Iger was named president of Disney in 2000 and succeeded Michael Eisner as CEO in 2005, until his contract expired in 2020.

Considered a highly effective and visionary media executive, Iger was able to broaden Disney's roster of intellectual properties, expanded its presence in international markets, and oversaw an increase of the company's market capitalization from $56 billion to $231 billion during his initial 15-year stewardship of the company.

[9][10] His father was a World War II Navy veteran[11] who was the executive vice president and general manager of the Greenvale Marketing Corporation, and was also a professor of advertising and public relations.

[13][14] Arthur's father Joe (i.e. Bob's paternal grandfather) was cartoonist Jerry Iger's brother.

[15][16] In 1973, he graduated magna cum laude from the School of Communications at Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Television and Radio.

[17] 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.

[22] In 1989, he was named head of ABC Entertainment, green lighting shows such as Twin Peaks, America's Funniest Home Videos[23] and Cop Rock.

[26] In 1994, Iger was named president and chief operating officer of ABC's corporate parent, Capital Cities/ABC.

[27] In 1995,[28] the Walt Disney Company purchased Capital Cities/ABC and renamed it ABC, Inc., where Iger remained chairman until 1999.

On January 24, 2006, under Iger's leadership, Disney announced it would acquire Pixar for $7.4 billion in an all-stock transaction.

As a result, Disney acquired the rights to the Star Wars multimedia franchise and Indiana Jones.

[49] In April 2019, it was announced that Iger would depart from his position as CEO and chairman of Disney when his contract expired in 2021.

[69] In July 2024, Iger and his wife, Willow Bay, agreed to take a majority stake in Angel City FC, a Los Angeles-based National Women's Soccer League team, with a $100 million investment.

To avoid any conflicts of interest, Iger agreed to recuse himself from all Disney and ESPN business matters related to the women's soccer league.

In 1995, Iger married journalist Willow Bay in an interfaith Jewish and Roman Catholic service in Bridgehampton, New York.

[78] He resigned from the Forum on June 1, 2017, out of protest after President Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement.

[82] 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".

"[85] In August 2019, Vanity Fair reported that actress Paz de la Huerta added Iger to her lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein over allegations of rape, claiming that he and previous CEO Michael Eisner "made a series of decisions that allowed a range of actions by Harvey Weinstein that unacceptably harmed certain employees".