Les Moonves

Les Moonves moved from acting into the executive ranks, becoming one of the most influential men in Hollywood before a scandal tarnished his career. A New York native, he pursued acting after graduating college, landing a small role on the television show "Barbary Coast" (ABC, 1975-76). He appeared in similarly small roles on television, including on hit shows "Cannon" (CBS, 1971-76) and "The Six Million Dollar Man" (ABC, 1974-78). Dissatisfied with his acting career, he began moving behind the scenes. In 1985, he joined production company Lorimar Television, first overseeing its movies and miniseries. He later served as the company's president from 1990-93. After Warner Bros. acquired Lorimar, Moonves became the President and CEO of Warner Bros. Television in 1993. The studio's network offerings during his run included the blockbuster hits "Friends" (NBC, 1994-2004) and "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009). He left Warner Bros. to accept the position of president of CBS Entertainment in 1995. He went on to become president and CEO of CBS Television in 1998, and then chairman and CEO of CBS in 2003. During his tenure, the network enjoyed an enviable run of success, launching long-term ratings winners such as "NCIS" (CBS, 2003-),"Survivor" (CBS, 2000-), and "Big Brother" (CBS, 2000-). In 2004, Moonves married Julie Chen, the host of "Big Brother" and the network's "The Early Show" (CBS, 1999-2012), after divorcing his first wife, Nancy Wiesenfeld. Beginning in 2016 and exploding in 2018, he found himself in a power struggle with Shari Redstone, the daughter of Sumner Redstone who owned controlling interest of CBS and its sister company Viacom. In spring of 2018, Moonves took steps to dilute the Redstone family's control over CBS and both sides filed lawsuits. On the heels of standoff moving into the courts, Moonves came under investigation after claims surfaced in The New Yorker from six women that he had engaged in sexual harassment throughout his career. After further allegations came to light, Moonves stepped down from his role at CBS on September 9, 2018.