QUICK FACTS
Born: February 10, 1951
Born Place: New York City, U.S.
Succeeded by: Bob Chapek
Personal details: Born Robert Allen Iger
Political party: Democratic (before 2016)
Spouse(s): Kathleen Susan (divorced) | Willow Bay (m. 1995)
Children: 4
Education: Ithaca College (BS)
BIOGRAPHY
Robert Allen Iger is an American businessman and the current chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company. He previously served as the president of ABC Television between 1994 and 1995 and the president and chief operating officer of Capital Cities/ABC from 1995 until its acquisition by Disney in 1996.
Iger was named president of Disney in 2000 and succeeded Michael Eisner as CEO in 2005 until his retirement from the company in 2021. On November 20, 2022, it was announced Iger would be returning to the role after the abrupt departure of former CEO Bob Chapek.
EARLY LIFE & EDUCATION
Robert Iger was born to a Jewish family in New York City. He is the oldest son of Mimi (née Tunick) and Arthur L. Iger (b. 1926).
His father was a World War II Navy veteran who served as the executive vice president and general manager of the Greenvale Marketing Corporation, and was also a professor of advertising and public relations; he also played the trumpet and had manic-depressive disorder. His mother worked at Boardman Junior High School in Oceanside, New York. Arthur’s father Joe (i.e. Bob’s paternal grandfather) was cartoonist Jerry Iger’s brother.
He was raised in Oceanside, where he attended the Fulton Avenue School and graduated from Oceanside High School in 1969.
Iger developed a love of books from a young age. In 1973, he graduated magna cum laude from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Television and Radio.
CAREER
Iger began his media career in 1972 as the host of Campus Probe, an Ithaca College television show. He dreamed of becoming a news anchor while he worked as a weatherman in Ithaca for five months, before shifting his career goals.
PERSONAL LIFE
Iger has been married twice. His first marriage to Kathleen Susan Iger ended in divorce. They have two daughters. In 1995, Iger married journalist Willow Bay in an interfaith Jewish and Roman Catholic service in Bridgehampton, New York. They have two children: Robert Maxwell “Max” Iger (born 1998) and William Iger (born 2002).
Iger has been noted for his kindness by David Geffen, who said: “I have never heard one person say a bad thing about him and I have never seen him be mean”.
In January 2021, he donated $5 million to aid small businesses struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Forbes, Iger’s estimated net worth was about $690 million as of 2019.
Accolades and Recognition
In June 2012, Steven Spielberg, noted director and founder of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, presented Iger with the Ambassador for Humanity Award.
Iger was recognized for his support of the institute’s work, his longtime philanthropy, and his leadership role in corporate citizenship. Iger was presented with The Milestone Award from the Producers Guild of America (PGA) in 2014. The award is the PGA’s highest recognition for an individual or team who has made contributions to entertainment.
In May 2015, Iger was named to the 25th Annual Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. In October 2015, the Toy Industry Association (TIA) inducted Iger into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. He was selected by members of TIA in recognition of his contributions to the industry, and the impact his work has had on the lives of children worldwide.
In December 2019, Iger was named by Time as their Businessperson of the Year. In 2020, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
In May 2021, Iger delivered the commencement address at The University of Texas at Austin.
In September 2022, Iger was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II “for services to the UK/US relations”; the knighthood was one of the final two awarded during the Queen’s seventy year reign.
The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 26 September 2022. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
