Arnon Milchan

Arnon Milchan’s the kind of guy who basically turned hustling into an art form. Born in Palestine, schooled in Geneva—yeah, one of those international types. He took his dad’s small-time business and flipped it into a giant agrochemical empire in Israel. You think he stopped there? Not even close. He had his eyes on Hollywood from early on, tossing his money into films, TV, and theater just because he felt like it. Polanski’s “Amadeus” on stage, cult favorites like “Dizengoff 99,” and thrillers like “The Medusa Touch” all had his fingerprints on them. By the time the ‘80s were winding down, Milchan’s credits included Scorsese’s “The King of Comedy,” Leone’s epic “Once Upon a Time in America,” and the wild ride that is “Brazil.” And then came the big guns—“Pretty Woman,” “War of the Roses”—those movies that basically owned the box office. That’s when he rolled out New Regency Productions, and honestly, at this point, the list gets kinda ridiculous: “J.F.K.,” “Free Willy,” “Fight Club,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Gone Girl,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” on and on. Oscars? Yeah, he’s got those too—“LA Confidential,” “12 Years a Slave,” “Birdman,” “The Big Short,” “The Revenant.” But it’s not just movies. He teamed up with Fox, dove into TV with stuff like “Malcolm in the Middle,” and even took a big slice of PUMA before cashing out. The dude’s a legend—part showbiz mogul, part business shark, and still running the game.