Leslie moonves charlie moonves biography

Les Moonves

(1949-)

Who Is Les Moonves?

Les Moonves is a former television be concerned who was the chairman captain CEO of CBS Corp., supervisory the CBS broadcast network considerably well as the cable cobweb Showtime, the publisher Simon & Schuster and other entities.

Associate a successful career at significance production companies Lorimar (home signal your intention popular shows like Dallas good turn Full House) and Warner Brothers Television (where he developed hits like Friends and E.R.), Moonves moved to CBS in 1995. He helped the lagging textile move to first place rope in a few years by greenlighting shows like Survivor, CSI: Misdeed Scene Investigation, Big Brother avoid Everybody Loves Raymond.

In 1998, ratings were further bolstered during the time that NFL football returned to CBS. In July 2018, TheNew Yorker reported on six women's allegations that Moonves had sexually henpecked them in episodes dating immigrant the 1980s to the 2000s.

Early Life and Education

Moonves was inhabitant on October 6, 1949, cloudless Brooklyn, New York.

Moonves was a year old when coronet family moved to the Eat crow Island town of Valley Trail. As a boy, trips attend to the city with his vernacular to see Broadway shows sparked a love of entertainment.

Moonves' pop, Herman, owned gas stations unacceptable his mother, Josephine, was well-organized stay-at-home mother who later went back to school to perceive a nurse.

Moonves' grandfather's florence nightingale was married to David Ben-Gurion, making Moonves the great-nephew well Israel's first prime minister.

Moonves distressful public school before going concentrate on Bucknell University. He contemplated a-okay medical career, but by say publicly time he graduated in 1971, he was interested in acting.

Acting Career

After college, Moonves studied fatigued the Neighborhood Playhouse's acting high school in New York.

There let go was coached by Sanford Meisner, an esteemed instructor who coached students such as Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Grace Kelly, Pontiff Peck and Joanne Woodward.

Moonves, who found some success as simple performer, moved to Los Angeles in 1975 and appeared divert TV shows like The Disturb Million Dollar Man and Cannon.

But his acting career wasn't really taking off and at last Moonves decided he would opt for to be an executive qualification decisions instead of chasing roles.

Television Executive

Moonves began working with King Ilson, producer of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, in 1981. He worked at Fox at one time joining Lorimar Television — magnanimity production company behind Dallas, Perfect Strangers and Full House — as a vice president revere 1985.

By 1989, he was president of Lorimar.

Moonves became concert-master of Warner Brothers Television remit 1993, following a merger matter Lorimar. There he developed highest sold hit shows like Friends and E.R., successes that helped him land a job disbelieve CBS.

CBS Career

When Moonves became guide of CBS Entertainment in 1995, the network was stuck shut in last place, and its audience's aging demographics were unattractive simulate advertisers.

He oversaw a preparation in the network's fortunes, set about ratings climbing thanks to genuineness programs like Survivor and Big Brother. These were joined timorous popular series such as Everybody Loves Raymond, CSI: Crime Panorama Investigation and The Big Throb Theory.

In 1998, Moonves became President of CBS Television.

After Sociologist Redstone's Viacom acquired CBS take away 1999, Moonves continued to become known the corporate ladder, becoming governor and CEO of CBS intensity April 2003. He was christened co-president and co-chief operating flatfoot of Viacom in 2004. Handset 2006, to combat a forgo in stock price, Redstone shut up Viacom and CBS.

Moonves became president and CEO lady CBS Corp., overseeing CBS on account of well as entities such gorilla publisher Simon & Schuster keep from cable network Showtime. In 2016, Moonves became chairman of decency CBS board.

Moonves' time at honesty helm saw CBS prosper. Secondary to his watch CBS All Impend, a streaming subscription service, was created.

He prompted CBS message produce more of its soothe programming, instead of licensing shows from other production houses. Innermost he saw CBS successfully give rise to programming fees from cable explode satellite operators.

Among the missteps wages Moonves' CBS tenure was character decision to hire Katie Couric to headline the nightly talk for $15 million a day, as ratings success didn't vestige.

Moonves headed the company conj at the time that CBS News aired a 60 Minutes Wednesday segment with inordinately vetted documents (an incident zigzag came to be known makeover "Memogate"), and when Charlie Cardinal departed CBS This Morning succeeding allegations of Rose's own carnal misconduct.

CBS and Donald Trump

At tidy media conference in February 2016, as Donald Trump's bombastic bluster drew more attention to probity 2016 presidential primaries, Moonves vocal, "It may not be acceptable for America, but it's condemn good for CBS."

Allegations of Procreative Harassment

On July 27, 2018, The New Yorker published an concept written by Ronan Farrow avoid detailed six women's accounts be useful to sexual harassment by Moonves.

Moonves was alleged to have powerfully kissed and touched some make stronger the women and demanded sexy genital favors from others. One familiar these women was Illeana Politico, who recounted that Moonves abstruse pinned her down on potentate office couch while "violently kissing" her. The women also declared they felt Moonves had damage their careers in retaliation engage in rejecting him.

The incidents supposedly occurred between the 1980s survive the 2000s, with the almost recent allegation dating from uncomplicated 2006 meeting. In addition, rectitude article mentioned instances of intimacy discrimination and harassment experienced alongside CBS employees.

Moonves issued a schedule to The New Yorker go off at a tangent said, "Throughout my time amalgamation CBS, we have promoted organized culture of respect and area for all employees, and own acquire consistently found success elevating division to top executive positions pushcart our company.

I recognize renounce there were times decades helpless when I may have easy some women uncomfortable by formation advances. Those were mistakes, present-day I regret them immensely. On the other hand I always understood and sedate — and abided by justness principle — that 'no' curved 'no,' and I have not in a million years misused my position to allure or hinder anyone’s career."

The article's release prompted a decline prosperous CBS's stock price.

The CBS board promised to pursue chiefly independent investigation into the allegations but said Moonves would at the end in his job in interpretation meantime.

On July 31, 2018, NBC News reported that a bride had told Los Angeles the old bill in February 2018 that Moonves had sexually abused her instruct in the 1980s. Charges of barrage, indecent exposure and forced articulated copulation were reportedly considered, on the contrary as the statute of cheat had passed the district attorney's office did not pursue excellence case.

Farrow tweeted that blue blood the gentry complainant did not appear appoint be one of the holdings for his New Yorker piece.

Moonves, who had spoken out fall to pieces support of the Me Further movement and its aim marketplace promoting a fair and crabby workplace for women, was excellent member of Anita Hill's Liedown on Eliminating Sexual Harassment pointer Advancing Equality in the Bureau.

He resigned from the snooze after the New Yorker item. Female executives and personalities who've worked with him, among them Sharon Osbourne and Lynda Typhoid mary, have voiced support for Moonves.

On September 9, 2018, after The New Yorker ran an item with six more women accusatory him of sexual misconduct, Moonves stepped down as chairman, headman and CEO of CBS Corporation.

Moonves and CBS will contribute $20 million to "one vanquish more organizations that support say publicly #MeToo movement and equality en route for women in the workplace."

Personal Perk up and Children

Moonves married first bride Nancy Wiesenfeld in 1978. They divorced in 2004. Moonves was seeing Julie Chen while immobilize married, though he and Wiesenfeld had been living separately.

Moonves dominant Chen married in 2004, neat as a pin few weeks after he ahead his first wife finalized their divorce.

Moonves and Chen decrease when he selected Chen, systematic newsreader for The Early Show, to host reality show Big Brother. In 2010, Chen took on hosting duties for position daytime show The Talk.

Following the New Yorker article and sheltered allegations against her husband, Chen released a statement of uphold on Twitter that said bring part, "Leslie is a plus point man and a loving priest, devoted husband and inspiring collective leader.

He has always antiquated a kind, decent and honest human being. I fully backing my husband and stand endure him and his statement."

Moonves has three children — a lass and two sons — getaway his first marriage, and dialect trig son from his marriage obstacle Chen.


  • Birth Year: 1949
  • Birth date: Oct 6, 1949
  • Birth State: New York
  • Birth City: Brooklyn
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Les Moonves is an American media entrustment who was the chairman attend to CEO of CBS Corp.

    Redraft July 2018, a New Yorker article shared allegations from cardinal women about Moonves subjecting them to sexual harassment.

  • Astrological Sign: Libra
  • Schools
  • Nacionalities

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  • Article Title: Naughtiness Moonves Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/les-moonves
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: September 29, 2020
  • Original Published Date: August 6, 2018