Kirk Kerkorian

At an estimated net worth of around $9 billion, impeccably stylish hotel mogul Kirk Kerkorian became a major Hollywood player in the early 1970's with the purchase of the hallowed movie studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. While primarily known as a real estate tycoon and resorts baron, Kerkorian's reach extended deeply into Hollywood throughout much of the 1980's and 1990's, figuring prominently in many of the era's highly publicized studio buyouts and mega-deals. Despite his calculated efforts to downplay his connection to the Hollywood power structure, Kerkorian's status as one of the industry's key movers-and-shakers was undeniable. Still, the notoriously press-shy Kerkorian successfully managed for years to keep his exposure limited to just the boring financial pages of the Hollywood trades - widely accepted to be the least read (and least understood) section of any periodical by the general public.