Michael & Judy Ovitz — Hollywood's Most Powerful Agent

What Happened

Michael Ovitz co-founded Creative Artists Agency in 1975 and transformed it into the most powerful talent agency in Hollywood, representing everyone from Tom Cruise to Steven Spielberg. He married Judy Reich in 1969, and for over four decades she was his partner through CAA's rise, his controversial stint as Disney president, and his post-Disney reinvention.

In 1995, Ovitz left CAA to become president of The Walt Disney Company under CEO Michael Eisner. The partnership imploded within 16 months. When Ovitz was fired in January 1997, he received a severance package worth approximately $140 million — $38 million in cash and roughly $100 million in stock options. The Disney board's approval of this payout later became the subject of a landmark shareholder lawsuit.

By 2010, after over 40 years together, the Ovitzes separated. The divorce was handled quietly, with no public settlement disclosed. At the time, Ovitz's net worth was estimated at several hundred million dollars, built from his CAA earnings, Disney severance, and subsequent investment activities. The division of four decades of accumulated Hollywood wealth — art collections, real estate, and business interests — would have been extraordinarily complex.

Ovitz later began a relationship with Tamara Mellon, the Jimmy Choo co-founder, and the two became engaged in 2014. The Ovitz divorce highlights how entertainment industry wealth — often tied to relationships, reputation, and deal-making rather than tangible assets — presents unique challenges in equitable division.

Legal Breakdown: How entertainment industry power and Disney severance packages factor into divorce valuations

What This Means for Your Divorce