Kevin O'Leary
Personal details
  • Born:
    • Birthday: 1954-07-09
    • Born Place: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • Also Known As:

    Mr. Wonderful, Terrence Thomas Kevin O'Leary

Kevin O'Leary

Born on July 9, 1954, in Montreal, Quebec, Kevin O'Leary is a Canadian businessman, author, and television personality whose career has transitioned from software mogul to a global "villain" persona known as "Mr. Wonderful." The son of a clothing manufacturer, O'Leary's early life was marked by international travel due to his stepfather’s work with the United Nations. He co-founded SoftKey Software Products in 1986, which became a titan in educational software through aggressive acquisitions, eventually purchasing The Learning Company. The company was sold to Mattel in 1999 for $4.2 billion in what became one of the most infamous corporate acquisitions in history, leading to O'Leary's departure shortly after. He then pivoted to media, becoming a household name as a stern, profit-obsessed judge on the venture capital reality shows Dragons' Den (Canada) and Shark Tank (USA), where he has appeared since 2009. In 2025, O’Leary has undergone a surprising reinvention as a dramatic actor. He made his feature film debut in Josh Safdie’s "Marty Supreme," playing Milton Rockwell, a ruthless, eccentric 1950s billionaire and pen tycoon. The role has become a major talking point for a "bonkers" climax where O'Leary delivers a chilling, surreal speech claiming to be a centuries-old vampire born in 1601. The performance also includes a controversial and highly publicized "butt-paddling" scene with co-star Timothée Chalamet, which O'Leary revealed was filmed without a body double at Chalamet's request. Despite his foray into Hollywood, O'Leary remains a staple of the financial world; in 2025, he continued his role as a Shark on the seventeenth season of Shark Tank and remained active in the tech sector, frequently sounding alarms about energy constraints in the AI data center market.

Person History