David Geffen
Category Billionaires
Industry Entertainment
Company DreamWorks SKG
What Makes Him Haute He first founded Asylum Records in 1970 (Eagles) followed by Geffen Records (Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses). He then moved on to start entertainment boutique DreamWorks with partners Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg, selling it to Paramount for $1.5 billion. His personal $175 million profits are said to have gone to charity.
Frank Gehry
Category Originators
Industry Architecture
Company Gehry Partners, LLP
What Makes Him Haute For all the artistic flourishes of his ideas, Gehry’s architecture works in the most practical and fundamental way. When the Walt Disney Concert Hall opened in 2003, it was quickly recognized as perhaps his greatest work, for reasons first and foremost of functionality. The acoustics of the hall were widely praised, not least by the musicians, and it became one of the great performance venues in the world, and not just for its acoustics; it’s a symbol of downtown Los Angeles as a center of culture.
Leslie Gonda
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Service, Investments
Company Leslie & Susan Gonda (Goldschmied)Foundation
What Makes Him Haute In 1963, this Holocaust survivor moved to California, where he and his son eventually started International Lease Finance, leasing aircraft to major U.S. airlines. The firm went public in 1983, and soon after it was sold for stock to AIG in 1990. He is a generous donor to UCLA, Mayo Clinic, Georgetown, and various Israeli universities.
Alec Gores
Category Billionaires
Industry Private Equity
Company Gores Group
What Makes Him Haute Alec Gores’ extremely lucrative private equity firm specializes in corporate takeovers; today, his company has interests in 15 companies and $1.7 billion under management.
Tom Gores
Categories Billionaires
Industries Mergers and Acquisitions
Company Platinum Equity
What Makes Him Haute He’s the chairman and CEO of Platinum Equity. The company typically acquires business from leading Fortune 500 companies including GE, Lucent, Motorola, and many more. This entity has amassed him one of the largest fortunes in the U.S.
Brian Grazer
Category Thinkers
Industry Film
What Makes Him Haute Award-winning producer Grazer was ranked as one of Entertainment Weekly’s Smartest People in Hollywood in 2007. He has been making films and television shows for more than 25 years, and his 2002 film, A Beautiful Mind, won the Best Picture Oscar. Grazer’s films and TV shows have been nominated for a total of 44 Oscars and 92 Emmys. At the same time, his movies have generated more than $12.9 billion in worldwide theatrical, music, and video grosses.
Jeffrey Greene
Category Billionaires
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute This eccentric billionaire saved $100,000 while attending Johns Hopkins University by selling circus tickets, eating at the Pizza Hut buffet, and living out of his car. After earning a Harvard M.B.A. he moved to L.A. where he bought and developed apartment buildings. Last year he became a billionaire when he bought credit default swaps on subprime mortgage-backed bonds.
William H. Gross
Category Billionaires
Industry Finance
Company PIMCO
What Makes Him Haute He’s a chief investment officer and legendary bond investor. The co-founder of PIMCO is one of the financial geniuses of our time and has authored several books.
Tom Hanks
Category Entertainers
Industry Film
Company Playtone
What Makes Him Haute Arguably one of the finest actors of our time, Hanks has starred in numerous blockbusters including Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Road to Perdition, and Apollo 13, and is the third most successful actor in terms of box office totals, which exceed $3.3 billion. He is also an accomplished producer, writer, and director.
Nick Haque
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Food
Company Koi
What Makes Him Haute The CEO of renowned restaurant Koi is responsible for redefining dining chic in L.A. and is expanding the iconic restaurant nationally and internationally. Koi brings in an estimated $30 million per year.
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January 2, 2009House of Lange: A. Lange & Söhne Watches
