{{Short description|American business owner and politician (1937–2025)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = George Coulam | image = | caption = | other_names = The King <br/> King George | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1937|5|2}} | birth_place = Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|5|21|1937|5|2}} | death_place = Todd Mission, Texas, U.S. | occupation = Business owner, mayor | known_for = Founder of the Texas Renaissance Festival | spouse = | children = | relatives = | website = {{URL|https://www.georgeccoulam.com/}} }}
'''George C. Coulam''' (May 2, 1937 – May 21, 2025) was an American business owner. He was the founder and onetime owner of the Texas Renaissance Festival (TRF), now the largest Renaissance fair in the United States. Coulam served as the mayor of Todd Mission, Texas from 1982 to May 2025.
==Early life== Coulam was born to a Mormon family in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 2, 1937.<ref>{{cite web |title=HBO’s documentary series, Ren Faire, chronicles the personal life of George Coulam and his plans after retirement! |url=https://sanctuaryfilmfestival.com/george-coulam-wikipedia-ren-faire-texas-renaissance/ |website=sanctuaryfilmfestival.com |publisher=Sanctuary Film Festival |access-date=June 10, 2024 |date=June 3, 2024}}</ref> He attended the San Fernando Valley State College.
==Life and work== In 1974, Coulam and his brother David purchased 15 acres (6 ha) of land on a former strip mine and founded the TRF.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mackay |first1=Jordan |title=Renaissance Man |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/renaissance-man/ |website=texasmonthly.com |publisher=Texas Monthly |access-date=June 10, 2024 |date=November 1999}}</ref><ref name="May12-Chron">{{Cite web |last=Rosenthal |first=Abigail |date=May 12, 2025 |title=King George just lost both his thrones after judge's ruling, mayoral election |url=https://www.chron.com/culture/article/texas-renaissance-festival-sale-george-20317880.php |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Chron.com}}</ref> In 1982, Coulam and others incorporated the city of Todd Mission and expanded the TRF.<ref>{{cite web |title=City Council |url=https://toddmissiontx.gov/government/city-council/ |website=toddmissiontx.gov |publisher=City of Todd Mission |access-date=June 10, 2024}}</ref> In 1999, Coulam married Susie, a woman from Thailand. Coulam's mansion, Stargate Manor, sits on 200 acres (81 ha) of land in Todd Mission.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Prasad |first1=Sumith |title=George Coulam: Where is the TRF Founder Now? |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/king-george-coulam/ |website=thecinemaholic.com |publisher=TheCinemaholic |access-date=June 10, 2024 |date=June 2, 2024}}</ref>
In 2012, Coulam authored a book entitled ''Mind-Wars'', which claims that holistic medicine reversed his Alzheimer's disease.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coulam |first1=George |title=Mind-Wars |date=October 30, 2012 |publisher=Tate Publishing |isbn=978-1621470878 |pages=128 |url=https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Wars-George-Coulam/dp/1621470873 |access-date=June 10, 2024}}</ref>
At the end of the 2010s Coulam was publicly accused of sexual harassment,<ref name="h517">{{cite web | last=Rouner | first=Jef | title=New Reports About Ren Fest Owner George Coulam | website=Houston Press | date=December 15, 2020 | url=https://www.houstonpress.com/news/new-reports-about-ren-fest-owner-george-coulam-11515508 | access-date=September 14, 2024}}</ref> including in a lawsuit by a former personal assistant in 2018,<ref name="u109">{{cite web | last=Suayan | first=John | title=Court papers detail woman's 'demeaning' experience as Ren Fest owner's personal assistant | website=Southeast Texas Record | date=May 23, 2018 | url=https://setexasrecord.com/stories/511425553-court-papers-detail-woman-s-demeaning-experience-as-ren-fest-owner-s-personal-assistant | access-date=September 14, 2024}}</ref> and a lawsuit by another former personal assistant in 2020.<ref name="l458">{{cite web | last=Homer | first=Michelle | title=Texas Renaissance Festival founder 'King George' Coulam accused of sexual harassment in lawsuit | website=khou.com | date=November 25, 2020 | url=https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas-renaissance-festival-george-coulam-lawsuit/285-a2c78c27-d3d1-4b7c-9fb3-d46ceb531ae5 | access-date=September 14, 2024}}</ref><ref name="h031">{{cite web | last=Hennes | first=Rebecca | title=Texas Renaissance Festival settles case with employee who accused founder of sexual harassment | website=Houston Chronicle | date=June 16, 2021 | url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Texas-Renaissance-Festival-Coulam-lawsuit-settled-16251690.php | access-date=September 14, 2024}}</ref>
{{Quote box |quoted=true |bgcolor=#ADD8E6|width=37em |align=right| quote="''George is ... a self-made king. I don't know how many there are out there in America, probably very few, but this is a man who created the largest Renaissance fair in the country. It got so large that he decided to incorporate a city around the fair, and in that city, he became the mayor of everyone around him. Everyone votes for him every single year. And so in a way, he created a real-life fiefdom, of which he has been the sole ruler of for the last five decades.''" —Lance Oppenheim, producer}}
Coulam drew wider public attention after being featured in the June 2024 release of the HBO documentary series, ''Ren Faire''. American filmmaker Lance Oppenheim began production of the eventual three-part documentary about the future of the TRF as Coulam planned to retire at the end of the 2021 season (an event that Coulam decided to put off indefinitely). The series highlighted a succession crisis as Coulam considered retirement.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/fall-guy-three-body-problem-headed-to-sxsw-1235783886/| title=Ryan Gosling’s ‘Fall Guy,’ ‘3 Body Problem’ Headed to SXSW| website=Hollywood Reporter| first=Mia| last=Galuppo| date=January 10, 2024| access-date=February 28, 2024}}</ref> Not broadcast until 2024, the three-episode series depicts Coulam's lifestyle and the trials and tribulations of the festival over the preceding three-year period.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hibberd |first1=James |title=‘Ren Faire’ Director on What Happened After Finale, and If George Is Still Single |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/ren-faire-finale-director-interview-george-single-1235916483/ |website=hollywoodreporter.com |publisher=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=June 10, 2024 |date=June 9, 2024}}</ref> Prior to the series release, Oppenheim described Coulam as a king in an interview for NPR.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Benk |first1=Ryan |title=A new docuseries 'Ren Fair' follows the creator of a Texas Renaissance fair |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/06/09/nx-s1-4993529/a-new-docuseries-ren-fair-follows-the-creator-of-a-texas-renaissance-fair |website=npr.org |publisher=NPR |access-date=June 10, 2024 |date=June 9, 2024}}</ref>
In May 2025, a sale of TRF was forced under court order due to a deal that Coulam was alleged to have not completed.<ref name="May12-Chron"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=David |first=Jamil |date=May 8, 2025 |title=Judge has settled $60 million Texas Renaissance Festival lawsuit |url=https://www.chron.com/culture/article/texas-renaissance-festival-lawsuit-sale-20317416.php |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Chron.com}}</ref> Also that month was the 2025 election for mayor of Todd Mission, which Coulam lost.<ref name="May12-Chron"/>
==Death== On May 21, 2025, Coulam was found dead at his home in Todd Mission at the age of 88. On May 28, 2025, it was announced that he died by suicide.<ref>{{cite web|title=Texas Ren Fest king's cause of death revealed by authorities|url=https://www.chron.com/culture/article/texas-king-george-coulam-cause-of-death-20349386.php|date=May 28, 2025|access-date=June 1, 2025}}</ref><ref name=McClenagan>{{cite news |last1=McClenagan |first1=Kyle |title=Texas Renaissance Festival founder George Coulam’s cause of death was suicide, official says |url=https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/local/2025/05/28/522441/cause-of-death-confirmed-for-george-coulam-texas-renaissance-festival-founder/ |work=Houston Public Media |date=May 28, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250528225621/https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/local/2025/05/28/522441/cause-of-death-confirmed-for-george-coulam-texas-renaissance-festival-founder/ |archive-date=May 28, 2025}}</ref>
== In popular culture == In 2002, Coulam was parodied in a season 6 episode of ''King of the Hill'' entitled "Joust Like a Woman."<ref>https://www.chron.com/culture/article/hbo-max-ren-faire-texas-19508757.php</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name| 15710477}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Coulam, George}} Category:1937 births Category:2025 deaths Category:2025 suicides Category:21st-century American businesspeople Category:Businesspeople from Texas Category:Businesspeople from Utah Category:Male suicides