born March 7, 1942, Mount Kisco, N.Y., U.S.
U.S. entertainment executive.
He worked at ABC-TV (196676) before becoming president of Paramount Pictures (197684), and he served as head of the Disney Co. from 1984. He was instrumental in reviving Disney as a major movie studio with films such as Pretty Woman (1990), and he restored Disney's reputation for classic animation with Beauty and the Beast (1991) and The Lion King (1995), which also became hit Broadway musicals. He expanded the company into fields such as television, publishing, home video, and cruise ship travel.