David Geffen 

Music mogul David Geffen's life has been a rags-to-riches story. His rise from a hardscrabble life to billionaire has drawn him into the public eye.

Geffen is best known for his contributions to American popular culture, and music. He amassed fortune, estimated to be over $2.5 billion, primarily from successes at Geffen Records.   

Geffen's character is amusing. He is known for having irrational screaming fits, and has undergone psychotherapy and self-help programs like Lifespring in the hopes of fixing his temperament.  

He has contributed large sums of money to the National Democratic party, AIDS research and education.

One of Geffen's greatest talents is his ability to spot and develop creative artists and performers. He has helped launch or develop the careers of people such as Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Eagles, and Tom Cruise. Geffen was born in 1943 into a European-Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. Geffen graduated from New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn, then attended the University of Texas at Austin but soon dropped out.  Geffen began his entertainment career in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency, where he quickly became an agent. In order to obtain the WMA job, he had to show proof of graduating college.

Geffen forged a letter and submitted it to WMA. His colleagues in the mailroom included Barry Diller and Elliot Roberts, who later became David Geffen's partner in a management company.  He left William Morris to become a personal manager and was immediately successful. In the process of looking for a record deal for young Jackson Browne, Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun suggested that Geffen start his own record label.

Geffen founded Asylum Records in 1970 which in 1972 to become Elektra/Asylum Records. Geffen remained in charge until 1975, when he went to work as Vice Chairman of Warner Brothers film studios.

He left there a few years later and took some time off before launching Geffen Records in 1980.Geffen has been responsible for launching the careers of Nirvana, Guns and Roses and countless others.

In 1980, Geffen sold the label to Universal/MCA as part of a merger deal and started Geffen Film/DreamworksSKG.Geffen has an estimated worth of $6 billion, making him the richest person in the entertainment industry.