Vidal Sassoon: A Revolutionary Hairstylist Early Life and Background Born: January 17, 1928, Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom Died: May 9, 2012 Vidal Sassoon’s early life was marked by hardship. His parents, Betty and Jack Sassoon, were Jewish immigrants – his mother of Ashkenazi descent from Russia and his father Sephardi from Greece. His father abandoned the family when Vidal was three, leading to a period of poverty and homelessness. He spent seven years in a Jewish orphanage with his younger brother, Ivor. He left school at age 14 during World War II, taking on various jobs…