Michel & Charlene De Carvalho

Dutch brewer Heineken had a good 2006, with profits up 10.7% at £828m, which delighted investors. Its premium brews sold well and it managed to cut its costs, with the new chief executive shaking up the brewer, promising £136m a year cost savings by 2008, and the company expects its profits growth to continue.

Heineken may be Dutch, but the biggest shareholder lives in Britain and is represented on the board. Charlene de Carvalho is the daughter of Freddy Heineken, the former boss of Heineken NV, the Dutch brewer. He died in January 2002, leaving his fortune to his only daughter who lives in London, with her banker husband, Michelde Carvalho. He started out as a child actor, reaching a career pinnacle when he appeared in 'Lawrence of Arabia', David Lean's Oscar-winning epic, starring Peter O'Toole. De Carvalho, under his acting name Michel Ray, played the Arab boy Farraj who befriends Lawrence. He also appeared in 'The Tin Star', with Henry Fonda, for which he won Film Daily'Js Critics Award. He gave up acting at the age of 17, a decision he claimed to regret later because he passed up the chance to earn a lot of money.

The de Carvalho family control exactly a quarter of Heineken shares but because of the complex voting structure, have control of the company. The family stake is now worth £2.9bn. Dividends and other assets should easily add another £150m, taking the total to £3.05bn.