Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

David Geffen

Role / Field:

Pioneering media mogul, record executive, and film producer shaping global entertainment.

Born:

1943-02-21

Century / Era:

1943s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

David Lawrence Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American film producer, record executive, media proprietor, and philanthropist. In music, he co-founded Asylum Records with Elliot Roberts in 1971 before founding Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1990, and co-founding DreamWorks Records (with Mo Ostin, Michael Ostin and Lenny Waronker) in 1996. In film, he founded the Geffen Film Company in 1982 and co-founded DreamWorks SKG with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg in 1994. According to Forbes, Geffen is the wealthiest person in the global entertainment industry; he has an estimated net worth of US$9 billion as of 2024.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

David Geffen was born in Borough Park, Brooklyn, New York City, to Abraham Geffen (1903–1961) and Batya Volovskaya (1909–1988). Geffen's mother owned a clothing store in Borough Park called Chic Corsets by Geffen. Both of his parents were Jewish immigrants who met in Mandatory Palestine and then moved to the United States. His older brother Mitchell (born Mischa) Geffen (1933–2006) was an attorney who attended UCLA Law School and later settled in Encino, California. Geffen graduated from Brooklyn's New Utrecht High School in...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Akaji Maro — Contemporary (Born in 1943) (1943): Pioneering Japanese butoh performer, director, and acclaimed film actor.
• Alexandre Yersin — Contemporary (Died in 1943) (1943): Pioneering Swiss-French physician and bacteriologist, renowned for plague and diphtheria research.
• Alvy Ray Smith — Contemporary (Born in 1943) (1943): Pioneering computer scientist and co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios.
• Abhijit Banerjee — Shared historical date (02-21 · Born) (1961): Pioneering economist known for using scientific evidence to combat global poverty.
• Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi — Shared historical date (02-21 · Died) (1543): Imam and General of the Adal Sultanate, known for conquering Abyssinia.
• Andreas Baader — Historical peer (Born in 1943) (1943): West German communist and leader of the far-left terrorist organization Red Army Faction (RAF).
• Antonio Inoki — Historical peer (Born in 1943) (1943): Pioneering Japanese wrestler, martial artist, and political figure.
• Abd El-Razzak El-Sanhuri — Historical peer (Died in 1971) (1971): Pioneering Egyptian jurist, celebrated for authoring the revised Civil Code of 1948.
• Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — Historical peer (Born in 1971) (1971): Iraqi militant leader and founder of the Islamic State (IS)
• Abby Wambach — Historical peer (Born in 1980) (1980): Iconic American soccer forward, celebrated for her goal-scoring prowess and longevity.
• 1943 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1943
• February 21 (02-21) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on February 21

Frequently Asked Questions about David Geffen