Michael Eisner

Michael Eisner was formerly the chairman of the board and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, and he is almost singlehandedly responsible for Disney's 1990s success. He sharpened his business skills in the 70s and 80s, first acting as programming director for ABC TV, then becoming president of Paramount. He took the reins at Disney in 1984, turning it into a media behemoth that dealt in sports teams, theme parks, movies and TV networks.

Michael EisnerDue to his success at Disney, Eisner became one of the US' richest men. However, the success did not last forever; at the end of the 90s, there was trouble at Disney. A former Disney executive, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Eisner engaged in a public feud (Katzenberg later founded DreamWorks studios with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen). Ratings at ABC TV were declining, and Disney movies had scant success at the box office. An ill-conceived theme park and a failed website added to Eisner's woes.

As the situation at Disney worsened, the vice president, Roy Disney, resigned and began a crusade against Eisner. He was removed from the chairman position in 2004, and the next year, he stepped down as Disney's CEO (replaced by Robert Iger). Under Eisner's leadership, the ABC/Disney company's successes included "Roots" and "Happy Days", the first three Star Trek films, and animated classics like "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin".