Geffen, David (1943- )

US entertainment executive and record producer. He started Geffen Records, which became one of the leading US record companies, in 1980, then sold it to MCA Records in 1990. He co-founded the entertainment company DreamWorks SKG with US film director Steven Spielberg and former Walt Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, in 1994.

Geffen became a talent agent with William Morris during the mid 1960s and founded Asylum Records in 1970. He sold Asylum in 1972 and then served briefly as vice-chairman of Warner Brothers in 1975. During his career he has represented rock music talents such as Buffalo Springfield, Janis Joplin, Laura Nyro, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Donna Summer, Linda Ronstadt, Aerosmith, Guns 'n' Roses, and Nirvana. He produced the films Personal Best (1982), Risky Business (1983), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Beetlejuice (1988), and Interview with the Vampire (1994). In 1981, Geffen also branched out into the world of Broadway musicals, producing such hits as Dreamgirls and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats.

Geffen has been a leading contributor to AIDS research and treatment.