Raised in Encino, California, he was student body president at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, a classmate of Sally Field and Michael Milken.
[4] While a student at UCLA and president of Zeta Beta Tau, he began his entertainment career as a part-time tour guide at Universal Studios.
[7] Under his direction, CAA quickly grew from a start-up organization to the world's leading talent agency, expanding from television into film, investment banking and advertising.
He served as talent agent to Hollywood actors Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Costner, John Belushi, Michael Douglas, Bill Murray, Sylvester Stallone and Barbra Streisand as well as directors Steven Spielberg, Barry Levinson, and Sydney Pollack.
[21] In addition to Geffen, the list included The New York Times correspondent Bernard Weinraub, Disney chairman (and former employer) Michael Eisner; Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett, partners at CAA, Universal Studios president Ronald Meyer (Ovitz's former partner at CAA); and Vivendi CEO Barry Diller.
Active in philanthropy, he donated $25 million in 1999 to spearhead fund raising efforts for UCLA's Medical Center,[23] and has contributed significantly to numerous other philanthropic endeavors.
[24] A private investor and businessman, his notable activities have ranged from attempts to bring an NFL team to the Los Angeles Coliseum[25] to ventures in online media.
[27] He owns works by Pablo Picasso, Jasper Johns, Willem de Kooning, Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko and many others.
was a memoir published by Michael Ovitz recounting his time at the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and his brief stint at The Walt Disney Company.