-chip company Eastman Kodak as the bait. The goal of the pitch was solely to gain the client’s confidence in the trustworthiness of their firm by recommending a familiar household name that larger brokerage houses such as Merrill Lynch might recommend. 

From there, the client would receive future updates on Eastman Kodak and new stock pitches involving a penny stock that Jordan Belfort was illegally manipulating and funneling money through. Unfortunately, the penny stocks often had little or no actual fundamental value and later crashed, obliterating the client’s investment while Belfort and his company pocketed millions. Naturally, during these events, Belfort claimed that he only tried to help his clients invest in the future of America.

Recommended video : “Don’t hang up until the client buys or dies”

Steven Madden, Jordan Belfort, and Stratton Oakmont

Steven Madden was introduced to Stratton by Danny Porush (the key partner at Stratton) and welcomed into the firm with a $500,000 early investment . Next, Stratton organized an IPO that gave themselves up to 85% (illegal as the underwriter of the public offering) of the company, subsequently dumping the shares almost right after the company went public to their clients, banking $20 million . 

Madden eventually paid millions to the government and spent considerably more time (30 months) locked up in federal prison than Belfort (22 months).

The irony here is, however, though Steve Madden was taken public at a ludicrous valuation at the time (3 million shares worth $15 million), yet, as Madden writes in his memoir: “if you bought Steve Madden stock that day, even at the inflated price, and held onto it, you would be very rich today.”

Meanwhile, Eastman Kodak, the original blue chip company that served as bait to potential investors, has since filed for bankruptcy. Interestingly, in a twist of fate, the bait stock went bust, and the scam penny stock could have turned relatively small retail investors into millionaires today.

Jordan Belfort’s legal troubles 

Law enforcement officials targeted Stratton Oakmont throughout its lifetime. Finally, in December 1996, the National Association of Securities Dealers (now the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) expelled Stratton Oakmont, forcing it out of business. Jordan Belfort was subsequently indicted for securities fraud and money laundering in 1999.

Belfort’s demise can largely be attributed to his private attempts to move his money out of the U.S., smuggling it to Swiss bank accounts to be laundered. Eventually, however, the FBI agents (led by Greg Coleman and Joel Cohen) investigating Stratton and Belfort convinced witnesses to give them information about the move and were ultimately successful at also getting notoriously secretive Swiss banks to cooperate. 

With solid evidence, both Belfort and Porush were arrested in September 1998 and convinced to collaborate with the investigation. Eventually, Belfort pleaded guilty, and after the case had taken years to come to trial, in 2004, he was convicted. However, Belfort ultimately served only 22 months of a four-year sentence at the Taft Correctional Institution in California in exchange for a plea deal with the FBI.

Jordan Belfort was ordered through his restitution agreement to pay 50% of his income until 2009 towards restitution to the 1,513 clients he had defrauded (totaling approximately $200 million in investor losses), with a total of $110 million in restitution further mandated. As late as 2013, complaints had been filed by federal prosecutors regarding his payments, leading to Belfort making a separate deal with federal authorities to complete the restitution payments.

During his time in prison, he shared a cell with comedian Tommy Chong, who encouraged him to tell the story of his experiences as a stockbroker. On his release in 2006, Belfort realized there was interest in his life story and so began pitching his manuscript, which eventually got picked up by Random House, who rewarded him with a $500,000 advance. “The Wolf of Wall Street,” the book that inspired the Jordan Belfort movie, was on bookshelves within a year of his release.

Chong and Belfort remained friends after their release from prison, with Belfort crediting him for his new career path as a motivational speaker and writer. Belfort commented on his wrong-doings in his memoir, stating:

“I got greedy. … Greed is not good. Ambition is good, passion is good. Passion prospers. My goal is to give more than I get, that’s a sustainable form of success. … Ninety-five percent of the business was legitimate. {…} It was all brokerage firm issues. It was all legitimate, nothing to do with liquidating stocks.”

Yet federal prosecutors and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officials involved in the case maintain : “Stratton Oakmont was not a real Wall Street firm, either literally or figuratively.”

Jordan Belfort’s books 

Belfort published two memoirs: “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Catching the Wolf of Wall Street,” also issued in approximately 40 countries and translated into 18 languages. In 2017, Jordan Belfort released a self-help book, “Way of the Wolf.” 

The former Federal prosecutor who led the investigation of Belfort has insisted that much in his memoirs is a fabrication embellished by aggrandization of his own persona and adoration by others and that “the real Jordan Belfort story still includes thousands of victims who lost hundreds of millions of dollars that they never will be repaid.”

Motivational speaking and sales training

Ultimately Belfort reinvented himself as a motivational speaker. When he first began speaking, he focused mainly on motivation and ethics in the financial world but then moved his focus to practical sales skills and entrepreneurship.

Recommended video: Jordan Belfort Reveals How To Sell Anything To Anyone At Anytime

The primary subject matter of his seminars is what he has referred to as the “Straight Line System,” a system of sales advice and persuasion skills, boldly stating : “You’re either a victim of circumstance or you’re a creator of circumstance.” 

What is Jordan Belfort’s sales training about?

Jordan Belfort’s schemes explained

Let’s now briefly explain the various financial schemes, Jordan Belfort, together with Stratton Oakmont, partook in, including a boiler room and pump-and-dump operation, as well as money laundering.

Boiler room

A boiler room is an operation in which brokers apply high-pressure sales tactics to persuade investors to purchase securities with false or misleading premises. Most boiler room salespeople contact potential investors by cold calls. While this means the potential client has no reason to trust the caller, it also means they have no background information to refute their claims.

Part of the pressure sales approach includes making exaggerated assertions about the investment opportunity that the client cannot verify, encouraging the investor to buy the stock immediately. In addition, the salesperson might insist on immediate payment, including taking an aggressive approach and threatening the prospect to act, lest they “lose an opportunity of a lifetime.” In fact, promises of high returns and no risk are essential to pressuring clients to invest.

Boiler room scams typically sell fraudulent, speculative securities, typically penny stocks, i.e., small companies that trade for less than $5 per share. Penny stocks are too small for major stock exchanges and are only traded over-the-counter, meaning that a relatively small amount of buyers can cause a significant price rise. 

In a typical penny stock scam, fraudsters would first accumulate a small-cap stock at a low price and then use boiler-room methods to gather buyers for an inflated price. In such a scam, victims may think they are buying on the open market when in reality, they are purchasing the shares directly from the scammers. The commission and the stock’s easy manipulation are the primary incentives for brokers to trade penny stocks.

Boiler room operations, if not illegal, unquestionably violate the rules of fair practice set forth by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). 

Pump and dump

Much like a boiler room operation, a pump-and-dump is a manipulative scheme to boost the price of a security through false, misleading, or greatly exaggerated statements. In a typical pump-and-dump, fraudsters use cold-calling, message boards, or social media to reach potential investors and convince them to buy the asset, with promises of guaranteed profits. Then, as the price rises, the scammers sell their shares, leaving investors holding the bag.

These schemes generally target micro- and small-cap stocks on over-the-counter exchanges that are less regulated than traditional exchanges as well as easier to manipulate. The practice is illegal based on securities law and can lead to heavy fines. 

Money laundering

Money laundering is the illegal process of concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities, i.e., making “dirty” money appear legitimate. The method of laundering money typically involves three steps: 

• Placement: Injecting the “dirty money” into a legitimate (cash-based) financial institution;
• Layering: Concealing the source of the funds through a series of transactions and bookkeeping tricks;
• Integration: Withdrawal of the “clean” money as needed.

For example, Belfort attempted a money laundering method known as “bulk cash smuggling,” based on moving “dirty” money, in its physical form, over the border to another country (in this case, Switzerland), where the bank secrecy laws are much more stringent. 

Jordan Belfort’s boiler room

Ronald L. Rubin, the SEC enforcement attorney assigned to put together the case against Steven Madden, got a first-hand account from Jordan Belfort and Porush as “cooperating witnesses,” in which they explained the finer points of how they used their brokerage firm to steal millions of dollars from investors. 

Rubin breaks Belfort’s signature fraud technique into five steps:

“1. Create IPO Stock;

2. Line Up the Victims;

3. Bait and Switch;

4. Market Manipulation;

5. Sell High and Shut the Door”.

Let’s summarize his findings outlined in the WSJ article. 

1. Create IPO Stock

First, they needed a business to sell, and the definition of business, in this case, was very loose. What was required was not an actual business but rather a business entity with a story that could be transformed into publicly traded stock through a Stratton IPO. 

Notably, the Stratton IPO stock was not actually sold to the public but to Stratton. To avoid securities laws that forbid underwriters from buying more than a small percentage of the IPO stock they issue, Stratton sold all of its IPO stock to friends (flippers), who immediately sold the stock back to Stratton for a small profit. 

The IPO stock was typically issued to flippers at $4 per share and then sold back to Stratton for $4.25 per share – a lucrative deal for the flippers, who could pocket $50,000 from an IPO without risking a loss.

2. Line Up the Victims

Stratton’s brokers would first gain investors’ confidence by letting them make a small profit on one or two Stratton IPOs. Then, once trust had been established, the Stratton salesmen would inform these customers of a new hot IPO with a $4 issue price and wait for them to take the bait.

Like all Stratton IPOs, the stock’s price was expected to skyrocket after its release. So, for example, an eager customer with $100,000 of savings allocates the Stratton broker to purchase 25,000 shares of that IPO stock (with a $4 issue price) and then transfers the $100,000 to his Stratton account, offering Jordan Belfort and his cronies an exact picture of how much buying power they have.

3. Bait and Switch

Shortly before an IPO, the Stratton broker would call these customers and inform them that the IPO was so desirable that they could offer only a few shares at the $4 IPO price. However, the promise was still that they create purchase orders to be executed as soon as the stock began trading on the market, resulting in many customers assuming that such orders would result in stock purchases near the issue price ($4).

The pressure put on these investors was immense, especially since they had already consented to buy the same stock at the issue price, so they agreed to whatever was being shoved at them. 

4. Market Manipulation

The company could have made millions just by selling its customers penny stocks for $4 per share, but after a few such IPOs, investors and regulators would have grown suspicious. So instead, Jordan Belfort used the stock market to disguise his fraud.

Let’s imagine Stratton issued one million shares of the IPO stock, but its customers had already pledged to purchase $12 million of the stock in the aftermarket. 

The goal was thus to have the stock price rise from $4 to $12 per share before selling it to them. Then, having repurchased all of the IPO stock from the flippers, Belfort and Porush could cause the stock to trade in the aftermarket at any value. The simplest way to achieve that would have been to trade shares between Stratton accounts at increasing prices, but that would have been too conspicuous. 

So instead, they had their flippers buy small amounts of stock using “market orders,” which buy shares at the lowest price offered by any seller. Of course, the only seller was Stratton Oakmont. 

Flippers began placing these small market orders right when aftermarket trading kicked off on IPO day. At the same time, Stratton would sell its stock using “limit orders,” which offer stock for sale only above a fixed minimum price. After each of these sales, the firm would place another limit order with a slightly raised minimum price, resulting in the market orders executing at a higher price.

The market recorded a steady progression of trades at $4.25, $4.50, and $4.75, up to the $12 target price (all accomplished in mere minutes). And since this was the typical first-day trading pattern for legitimate hot IPO stocks during the 1990s, the manipulation wasn’t blatant.

5. Sell High and Shut the Door

When the IPO share price reached the $12 target, Stratton executed its customers’ buy orders. Had investors holding the inflated stock attempted to resell it quickly on the market, they would have found almost no genuine buyers, the stock price having nosedived about as fast as it had risen. 

However, such an early price crash was rare for legitimate IPO stocks and would have drawn regulatory scrutiny and scared away future Stratton customers. To combat this, Stratton sustained the high price, typically for a month, by purchasing any of its IPO stock for sale on the open market.

Still, letting customers sell their stock for $12 while Stratton Oakmont was almost the only buyer would defeat the purpose of the scheme. So, investors had to be discouraged from selling too soon. This was done by showering more hyperbole onto customers who called to place sell orders (Stratton operated before online brokers, which enable investors to place their own orders).

Most sinister of all, if customers couldn’t be persuaded into holding on to their stock, their sell orders would simply be lost and their phone calls ignored. Or, when the sell orders were finally executed, the lack of buyers would cause the stock to crash, resulting in the customers’ funds being totally wiped out. But, of course, by that time, Belfort had the following IPO ready and was lining up new prey for his schemes. 

Jordan Belfort in the “Wolf of Wall Street” movie

Based on Jordan Belfort’s memoir of the same name, “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) is a biographical black comedy crime movie directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Terence Winter, recounting Belfort’s perspective on his career as a broker in New York City. 

In 2007, Leonardo DiCaprio and Warner Bros. won a bidding war for the rights to Belfort’s memoir, with Belfort banking $1 million from the deal.

“The Wolf of Wall Street” synopsis

After trying out a few entry-level jobs on Wall Street, Jordan Belfort, still in his 20s, decides to establish his own firm, Stratton Oakmont. With his trusted right-hand man and a motley crew of brokers, Belfort and his brokerage make an immense fortune by defrauding investors out of millions. However, while Belfort and his cronies indulge in a hedonistic concoction of sex and drugs, the SEC and the FBI gather evidence for his eventual comeuppance.

Recommended video: “ The Wolf of Wall Street” trailer

In conclusion 

All in all, Belfort’s infamy has proved lucrative. He has picked himself up from the ruins of his fraudulent empire and built a brand new one by utilizing the media’s glorification and obsession with him as the embodiment of Wall Street greed.

Disclaimer : The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk.

FAQs about Jordan Belfort

Jordan Belfort is a former Wall Street stockbroker who, in 1999, was indicted for fraud and money laundering concerning his firm Stratton Oakmont’s market manipulation schemes that evaporated millions of investor dollars. Following his prison stint, Belfort transformed his image, becoming an acclaimed author and motivational speaker. His most notable work, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” chronicled his experiences and was subsequently adapted into a film by Martin Scorsese, with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role.

What did Jordan Belfort do?

Stratton Oakmount ran a boiler room to pump the value of penny stocks. Belfort’s brokers were trained to pressure inexperienced retail investors to buy shares of companies that Belfort owned, artificially inflating those stock prices and allowing Belfort to sell his shares at a high profit.

What Is a pump and dump scam?

A pump-and-dump is an illegal market manipulation scheme in which scammers artificially raise the price of their own shares to sell them at a profit. In a typical pump-and-dump, fraudsters use cold-calling, message boards, or social media to reach potential investors and convince them to buy the asset, with promises of guaranteed profits. Then, as the price rises, the fraudsters put in sell orders, leaving investors scrambling.

What is a boiler room?

A boiler room is an operation in which brokers apply high-pressure sales tactics to persuade customers to purchase securities. Most boiler room salespeople contact potential investors by cold calls. Notable boiler room tactics include making extravagant unverifiable claims on the stock, demanding immediate payment, or threatening non-compliance.

What are similar films to "The Wolf of Wall Street"?

There are various films that are both entertaining and educational that depict the greed and excess of Wall Street, such as:

• “Boiler Room”;
• “Wall Street” and its 2010 sequel “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”; 
• “The Big Short”;
• “Margin Call.”

How did Jordan Belfort get rich?

Jordan Belfort got rich by starting an over-the-counter brokerage called Stratton Oakmont. The company earned money by functioning as a boiler room (a business where brokers apply high-pressure sales tactics to persuade investors to buy securities), selling and marketing worthless penny stocks, and defrauding investors via pump-and-dump schemes.

How long was Jordan Belfort in jail?

Jordan Belfort was in jail for nearly two years – a total of 22 months, despite pleading guilty and being sentenced to 4 years. Belfort and his associate Danny Porush were arrested in 1999 for money laundering and securities fraud.

Is Wolf of Wall Street a true story?

Yes, Wolf of Wall Street is based on a true story inspired by the real-life events of Jordan Belfort, who used to work as a stockbroker on Wall Street in the 1990s. Jordan Belfort defrauded thousands of investors of millions through his company Stratton Oakmont and was sentenced to jail for money laundering and market manipulation schemes.

How much is Jordan Belfort worth?

Jordan Belfort’s net worth is between $100 and $134 million.

Who is Jordan Belfort's wife?

Jordan Belfort has been married four times. His first wife was Denise Lombardo, followed by Nadine Caridi (played by Margot Robbie in “The Wolf of Wall Street”), whom he married in the 1990s. He then tied the knot with Anne Koppe in 2008. Most recently, in 2021, he married Cristina Invernizzi, who remains his wife to this day.

Where is Jordan Belfort now?

Jordan Belfort has transitioned from his controversial past to become a motivational speaker, author, and sales trainer. He’s penned memoirs such as “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Catching the Wolf of Wall Street,” with the former adapted into a hit movie by Martin Scorsese. Belfort’s recent endeavors center on delivering seminars and online courses where he teaches sales techniques and emphasizes ethical business practices. Drawing from his personal missteps, he often speaks about the importance of integrity in business.

Is Jordan Belfort alive?

Yes, as of December 2023, Jordan Belfort is still alive.

What are some famous Jordan Belfort quotes?

Some of Jordan Belfort’s most famous quotes include, “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” Another notable quote is, “There’s no nobility in poverty,” reflecting his controversial perspective on wealth and success. Belfort’s quotes often combine elements of ambition, the psychology of success, and a no-nonsense approach to achieving one’s goals, despite his notorious past.

Are Jordan Belfort and Danny Porush still friends?

The current state of the relationship between Jordan Belfort and Danny Porush is not publicly known. After their release from prison, both have attempted to rebuild their lives separately. Belfort has become a motivational speaker and author, while Porush has kept a lower profile, staying away from the public eye. Since their conviction and release, they have not publicly acknowledged each other’s presence. While they had a close partnership during their careers, it is unclear whether this relationship has continued or not after their legal troubles and subsequent life changes​.

Is Jordan Belfort a real person?

Yes, Jordan Belfort is a real person. He is a former stockbroker and motivational speaker, best known for his involvement in financial crimes in the 1990s and for his memoir “The Wolf of Wall Street,” which was later adapted into a film.

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Meet the Real Wolf of Wall Street Superyacht Built for Coco Chanel

The yachting disaster is one of the most dramatic scenes in Martin Scorsese’s blockbuster The Wolf of Wall Street , and like many of the tales in the Leonardo DiCaprio flick, it’s based on a true story. In real life, predatory tycoon Jordan Belfort bought a yacht in 1993 called Big Eagle and renamed her Nadine , after his English-born second wife. The vessel had been built in 1961 by Witsen & Vis in Holland for fashion icon Coco Chanel, but had undergone many transformations by the time Belfort got his mitts on it. Originally 121 feet long, in the 1970s she was extended by nearly 15 feet, and in 1988 she was cut in half and had another 29-foot section grafted on, finally totaling 167 feet.

The luxury yacht used in Scorsese’s film actually bears little resemblance to the  Nadine , being a far more modern vessel. The director hired the 148-foot  Lady M , built by Intermarine Savannah in 2002 and refit in 2011, for filming. It features luxury accommodations for 10 guests, and a marble and granite interior with gold accents.

In Coco Chanel’s day the yacht was mainly used to cruise from Monaco to Deauville for the summer horse racing season. The real  Nadine  sank in 1997 during a storm off the east coast of Sardinia while crossing from Porto Cervo to Capri, much as the movie depicts. Belfort has said that his insistence on sailing in a storm caused the yacht to capsize. Luckily, everyone on board at the time was rescued by the Italian coast guard. 

Jared Paul Stern

Jared Paul Stern, JustLuxe's Editor-at-Large, is the Executive Editor of Maxim magazine and has written for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, the New York Times' T magazine, GQ, WWD, Vogue, New York magazine, Details, Hamptons magazine, Playboy, BlackBook, the New York Post, Man of the World, and Bergdorf Goodman magazine among others. The founding editor of the Page Six magazine, he has al... (Read More)

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• The Wolf of Wall Street is a black comedy that follows Jordan Belfort's rise and fall as a stockbroker involved in fraudulent practices.
• Belfort's marriage to Naomi deteriorates due to his illicit activity, affairs, and drug abuse, ultimately leading to divorce.
• The movie portrays Stratton Oakmont's illegal " pump-and-dump " scheme, resulting in the company's closure and Belfort's arrest, but highlights the key lesson of the intoxicating power of greed.

The Wolf of Wall Street is a Martin Scorsese black comedy based on Jordan Belfort's infamous tale of business fraud as a stockbroker. In The Wolf of Wall Street , Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) becomes a stockbroker and achieves a moderate level of financial success before losing his job in the 1988 Black Monday crash. He then founds the stock trading firm Stratton Oakmont, which quickly becomes a criminal enterprise as Belfort and his associates trick unsuspecting customers into investing in stocks without showing them the fine print.

Over its three-hour runtime, The Wolf of Wall Street follows the rise and fall of Stratton Oakmont and the wealth Jordan Belfort builds from it. It also chronicles Belfort's tumultuous romance with his wife, Naomi (Margot Robbie), and his increasingly out-of-control drug addiction. Belfort spends much of The Wolf of Wall Street barely keeping one step ahead of the FBI before finally being forced to turn himself and his company over in The Wolf of Wall Street 's ending.

RELATED: 20 Best Wolf Of Wall Street Quotes

Jordan Belfort's Arrest & Imprisonment Explained

As Belfort finally begins to break his drug addiction after a near-death experience aboard his yacht in Italy (which he himself causes by ordering the yacht to sail to Monaco during a storm), the authorities get the jump on him when his French banking associate Jean-Jacques Saurel (Jean Dujardin) is arrested. After Saurel sells out Belfort, he takes a plea deal to round up evidence on his Stratton Oakmont colleagues in exchange for a lesser sentence.

During a conversation with his partner in crime Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill), Belfort tips his friend about the investigation. Unfortunately for Belfort, the FBI learns of his warning, which is a major breach of his plea deal. Nonetheless, Jordan receives a relatively light sentence of 36 months in a minimum-security prison, and he's released after just 22 months.

What Happens To Jordan & Naomi's Marriage

Belfort and his wife, Naomi, initially have a quite happy marriage. However, it soon devolves into the two regularly arguing and swearing at each other over Belfort's illicit activity, extramarital affairs, and drug abuse. This comes to a head when Belfort is caught by the SEC and FBI, with Naomi telling Jordan that she is divorcing him and taking custody of their two children.

The infuriated Belfort then swiftly relapses into his cocaine use. After punching Naomi in the stomach, he tries to leave the house with his young daughter. Belfort is in a warped rage and high on cocaine, so he doesn't get far and simply crashes his car while pulling out of the driveway. Fortunately, he does so without hurting his daughter. Naomi takes their daughter back, and Belfort is left to ponder how much he has ruined his own life.

RELATED: Every Song In The Wolf Of Wall Street

Stratton Oakmont's Future Explained

Stratton Oakmont's business model was based on what is known as a " pump-and-dump " scheme, in which Jordan and his fellow stock traders greatly exaggerate the value of stocks to sell them at higher prices. After the customer buys the stocks, the price of the stock drops, with the customer defrauded of their money and Stratton Oakmont making a large profit. Needless to say, this is a highly illegal form of stock trading, and Stratton Oakmont's unusually swift rise attracts the attention of both the SEC and the FBI.

As the authorities begin to close in on Stratton Oakmont in The Wolf of Wall Street , Belfort makes a barely disguised attempt to bribe the feds with " fun coupons, " his slang term for money. However, the ruse is up altogether by the time he is forced to become an FBI informant. After Belfort's testimony against his co-conspirators, the FBI shuts down Stratton Oakmont.

What Happens To The Real Characters After The Wolf Of Wall Street's Ending

The movie's ending raises questions about what happened to the real Belfort after The Wolf of Wall Street . After serving his 22-month sentence, the real Belfort was released from prison in 2006. He has since become a motivational speaker and written two books on his time running Stratton Oakmont, one of which — The Wolf of Wall Street — served as the basis for Scorsese's film. Additionally, Belfort has also become a cryptocurrency investor.

Jordan's ex-wife, Nadine Macaluso, who was the basis for Margot Robbie's Naomi, has since gone on to work as a therapist and marriage counselor. Macaluso has also spoken on abusive relationships, and she is the author of the book Run Like Hell: A Therapist’s Guide to Recognizing, Escaping, And Healing From Trauma Bonds . Additionally, Macaluso consulted with Margot Robbie and her accent coach for The Wolf of Wall Street to help develop Robbie's accent as Naomi.

Azoff is an analogue for Belfort's real-life Stratton Oakmont associate Danny Porush, who was convicted alongside Belfort and served 39 months in prison. After his release from prison, Porush went on to work for Med-Care Diabetic & Medical Supplies. Porush himself later faced further fraud allegations amid claims that Porush and others at Med-Care had tried to fraudulently sell medical supplies to companies, though Med-Care pushed back with a countersuit.

What Jordan Belfort's "Sell Me This Pen" Challenge Means

In The Wolf of Wall Street 's final scene, Belfort has begun a new career teaching seminars on sales techniques, with the real Belfort even making a cameo introducing his on-screen counterpart. Drawing upon an earlier scene in the movie, Belfort approaches each attendee holding a pen in his hand and simply demands, " Sell me this pen. " As each attendee makes a failed sales pitch to Belfort, he takes the pen back and poses the same question to the next audience member.

The earlier scene in the movie sees Belfort demonstrating the same trick by handing a pen to his friend, Brad Bodnick (Jon Bernthal), who then asks Belfort to write his name down. When Belfort says he doesn't have a pen, Brad replies, " Exactly. Supply and demand. " The ending of The Wolf of Wall Street pays this off by showing, in a sly way, that the key to Belfort's success was all about enticing customers with something they didn't have, even if the sale itself was bogus. While the seminar attendees focus on making the pen itself look good, Belfort's sales methodology is both simple and elusive to all of them.

What The Wolf Of Wall Street's Ending Changes from Belfort's Real Life

With respect to the accuracy of The Wolf of Wall Street , Belfort has said that his drug addiction was significantly worse in real life. By Belfort's own account, he was addicted to up to 22 different drugs at one point. Additionally, per the real Belfort, the outrageous, drug-fueled shenanigans in the Stratton Oakmont office seen in The Wolf of Wall Street are also very accurate.

RELATED: Every Real Life Figure Leonardo DiCaprio Has Played In Movies

Macaluso has also stated that the movie portrays her marriage to Belfort truthfully. However, both Belfort and Macaluso have given different descriptions of the scene in which Belfort assaults Naomi. Through her TikTok, (via Daily Mail UK ), Macaluso has claimed that, rather than punching her, Belfort burned her clothes and kicked her down a staircase after she insisted he go to rehab. She also said that she did not threaten to take their kids from him, but that Belfort instead said he was going to Florida with their daughter.

Belfort has provided a somewhat different account of this incident and also says he did not punch Macaluso. Jordan has stated (via The Guardian ) that " it was more of a struggle where she grabbed onto my leg and I kicked out, " while acknowledging that " it was awful what I did " and he was on " massive quantities of drugs." At any rate, Macaluso has said that she and her ex-husband are " all okay today." According to her, Belfort even paid her a visit on the day of The Wolf of Wall Street 's 2013 release.

The Real Meaning Of The Wolf Of Wall Street's Ending

Above all else, The Wolf of Wall Street is a cautionary tale against the intoxicating power of greed, though it delivers its message in the form of a hilarious black comedy. When Belfort begins his narration in the opening of The Wolf of Wall Street , he is a cocky, self-absorbed party animal barely concerned about the ramifications of his illegal activity. He's more perturbed that he only earned $49 million the previous year (" three shy of $1 million a week, " as he observes). With Belfort outright bragging about the number of drugs he takes in the movie's opening, excess also goes hand-in-hand with his avarice.

For all the wealth he accumulates through Stratton Oakmont, Belfort is never really happy unless he is high on drugs, and he also treats money in much the same way. His ultimate downfall — and that of Stratton Oakmont — are both a byproduct of the same impulse. Belfort and his cohorts are constantly chasing the high that both money and drugs give them, no matter the harm they cause to themselves or others. In the end, Belfort learns some valuable lessons about greed and excess in The Wolf of Wall Street , though he remains a master salesman, as his pen trick shows.

Source: Daily Mail UK , The Guardian

• The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Shea whigham: captain ted beecham, quotes .

Jordan Belfort : [whispering]  Donnie. Hold on baby. Donnie.

[yells] 

Jordan Belfort : Donnie!

Donnie Azoff : What?

Jordan Belfort : Get the fucking ludes.

Donnie Azoff : I don't wanna die, Jordan! I did a lot of bad shit. I'm going to hell, Jordan! I fucked up! I fucked up so bad.

Jordan Belfort : Get the ludes downstairs!

Donnie Azoff : What are you saying?

Jordan Belfort : Fuck. Get the ludes!

Donnie Azoff : I can't go down there, Jordan. It's flooded! It's three feet of water down there.

Jordan Belfort : I will not die sober! Get those fucking ludes!

Naomi Lapaglia : Where's he going?

Jordan Belfort : Hold on, baby!

Naomi Lapaglia : Donnie! Is he fucking crazy?

Jordan Belfort : He's just warning everybody.

Captain Ted Beecham : Jesus Christ. Hold on! Get away from the window! Rogue wave!

[on radio] 

Captain Ted Beecham : Mayday! This is Captain Ted Beecham aboard the yacht Naomi! We are going down!

Donnie Azoff : I got 'em!

Jordan Belfort : Give me one for the nerves!

Naomi Lapaglia : You're doing fucking drugs right now?

Captain Ted Beecham : This is a fucking mayday! We require immediate assistance!

Jordan Belfort : [narration]  The nice thing about getting rescued by Italians is that they feed you, make you drink red wine, then you get to dance.

Captain Ted Beecham : Hold on!

Jordan Belfort : What the fuck is going on out here?

Captain Ted Beecham : The jet skis just went overboard!

Jordan Belfort : Oh, Jesus Christ. Honey, you okay?

Captain Ted Beecham : The waves are 20 feet high and building!

Jordan Belfort : Turn around! Let's go the other fucking way!

Captain Ted Beecham : We can't! We'll get broad-sided and tip over.

Jordan Belfort : I am a master diver, you hear that? A master diver! No one's gonna fucking die! I got you, baby. I got you. Trust me, okay? I love you.

[kisses Naomi] 

Jordan Belfort : I love you, baby. Just hold on tight.

Naomi Lapaglia : Okay!

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Margot Robbie Was Never The Same After The Wolf Of Wall Street

Not every actor in Hollywood gets to say that their breakout role was in a Martin Scorsese film, but Margot Robbie is one of the few who does. The Australian actress has done a lot in the entertainment industry since "The Wolf of Wall Street" premiered in 2013, from her character-defining portrayal of Harley Quinn in the DC film universe, to 2023's smash hit "Barbie," which blew everyone away at the box office . However, Robbie's transformation from childhood to movie star wouldn't have been complete without her breakthrough performance. 

The actress had already established an impressive career leading up to the Scorsese film, getting her big break on the Australian soap opera "Neighbours" when she was 18 years old. She later moved to America to star in the single-season ABC drama "Pan Am," and had a supporting role in the 2013 rom-com "About Time." It wasn't long before she caught the attention of Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio when she auditioned for the role of Naomi Lapaglia, the second wife (and ex-mistress) of DiCaprio's Jordan Belfort in "The Wolf of Wall Street."

Naomi is a fictionalized version of Belfort's ex-wife Nadine Macaluso, who met with Robbie during pre-production to advise her about playing the role. On her TikTok , Macaluso recounted telling Robbie, "That fear that you feel about that, about speaking your truth to powerful men, embody that, and you'll do a great job." Not only did Robbie follow Macaluso's advice, but her performance in the film changed her life forever. 

Robbie's audition for Naomi taught her to be bold

Auditions are often nerve-wracking for actors anyway, but it's a whole other level when you're screen-testing opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in front of Martin Scorsese. Leave it to Margot Robbie to make a strong first impression in the audition that changed everything for her . She was simply happy to know that Scorsese had seen her audition tape, let alone be invited to audition with DiCaprio.  

As Robbie told Harper's Bazaar , she felt (rightfully) pressured to stand out in front of her idols, and as the audition was nearing its end, made a hefty decision. "I walk up really close to his face and then I'm like, 'Maybe I should kiss him,'" she said. "'When else am I ever going to get a chance to kiss Leo DiCaprio, ever?'" Robbie didn't do it, but came up with something else that, according to Scorsese, scored her the part: she slapped him. Moments after she left the room, just as she was starting to regret it, she was called back in and enthusiastically offered the role. 

Although the slap was unscripted, it certainly taught Robbie to be bolder about her on-screen acting choices. Years later, when she worked with Brad Pitt on "Babylon," she convinced director Damien Chazelle to let her spontaneously kiss Pitt on screen, despite being called out by Chazelle for just wanting to kiss her co-star. At least Pitt can be thankful that he didn't get slapped like DiCaprio, too. 

She reconsidered her attitude towards nudity for the role

As Margot Robbie confessed to Nadine Macaluso prior to filming "The Wolf of Wall Street," she was initially hesitant about the project considering the amount of nudity that would be required of her. In fact, the actress almost had to turn the role down, both because she was locked into her contract with "Pan Am" (which was luckily canceled) but also because she couldn't connect with the character beyond the nudity, thinking that Naomi was just a one-dimensional gold digger.

However, Robbie found her "in" with Naomi by dialing into the character's rage in her audition, telling The Sydney Morning Herald , "She's all p*** and vinegar; she's not taking s*** from anyone. She's wielding that power over him and bringing him [DiCaprio] to his knees. That's badass!" Rather than fight against what could have been an unnecessary nude scene , Robbie opted to use the opportunity to make the moment indispensable, thinking it was more realistic for Naomi to be naked while seducing Belfort rather than clothed for the sake of modesty.

Robbie ended up being the one arguing for doing full-frontal nudity in the now-iconic scene, despite Scorsese offering to let her wear a robe. The way she saw it, Naomi was laying it all out for Jordan in a way that was actually quite powerful and brave. The least Robbie could do, she felt, is channel an ounce of that bravery in front of the camera. 

Margot Robbie joined in on rewrites for one sequence

Despite "The Wolf of Wall Street" being Margot Robbie's first mainstream project, she learned early on that the key to good filmmaking is collaboration. Fortunately, she also got to learn that from being on the set of one of the greatest living directors, an experience she didn't take for granted. During a Q&A for the BAFTAs, Robbie dove deep into the level of input she had on "The Wolf of Wall Street," which was especially integral for one scene in the film where a fight between Naomi and Jordan leads Leonardo DiCaprio's character to crashing a car with his daughter inside.

As Robbie explained, the scene was originally shorter, but a brainstorming session with Scorsese and DiCaprio the night before shooting completely changed it. She recalled (via Deadline ), "Our brilliant 1st AD Adam Somner was probably tearing his hair out because out of nowhere we were like, so, we're gonna need to break the garage door of someone's house, break a car window, and destroy a couch." 

Thankfully, by that point, Robbie had been on set for several months, so she wasn't at all intimidated by the prospect of offering Scorsese her own thoughts or making bold moves, which led to some of the best improvised moments in the movie . As her audition had already taught her, the director was receptive to her ideas, no matter how spontaneous or DiCaprio-endangering they were. 

Wolf of Wall Street led to her first widespread acclaim

It didn't take long for Margot Robbie to explode into the mainstream following her performance in "The Wolf of Wall Street." In fact, many were surprised to even learn that she was Australian, considering how pitch-perfect her Brooklyn accent was in the film, which was named by Vanity Fair as one of the best New York accents ever heard on-screen. 

Robbie's performance was praised right down to the line readings, while others rightfully predicted her rise to stardom.  Awards Daily  called Robbie "ferocious ... funny, hard and kills every scene she's in" and deemed her "Scorsese's best blonde bombshell discovery since Cathy Moriarty in 'Raging Bull.'" Even publications like The Guardian, which criticized the film's length and portrayal of Belfort, singled out Robbie as one of the film's highlights. 

While Robbie was snubbed for major award nods for her supporting role in "The Wolf of Wall Street," the actress walked away with a trophy from the Empire Awards for best female newcomer, and also received nominations at the MTV Movie and TV Awards and Critics' Choice Awards, among other smaller prizes. On the bright side, this wouldn't be the last time that Robbie was the victim of a big Oscar snub.

The pressures of fame intimidated Margot Robbie

Like many actors, Margot Robbie had difficulty adjusting to the A-list status that inevitably followed "The Wolf of Wall Street." It was especially the case given that she bared all in the movie and found herself in too deep to turn back. Robbie told  Vanity Fair that she hit a real dark patch after "The Wolf of Wall Street" came out, and even thought about quitting acting, confessing, "Something was happening in those early stages and it was all pretty awful, and I remember saying to my mom, 'I don't think I want to do this.' And she just looked at me, completely straight-faced, and was like, 'Darling, I think it's too late not to.'" Thankfully, Robbie followed her mom's advice and persisted. 

Despite feeling much more confident in her ability to handle celebrity, Robbie has still been critical over the invasions of privacy that occur, particularly in Australia with its much more lenient laws against paparazzi. She's admitted that it can be hard at times to not be overwhelmed by the stress and pressure that comes from being in the entertainment industry, especially given how busy it can get. Thankfully at this point she doesn't have any regrets, least of all about "The Wolf of Wall Street." 

Her A-list status was cemented thanks to Adam McKay

The years immediately after "The Wolf of Wall Street" saw Margot Robbie become an in-demand actress, with high-profile projects including "Focus," "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot," and "The Legend of Tarzan." Her celebrity status became just as large as her characters on-screen, thanks to both the attention she got from Scorsese's film, as well as one cameo she made a year later in Adam McKay's "The Big Short," a film examining the 2007 financial crisis.

Robbie was one of many celebrities who cameoed in the film, breaking the fourth wall to explain financial concepts to the audience in ways that were a little more attention-grabbing than, say, watching CNBC. In Robbie's case, she's featured in a bubble bath drinking champagne as she explains subprime mortgages. As she recounted in an actors' roundtable for The Hollywood Reporter , "It was the easiest day of work I've ever done in my life."

McKay himself described the celebs in the cameos as pop culture icons, with Anthony Bourdain and Selena Gomez among the other celebrities making appearances in the film. It likely didn't take much to convince Robbie to shoot the scene, but considering how quickly it came after "The Wolf of Wall Street," it meant a lot for Robbie to be declared a "pop culture icon" so soon. 

Typecasting led Robbie to start her own production company

At the after-party for the London premiere for "The Wolf of Wall Street," Margot Robbie, future husband Tom Ackerley, and friends Josey McNamara and Sophia Kerr decided to move in together. Not only was the decision life-changing for her romantic future with Ackerley, but the living situation ending up birthing a new avenue for Robbie outside of acting: producing. 

While the years following "The Wolf of Wall Street" were prosperous for Robbie's career, the actress felt creatively stifled by a lot of the roles she was offered, most of which were very similar to Naomi. Even though Robbie was just 24 years old at the time, she wanted to create her own opportunities for stronger female roles, as McNamara told Variety : "She was at a place in her career where she had the ability to set up a company, and wanted to support other female creatives and give them the platform she was getting herself."

The production company founded by Robbie, Ackerley, McNamara, and Kerr became known as LuckyChap Entertainment, and has been the main vehicle for Robbie-led movies like "I, Tonya," "Birds of Prey," and "Barbie," as well as other notable films like "Promising Young Woman" and "Saltburn." The company has been integral in putting more women in front of the camera, while also championing roles for women behind it as directors, writers, and crew members. 

She carried lessons from Naomi over to Harley Quinn

Margot Robbie felt trepidation over playing Naomi in "The Wolf of Wall Street" not only for the lack of modesty involved, but for her reservations regarding the character's depth. She felt a similar way when she signed onto David Ayer's 2016 film "Suicide Squad" to play Harley Quinn, the notorious Joker accomplice who is madly in love with the Batman villain. 

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune , Robbie expressed that she didn't connect with the role immediately. "I just didn't understand how she could be such a badass and then fall to pieces over some guy," she said. "Fans seem to really love that about her." However, after some recommendations from her acting coach, Robbie began looking at the character through the lens of toxic, co-dependent relationships. 

From that point on, Robbie not only fell in love with Harley Quinn, but also felt an extreme amount of pressure to do her justice, given that this was the character's first live-action portrayal. It helped that, thanks to "The Wolf of Wall Street," she already had experience with the Brooklyn accent that Harley is known for, finding it one of the easier American accents to perform since Australians also drop the "r" in their words. 

Her SNL debut poked fun at the public's perception of her

As Margot Robbie's star continued to rise throughout the 2010s, she began to feel disdain towards the way Hollywood had begun to portray her as a sex symbol. She thought that the label of "blonde bombshell" undermined her work as an actress, telling the Chicago Tribune , "I really hate that you can do a project with people like Martin Scorsese and some of the best filmmakers in the world, and some of the DPs I've worked with and editors and things that, and the whole thing gets completely swept aside with one comment like, 'Blonde Bombshell Sizzles the Screen!'"

However, as the entertainment industry has proven time and time again, the best way to overcome such a label is by making fun of it. Margot Robbie got a chance to do that in 2016 when she hosted "Saturday Night Live," which featured many sketches that allowed her to use her beauty for the purposes of humor. One example was the sketch "Live Report," in which Robbie played the stunningly gorgeous wife of Mikey Day's mediocre, befuddled news anchor, Matt Schatt.

Another sketch, "The Librarian," found Robbie playing a sexy librarian who turns out to be a lot less attractive than library patrons expected her to be. The episode certainly proved that Robbie could do much more than just be a "bombshell," and made her one of the best first-time hosts in "SNL" history . 

She wanted to be taken more seriously as an actor

While "The Wolf of Wall Street" is the best on-screen breakthrough an actor could hope for, Margot Robbie spent a long time after the film trying to shake off its reputation. As she told Wonderland magazine (via The Independent ) about playing Naomi, "I was acutely aware that the line in the screenplay was 'the hottest blonde ever,' I'm clearly not the hottest blonde ever ... I was just terrified that people would see the movie and think 'Eugh! She's not that great.'"

In the years after the Scorsese film, Robbie sought roles that would challenge not only her, but the audience, which led her to the biopic "I, Tonya." She played controversial figure skater Tonya Harding, who was far from unattractive, but allowed Robbie to play a role that was about more than just her looks. Her preparation to play Harding involved some of the most commitment Robbie had undertaken in her career to that point, with months of studying figure skating and Harding's accent. 

She eventually proved the behind-the-scenes doubts about her ability to pull it off wrong: Not only did Robbie walk away from "I, Tonya" with maybe her best performance to date, despite it being far from her  biggest movie of all time , but it also made her a first-time Oscar nominee for best actress the following year. 

Margot Robbie's gotten used to working with Leonardo DiCaprio

One of the benefits of playing Naomi in "The Wolf of Wall Street" was that Margot Robbie got to spend a lot of time acting opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, with many of her scenes featuring their two characters either having sex or engaged in screaming matches with each other. Robbie certainly considers herself lucky for the opportunity, telling People magazine , "He has always been my favorite actor and he became this wonderful big brother. He took me under his wing and always looked out for me, which is really nice." 

However, she had to temper her friends' expectations that she was going to be swept off her feet by getting physical with DiCaprio on-screen, which wasn't the case considering how awkward it is to film nude scenes . Still, she considered working with DiCaprio a challenge, not because of typical celebrity ego, but because he was acting at such a level that Robbie had to elevate her game. Robbie has now had the pleasure of working with DiCaprio twice, given that the two also appeared in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," albeit with limited screen-time together. 

She has grown a lot as a collaborator

2023 was a huge year for Margot Robbie, as she both produced and starred in the blockbuster hit "Barbie," a film that saw her much more involved behind the scenes even before she ever stepped into the character's high heels. Despite the attention she got for her looks in "The Wolf of Wall Street," Robbie initially signed onto "Barbie" as a producer, and had no intention of playing the title role until director Greta Gerwig signed on. Even then, she didn't think she could pull it off without Gerwig's encouragement and collaboration.

Nowadays, Robbie credits "The Wolf of Wall Street" with paving the path for her success with "Barbie," telling Deadline in anticipation of the Scorsese film's 10-year anniversary, "I feel there was a seismic shift in my life 10 years ago with 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' and now, after everything with 'Barbie' this year, it feels like this past decade has been wild, far beyond anything I could ever have dreamed for myself." If that film showcased Margot Robbie as Hollywood's next big talent, getting to make "Barbie" was proof that slapping Leonardo DiCaprio might have been the greatest split-second decision in the history of cinema.

14 of Margot Robbie's Best Movies, From "Barbie" to "The Wolf of Wall Street"

B efore Margot Robbie was Barbie , she was Harley Quinn, Naomi Lapaglia, Tonya Harding, and many more characters. There's no doubt Robbie loves her job as an actor, and while tackling the role of an iconic children's toy wasn't initially on her career bucket list, it's clear she's happy she took a chance with the role.

A month before the highly anticipated July 2023 release of "Barbie," Robbie spoke to Vogue about how playing the role never even crossed her mind. "It wasn't that I ever wanted to play Barbie, or dreamt of being Barbie, or anything like that," she explained. "This is going to sound stupid, but I really didn't even think about playing Barbie until years into developing the project."

And while "Barbie" might arguably be Robbie's most hyped-up movie in her career so far, it's by no means the only role she's slayed. Take a look back at Robbie's best movies below.

1. "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013)

Robbie stars as Naomi Lapaglia , the onscreen wife of Leonardo DiCaprio 's Jordan Belfort, in this Martin Scorsese-directed film. The 2013 movie - which is deemed her breakout role - follows the highs and lows of Belfort's life as he ran his own brokerage firm and engaged in illegal activity both at work and in his personal life.

2. "I, Tonya" (2017)

This 2017 biographical film tells the story of former Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding (played by Robbie) as she finds herself engulfed in a scandal after she stages an attack on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. The cast also includes Sebastian Stan as Jeff, Tonya's now ex-husband, and Allison Janney as the athlete's mother, LaVona.

3. "Babylon" (2022)

Set in the 1920s, Robbie (Nellie LaRoy) stars alongside Brad Pitt (Jack Conrad), Diego Calva (Manny Torres), Olivia Wilde (Ina Conrad), and more in this film, which is about "the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood," according to the film's official description . The film garnered mixed reviews.

4. "Bombshell" (2019)

Three women (two based on real-life people and one fictional) take on Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News, amid the toxic atmosphere he created. Robbie stars as the fictional Kayla Pospisil alongside Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, and John Lithgow as Ailes.

5. "Peter Rabbit" (2018)

Robbie voices Flopsy in this adorable animated film, which is based on the books by Beatrix Potter. The movie follows Peter, a mischievous rabbit, as he causes chaos in Mr. McGregor's garden. Robbie went on to voice the character again in "Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway" and "Flopsy Turvy."

6. "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" (2006)

This film is based on war correspondent Kim Barker's memoir, which recounts her time on assignment in Kabul, Afghanistan. Robbie plays Tanya Vanderpoel, a fellow journalist whom Kim meets and helps her adjust to her new life.

7. "Goodbye Christopher Robin" (2017)

Robbie plays Daphne Milne in this film, which tells the story of the inspiration behind "Winnie the Pooh," which includes writer A.A. Milne's relationship with his son, Christopher Robin. Speaking about the film at its premiere in London's Leicester Square in September 2017, Robbie told the Press Association (via Irish News ) that she learned a lot while making this movie. "In every film the greatest gift is getting to explore a certain time in history," she said. "I now have a much deeper understanding of that time and what it was like to live between World War One and World War Two - especially as a woman - it was fascinating."

8. "Amsterdam" (2022)

"In the 1930s, three friends witness a murder, are framed for it, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history," reads the official synopsis for this film, in which Robbie stars as Valerie Voze. The film also stars Christian Bale as Burt Berendsen, John David Washington as Harold Woodman, Alessandro Nivola as Detective Hiltz, Chris Rock as Milton King, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Libby Voze.

9. "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (2019)

Set in 1969 - the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in Los Angeles - a washed-up actor and his stunt double set out to find success. Robbie portrays Sharon Tate, a real-life actor and model.

10. "Dreamland" (2019)

Robbie plays fugitive Allison Wells in this love story set amid the Great Depression. Independent (UK) critic Clarisse Loughrey praised Robbie for her performance, writing, "It's fascinating to watch an actor like Robbie, who so consciously uses beauty as a tool to define the way her characters drift through the world."

11. "Mary Queen of Scots" (2018)

Saoirse Ronan's Mary Stuart attempts to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, played by Margot Robbie. Her plan lands her in trouble, leading to years of imprisonment and her ultimate execution. The cast also includes Jack Lowden as Lord Darnley, Joe Alwyn as Robert Dudley, David Tennant as John Knox, and Guy Pearce as Sir William Cecil.

12. "Suicide Squad" (2016)

Iconic characters, including Joker, Harley Quinn (Robbie), Deadshot, and Enchantress, are among the supervillains who make up a defensive task force to help save the world from the apocalypse. Robbie is in good company surrounded by top actors, including Will Smith , Jared Leto , Viola Davis, and Ike Barinholtz.

13. "The Legend of Tarzan" (2016)

Robbie plays Jane Clayton in this movie about Tarzan's return to the jungle. The movie didn't receive the greatest reviews but was still entertaining, with Kevin Maher of the Times (UK) writing, "The Legend of Tarzan is a Marmite blockbuster that will repel and attract in equal measure."

14. "Barbie" (2023)

Playing the title role, Robbie's character sets out for self-discovery alongside her pal Ken, played by Ryan Gosling . The movie attracted incredible talent, including America Ferrera , Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera , Issa Rae, Will Ferrell , Simu Liu , and many more.