John de Mol

Johannes Hendrikus Hubert de Mol Jr. (born 24 April 1955) is a Dutch media entrepreneur and billionaire. He is known for creating global television franchises such as Big Brother, Star Academy, and The Voice, and the game shows Fear Factor and Deal or No Deal.

In 2005, Forbes magazine named him one of the 500 richest people in the world.

De Mol is one of the men behind production companies such as Endemol and Talpa.

Endemol

De Mol, a well-known personality in the Netherlands, made his fortune producing television programs. From 1997 to 1999, he developed the reality show Big Brother with his own production company, John de Mol Produkties. In 1994, his company merged with Joop van den Ende TV-Producties to form Endemol, but it still operates independently. De Mol sold his stake in Endemol in 2000 to Telefónica, but continued to serve as creative director until 2004. 

In May 2007, De Mol returned as one of Endemol's major shareholders, along with Silvio Berlusconi's Italian company Mediaset, in a €2.6 million deal.

Private life

Outside of television, De Mol controls a large private equity fund that holds significant stakes in the car manufacturer Spyker Cars, the Manchester United football team, the cryptocurrencies Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and the telecommunications company Versatel. 

John's sister, actress Linda de Mol, appears and presents on some of his shows, including the Dutch version of "Deal or No Deal".

 References 

Category:1955 births
Category:Living people
Category:Dutch people