Roger Ebert called him “our best writer on the cinema.” His scholarship focused on how movies work.

Pascal, the programming language he created in the early days of personal computing, offered a simpler alternative to other languages in use at the time.

Inspired by Time, he founded World magazine, covering politics, the arts and other subjects from a “God’s-eye” view.

He wielded his name and immense wealth in the corridors of banking, government and Buckingham Palace, where he advised Queen Elizabeth II on financial matters