Martha Stewart and Larry Ellison stand among America’s most recognizable self-made business figures, yet their paths could hardly be more different. Stewart transformed cooking, decorating, publishing, and television into a global lifestyle brand, while Ellison turned database software into Oracle, one of the world’s largest technology companies. This detailed comparison brings together their backgrounds, careers, families, interests, public profiles, and estimated fortunes in one clear, magazine-style table for easy reading and reference, with key facts presented side by side.
Martha Stewart and Larry Ellison – Quick Bio Table
| Category | Martha Stewart | Larry Ellison |
| Full Name | Martha Helen Stewart, born Martha Helen Kostyra | Lawrence Joseph Ellison |
| Date of Birth | August 3, 1941 | August 17, 1944 |
| Net Worth | Approximately $400 million, based on widely reported estimates available through 2025 | Approximately $200–250 billion, based on widely reported estimates available through 2025; his wealth changes with Oracle’s share price |
| Age | 85 years old, as of August 2026 | 81 years old, as of August 2026 |
| Nickname | Commonly known as Martha; no widely documented official nickname | Larry is the familiar form of Lawrence; no separate official nickname is widely documented |
| Birthplace | Jersey City, New Jersey, United States | The Bronx, New York City, United States |
| Raised In | Nutley, New Jersey | Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | American | American |
| Ethnic Background | Polish-American | American; his biological mother was of Jewish heritage |
| Biological Mother | Martha Ruszkowski Kostyra | Florence Spellman |
| Biological Father | Edward Kostyra | His biological father has not been clearly identified in major authoritative biographies |
| Adoptive Parents | Not applicable | Lillian Spellman Ellison and Louis Ellison, his biological mother’s aunt and uncle |
| Siblings | One of six children, with five siblings; her late sister Laura Plimpton worked with her business | Complete and consistently verified information about siblings is not widely available |
| Profession | Businesswoman, author, publisher, television personality, lifestyle expert, former model, former caterer, and former stockbroker | Technology entrepreneur, business executive, investor, programmer, and philanthropist |
| Famous For | Building the Martha Stewart lifestyle brand, publishing Martha Stewart Living, writing bestselling books, and hosting television programs | Co-founding Oracle Corporation and helping turn relational database software into a global enterprise-technology business |
| Education | Graduated from Barnard College in 1962 with a bachelor’s degree in history and architectural history | Attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Chicago, but did not complete a degree |
| Early Career | Worked as a teenage model, later became a stockbroker, and then launched a home-based catering business | Worked as a programmer for companies including Amdahl Corporation and Ampex Corporation after moving to California |
| Career Breakthrough | Her first major book, Entertaining, was published in 1982 and established her as a national lifestyle authority | Co-founded Software Development Laboratories in 1977, which later became Oracle Corporation |
| Major Company | Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia | Oracle Corporation |
| Company Founded | Established Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia during the 1990s | Co-founded Oracle with Bob Miner and Ed Oates |
| Leadership Role | Founder, media executive, editorial leader, television host, and brand ambassador | Served as Oracle’s CEO until 2014, then became executive chairman and chief technology officer |
| Main Business Areas | Publishing, television, digital media, cooking, decorating, gardening, retail products, licensing, and home organization | Databases, cloud computing, enterprise software, artificial intelligence, business applications, healthcare technology, and data management |
| Books and Publishing | Authored or contributed to dozens of books covering cooking, baking, entertaining, gardening, weddings, crafts, and homekeeping | Not primarily known as an author; his influence comes from technology leadership, investing, and business strategy |
| Major Publication | Martha Stewart Living magazine, launched in 1990 | No personal lifestyle publication; Oracle produces corporate and technical publications |
| Television Career | Hosted programs including Martha Stewart Living, Martha, Martha Bakes, Martha Stewart’s Cooking School, and Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party | Appears mainly in technology conferences, interviews, corporate presentations, and business documentaries rather than regular entertainment television |
| Notable Collaboration | Famous for her television partnership and friendship with Snoop Dogg | Known for his close friendship with Steve Jobs and his business associations with major technology leaders |
| Major Achievements | Built an internationally recognized lifestyle brand, launched a successful magazine and public company, won television awards, and completed a major career comeback | Built Oracle into a global technology leader, became one of the world’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, and led major acquisitions across the software industry |
| Historic Financial Milestone | Became widely described as America’s first self-made female billionaire on paper after her company’s 1999 stock-market debut | Became one of the richest technology founders in history through his large ownership stake in Oracle |
| Sports Illustrated Achievement | Became the oldest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model at the time of her 2023 appearance, aged 81 | No comparable modeling achievement |
| Sailing | Enjoys outdoor and country activities but is not mainly associated with competitive sailing | A passionate sailor who supported Oracle Team USA, winner of the America’s Cup in 2010 and 2013 |
| Tennis | Has attended sporting and social events but is not a major tennis-business owner | Owns the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and the BNP Paribas Open tournament |
| Aviation | No widely documented career-level involvement in aviation | A licensed pilot with a long-standing interest in private aircraft, engineering, and high-performance aviation |
| Hobbies | Cooking, baking, gardening, flower arranging, decorating, photography, crafting, horseback riding, farming, travel, antiques, and entertaining | Sailing, tennis, aviation, Japanese architecture, art, technology, yachting, real estate, environmental projects, and competitive sports |
| Lifestyle Image | Known for elegant homes, seasonal decorating, carefully prepared food, gardens, animals, and polished entertaining | Known for luxury properties, yachts, aircraft, competitive sports, modern technology, and Japanese-inspired architecture |
| Property Interests | Owns and manages homes, farms, gardens, and animal properties used for media and lifestyle content | Owns extensive real estate and purchased most of the Hawaiian island of Lanai in 2012 |
| Lanai Ownership | No connection to ownership of Lanai | Controls the large majority of Lanai’s land, though he does not own every property on the island |
| Height | Approximately 5 feet 9½ inches, or about 177 centimeters | Frequently reported as approximately 6 feet 3 inches, or about 191 centimeters |
| Weight | Not publicly verified and should not be treated as a fixed fact | Not publicly verified |
| Hair Color | Blonde | Gray |
| Eye Color | Brown | Not reliably documented by authoritative sources |
| Widely recognized account: @marthastewart48 | No verified personal Instagram account can be confidently confirmed | |
| Social-Media Style | Shares recipes, gardens, animals, travel, celebrations, personal photographs, and brand partnerships | Maintains a limited personal social-media presence and is better represented through Oracle’s corporate channels |
| Marital Status | Divorced | Widely described as divorced |
| Number of Marriages | Married once | Married four times |
| Spouse or Former Spouse | Married publisher Andrew Stewart in 1961; their divorce was finalized in 1990 | Former wives: Adda Quinn, Nancy Wheeler Jenkins, Barbara Boothe, and Melanie Craft |
| Children | One daughter, Alexis Stewart | Two children, David Ellison and Megan Ellison |
| Grandchildren | Two grandchildren, Jude Stewart and Truman Stewart | Grandchildren and wider private family details are not consistently documented in authoritative public biographies |
| Daughter’s Career | Alexis Stewart has worked in television and radio | Megan Ellison is a film producer and founder of Annapurna Pictures |
| Son’s Career | Martha Stewart has no son | David Ellison is a film producer and founder of Skydance Media |
| Family Influence | Learned cooking, gardening, sewing, preserving, and household skills from her parents | His difficult relationship with his adoptive father and the support of his adoptive mother influenced his ambition and independence |
| Legal History | Convicted in 2004 of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and making false statements; she was not convicted of insider trading | No comparable criminal conviction is central to his public biography |
| Sentence | Served five months in federal prison, five months of home confinement, two years of supervised release, and paid a fine | Not applicable |
| Career Comeback | Returned to television, publishing, retail, and partnerships after completing her sentence, rebuilding her public brand | Continued expanding Oracle through acquisitions, cloud services, and enterprise technology after leaving the CEO role |
| Philanthropy | Supports charitable, educational, cultural, and community projects through donations and public work | Has funded aging research, cancer research, medical technology, education, and scientific initiatives; also signed the Giving Pledge |
| Medical Research | Not her principal public focus | Established the Ellison Medical Foundation and supported major cancer and medical-research initiatives |
| Business Personality | Detail-oriented, disciplined, polished, creative, demanding, practical, and highly organized | Competitive, outspoken, ambitious, strategic, risk-tolerant, and deeply involved in technology decisions |
| Public Image | Represents refined home living, cooking expertise, organization, creativity, and personal reinvention | Represents technological ambition, corporate competition, immense wealth, luxury, and founder-led leadership |
| Lasting Influence | Helped define modern lifestyle media and showed how domestic expertise could become a powerful global brand | Helped commercialize relational databases and shaped the development of the global enterprise-software industry |
Martha Stewart and Larry Ellison Images
