Jeffrey Katzenberg

Jeffrey Katzenberg was born December 21, 1950 to Jewish parents who were an artist and a stockbroker. He is the CEO of DreamWorks Animation and a film producer, and he was once studio chairman at Disney. Katzenberg is known for producing animated films such as Antz, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, and Monsters vs. Aliens.

Jeffrey KatzenbergKatzenberg received an honorary doctorate from Florida's Ringling College of Art and Design in 2008, and he also spoke about 3D animation after Warner Bros. converted their Clash of the Titans redux to 3D. Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife Marilyn donated millions to Boston University's General Studies college; the center built there was named for them. The Katzenbergs say the donation was a thank-you for instilling a love of education in their two children.

Currently, Jeffrey Katzenberg sits on the Motion Picture and Television Fund board, which hosts two yearly fundraisers the nights before the Academy Awards and the Emmys. He was a talent agent for a brief time, but in 1975, he took a job as an assistant to Paramount Chairman Barry Diller, who placed him in the marketing department at first. Later, he was assigned to the television division, where he was tasked with the revival of the Star Trek franchise. His efforts were a success, and he eventually became president of production at Paramount under Michael Eisner.

Eisner became CEO of Disney in 1984, and he brought along Katzenberg to helm the motion picture division there. As the head of that studio, Katzenberg was the man responsible for turning the studio's fortunes around. Under his leadership, Disney's Touchstone Pictures focused on adult comedies such as Three Men and a Baby.