Robert Thurman

Robert Thurman
Thurman in 2014
Born
Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman

(1941-08-03)August 3, 1941
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 16, 2026(2026-06-16) (aged 84)
Woodstock, New York, U.S.
Other namesAlecsander Thermen
Alma materHarvard University (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.)
Spouses
  • Marie-Christophe de Menil
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1960; div. 1961)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1967)​
Children5, including Uma
RelativesDash Snow (grandson)
Maya Hawke (grand-daughter)
Scientific career
FieldsIndo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies
InstitutionsColumbia University
Doctoral advisorDaniel H.H. Ingalls, Sr.
Doctoral studentsChristian K. Wedemeyer

Robert Alexander "Bob" Farrar Thurman (August 3, 1941 – June 16, 2026) was an American Buddhist writer and academic. He wrote, edited, and translated many books on Tibetan Buddhism. He was a Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, before retiring in June 2019. He also was the co-founder and president of the Tibet House US New York.

The New York Times called Thurman the "leading interpreter of Tibetan Buddhism" with a reputation of being the Dalai Lama’s "man in America". Thurman was known for being the first Westerner Tibetan Buddhist monk ordained by the Dalai Lama. Rolling Stone said that Thurman helped save Tibetan culture through his Tibet House institution.

Early life

Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman was born in Manhattan, New York City.

Thurman studied at Phillips Exeter Academy from 1954 to 1958, then went to Harvard University, where he got his B.A. in 1962. He later returned to Harvard for graduate study in Sanskrit, receiving an M.A. in 1969 and a Ph.D. in 1972. He was expelled from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1958, weeks from graduation, after leaving without permission to join Fidel Castro and his guerrilla army in Cuba. He was stopped in Florida before he could join.

Personal life and death

In 1961 Thurman lost his left eye in an accident and the eye was replaced with a glass eye.

Thurman was the father of actress Uma Thurman and the grandfather of actress Maya Hawke.

Thurman died on June 16, 2026 at his home in Woodstock, New York at the age of 84.

References

  1. ↑ "Robert A. F. Thurman | Department of Religion". Columbia University. 2019-12-21. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-10. Robert Thurman held the first endowed chair in Buddhist Studies in the West, the Jey Tsong Khapa Chair in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies (...)
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Robert Thurman, Leading Interpreter of Tibetan Buddhism, Dies at 84". The New York Times. June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Robert Thurman, Tibet House co-founder and Uma Thurman's father, dead". Rolling Stone. June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Ancestry of Uma Thurman".
  5. ↑ Binelli, Mark (1 August 2013). "Robert Thurman, Buddha's Power Broker". Men's Journal.
  6. ↑ Jennifer Armstrong, "Robert Thurman, Buddha's Champion", lionsroar.com, 5 February 2019.
  7. ↑ Roberts, John B.; Roberts, Elizabeth A. (2009), "Freeing Tibet: 50 years of struggle, resilience, and hope", AMACOM Div American MGMT Assn: 160, ISBN 978-0-8144-0983-1, retrieved 2011-09-19{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  8. ↑ "Padma Shri Awardee And Noted Buddhist Scholar Robert Thurman Passes Away At 84". DDNews.gov. June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 17, 2026.

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