Bob Iger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bob Iger
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Iger in 2013
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| Born |
Robert Alan Iger
February 10, 1951 New York City, US
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| Education | Ithaca College (BS) |
| Title | CEO of The Walt Disney Company (2005–2020, 2022–present) |
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| Spouse(s) |
Susan Iger
(m. 1977; div. 1994)Willow Bay
(m. 1995) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Jerry Iger (great-uncle) |
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Robert Alan Iger (born February 10, 1951) is a very important leader in the media world. He is currently the chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He has led Disney for many years, first from 2005 to 2020, and then again starting in 2022.
Before joining Disney, Iger was the president of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). He became president of Disney in 2000 and took over as CEO in 2005. He retired in 2021 but was asked to return as CEO in November 2022.
Iger is known for making Disney much bigger and more successful. He helped the company grow its value a lot. He led some huge purchases, bringing many popular stories and characters into the Disney family. These included Pixar in 2006, Marvel Entertainment in 2009, and Lucasfilm (which created Star Wars) in 2012. He also oversaw the purchase of many entertainment parts of 21st Century Fox in 2019.
Under his leadership, Disney also opened new theme parks like Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Shanghai Disney Resort. He also helped make Walt Disney Animation Studios strong again and launched the popular streaming service Disney+.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Robert Alan Iger was born in New York City. His parents were Miriam and Arthur Iger. His father was a veteran of World War II and worked in marketing and as a professor. His mother worked at a junior high school.
Iger grew up in Oceanside, New York, and finished high school there in 1969. He then went to Ithaca College and graduated in 1973 with a degree in Television and Radio.
Career Highlights
Iger started his career in media in 1972. He hosted a TV show at Ithaca College. For a short time, he even worked as a weatherman!
Working at ABC
In 1974, Iger joined the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). His first job involved simple tasks on TV sets.
In 1988, he was a senior leader for the TV coverage of the Calgary Winter Olympics. Even with bad weather, his team focused on interesting stories, like the Jamaican bobsled team. This helped ABC get very high ratings and showed Iger's talent.
He later became the head of ABC Entertainment in 1989. He helped approve popular shows like Twin Peaks and America's Funniest Home Videos. By 1994, he was a top leader at ABC's parent company, Capital Cities/ABC.
Leading The Walt Disney Company
In 1995, The Walt Disney Company bought Capital Cities/ABC. Iger stayed on as a chairman at the ABC part of Disney until 1999.
In 2000, Disney made Iger the president and chief operating officer (COO). This meant he was the second-highest leader in the company.
In 2005, Iger was chosen to become the new CEO of Disney. He took over from Michael Eisner. One of his first big moves was to buy Pixar in 2006 for $7.4 billion. This brought beloved movies like Toy Story and Finding Nemo fully into Disney. He also got back the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, one of Walt Disney's very first cartoon characters.
In 2009, Iger led Disney to buy Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. This meant Disney now owned characters like Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man. The Marvel movies have since earned a lot of money for Disney.
In 2012, he made another huge deal, buying Lucasfilm from George Lucas for $4 billion. This brought the entire Star Wars and Indiana Jones series to Disney.
Iger also helped expand Disney's theme parks in Asia. He opened the Shanghai Disney Resort in 2016.
His contract as CEO was extended several times. In 2019, Disney bought many parts of 21st Century Fox for $71.3 billion. This added even more movies and TV shows to Disney, like The Simpsons and the X-Men.
In 2020, Iger announced he would retire. Bob Chapek became the new CEO. However, due to some changes, Iger was asked to return as CEO in November 2022. He agreed to lead Disney again and his contract was extended until the end of 2026.
Other Activities
Iger has also served on the board of directors for other big companies. From 2011 to 2019, he was on the board of Apple Inc.. He left Apple's board when Disney and Apple started their own competing streaming services, Disney+ and Apple TV+.
In 2024, Iger and his wife, Willow Bay, invested in a women's soccer team called Angel City FC.
Personal Life
Robert Iger has been married twice and has four children. His second marriage is to journalist Willow Bay.
Recognition and Awards
In December 2019, Time magazine named Iger their Businessperson of the Year. In 2020, he was added to the Television Hall of Fame.
In September 2022, he received an honorary award from Queen Elizabeth II for his work in strengthening relationships between the UK and the US. In October 2024, he was also honored by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, for his service to France.
Images for kids
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Robert Iger's signature
See also
In Spanish: Bob Iger para niños
