Les Moonves

Leslie Roy Moonves (born October 6, 1949) is an American media executive renowned for his leadership of CBS Corporation, where he served as president and chief executive officer from 1998 and as chairman from 2006 until his resignation in 2018. Moonves began his career in television production after graduating from Bucknell University with a degree in Spanish, rising through executive roles at Lorimar Productions and Warner Bros. Television before joining CBS in 1995 as president of CBS Entertainment. Under his stewardship, CBS solidified its status as the most-watched U.S. broadcast network, with the company's stock delivering a 68% return including dividends from 2006 onward, outperforming competitors like Time Warner, while Moonves earned over $650 million in compensation reflecting the firm's profitability. His tenure ended abruptly in September 2018 amid investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct and retaliation against accusers leveled by multiple women, claims Moonves denied; prosecutors declined to file criminal charges citing statutes of limitations, though subsequent civil settlements included $30.5 million from CBS and Moonves to resolve related regulatory issues.

Leslie Roy Moonves was born on October 6, 1949, in Brooklyn, New York City, to Jewish parents Josephine (née Schleifer) and Herman Moonves. The family relocated to Valley Stream on Long Island shortly after his birth, where Moonves spent his formative years in a suburban environment that contrasted with the urban density of his birthplace.