Fredrik Eklund (born April 26, 1977) is a Swedish real estate broker, former IT entrepreneur, reality television star, and author.[1] He is best known for starring in the Bravo reality series, Million Dollar Listing New York for all of its nine seasons. In 2015, Eklund released his book The Sell: The Secrets of Selling Anything to Anyone, which made The New York Times Best Seller list.[2]
Fredrik Eklund | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 26, 1977 |
| Other names | Tag Eriksson |
| Alma mater | Stockholm School of Economics |
| Occupation(s) | Real Estate Salesperson, TV Personality |
| Spouse |
Derek Kaplan (m. 2013) |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | http://www.fredrikeklund.com/ |
Early life and education
editEklund is the son of Klas Eklund, a senior economist at Swedish bank SEB, and brother of author Sigge Eklund.[3] His paternal grandparents were Swedish actors Bengt Eklund and Fylgia Zadig.[4][5]
Eklund had his first American experience as a foreign exchange student in Edina, Minnesota, where he attended Edina High School. After finishing high school, Eklund studied at the Stockholm School of Economics, but never graduated.[6] He has worked for the financial newspaper Finanstidningen. At the age of 23, Eklund founded an Internet company with over 45 employees, and went on to work for the investment bank SEB in Stockholm, London, Singapore, and Tokyo before beginning his work in New York City.[7]
Film career
editIn 2004, before arriving in New York City, Eklund acted in a number of pornographic films under the pseudonym Tag Eriksson (or Tag Ericsson).[8] In an interview with Out Magazine, Eklund has said of this period, "It was only a week of my life, accumulated. It was spread out over a few months, so it was a very short period of my life. It was something that I tried and quickly decided that I was done with." Eklund went on to say in the interview that he is proud of who he is, that he does not regret anything, and that his past involvement in the pornographic film industry has not negatively affected his career.[8]
Real estate career
editEklund has closed over five billion dollars in residential real estate.[9] Eklund became managing director at the New York City real estate firm CORE Group Marketing and in 2010, alongside his business partner John Gomes, managing director at Prudential Douglas Elliman, the largest real estate brokerage on the East Coast. Eklund also started the top-selling team at Elliman.[9]
Eklund is the founder of Eklund Stockholm New York,[10] Scandinavia's most high-end residential real estate brokerage with 50 employees and $1 billion in closed sales in 2014.[9] He is an active member of the Real Estate Board of New York.[7]
He co-founded Douglas Elliman's Eklund Gomes Team with John Gomes.[11]
Million Dollar Listing New York
editThe New York Times featured Eklund on the front page of the "Sunday Style" section in November 2010.[3] He is one of five New York City brokers starring in Bravo's Million Dollar Listing New York.[12]
On January 24, 2022, Fredrik Eklund announced his departure from the Million Dollar Listing franchise.[13]
Personal life
editOn February 9, 2013, Eklund married artist Derek Kaplan, who is originally from Zimbabwe,[14] on Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys.[15] The couple lived in New York with their dogs Mouse and Fritzy until 2016.[16] The couple have previously lived in Roxbury, Connecticut, in a mansion Eklund purchased.[17] In 2020, the family relocated from New York to Los Angeles.[18] In the summer of 2023 they moved to Miami, Florida.[11]
Eklund and Kaplan attempted to have children through surrogacy, but the surrogate suffered a miscarriage.[19] In November 2017, Eklund and Kaplan had twins via surrogate: daughter Milla and son Fredrik Jr. They also have an older son, Kai, who is Kaplan's biological child.[20]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Fredrik Eklund". Bravo. 25 June 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ Staff (ndg) "The Sell" Goodreads
- ^ a b Widdicombe, Ben (2010-11-14). "From Pornography to Real Estate Mogul". New York Times. p. ST1. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
- ^ En porrfilmstjärnas bekännelser, Svensk Bokhandel, October 2004, Fredrik Eklund, accessed May 2008, (in Swedish)
- ^ Direktören blev porrskådis – ger ut bok om karriärbytet Archived 2013-02-15 at the Wayback Machine, Dagens Nyheter, June 2004, Bernt Hermele, accessed May 2008 (in Swedish)
- ^ [1] Archived July 16, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "About Fredrik Eklund – The Eklund Gomes Team – Douglas Elliman Real Estate". Retrieved 2015-04-28.
- ^ a b "Interview: Fredrik Eklund | Out Magazine". Out.com. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
- ^ a b c "Million Dollar Listing New York Cast Bios – Fredrik Eklund, Luis D. Ortiz and Ryan Serhant". Slice.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
- ^ "ESNY". www.esny.se. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ a b Miller, Kimberly. "'Million Dollar Listing' star Fredrik Eklund moved to Miami as South Florida real estate booms". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
- ^ "Fredrik Eklund – Bio | Bravo TV Official Site". Bravotv.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
- ^ "Fredrik Eklund Leaves Bravo's 'Million Dollar Listing New York'". January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ "Abstract Storms - Derek Kaplan Art". DEREK KAPLAN. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
- ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (24 July 2013). "'Million Dollar Listing New York': Fredrik Eklund Previews Wedding Episode". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ "Fredrik Eklund". Bravo. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ "Fredrik Eklund's Dreamy Connecticut Mansion Is So Beautiful, It Made Him Cry". 21 April 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ "Million Dollar Listing's Fredrik Eklund Celebrates 2 Years of Sobriety: 'So Grateful and Happy'". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
- ^ "Fredrik Eklund Shares Devastating News: "We've Had a Failed Pregnancy"". Bravo TV Official Site. 15 September 2015.
- ^ "Million Dollar Listing New York's Fredrik Eklund Welcomes Daughter Milla and Son Fredrik". People Magazine.
- ^ DeCamp, Mandie (2021-05-10). "MDLNY's Fredrik Eklund: How Sobriety Has Made Me a 'More Present' Dad". Us Weekly. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
- ^ "Fredrik Eklund Celebrates 3 Years Without Alcohol Amid Family & Career Updates: "So Much Gratitude"". Bravo TV Official Site. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2024-06-20.