Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman (b. 1920)
Godtfred Kirk Christiansen (8 July 1920 – 13 July 1995) was the Managing Director of The Lego Group from 1957 to 1973. He was the third son of company founder Ole Kirk Christiansen and took over as Managing Director in 1957, eventually becoming the sole owner. Godtfred is credited with playing a pivotal role in the development of the Lego brick design and patented it in 1958. He also created the Lego System in Play, the cornerstone of the Lego construction toy. He was succeeded by his son, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen in 1979.