Levin, Gerald (1939- )

US lawyer and business executive, who merged the USA's largest magazine publisher Time Inc. with its largest record company Warner Bros in 1990 to form Time Warner Inc. His largest deal of all, the merger with America Online (AOL), finally cleared all regulatory hurdles in January 2001 to create the first fully integrated global Internet and media company.

Levin joined Time Inc. in 1972 as vice-president of programming when the company's pay-cable subsidiary, Home Box Office (HBO), was at the development stage. His decision to distribute HBO via satellite in 1975 has been said to mark the creation of the modern cable industry. He was elected to the Time Inc. board in 1988 and became vice-chair in 1991. Following a hostile bid from Paramount, Levin negotiated Time's merger with Warner Broadcasting, with its successful film studios and record business, in 1990. Levin became chief operating officer and vice-president of the merged company.

Appointed chair in 1993, Levin brokered the $7.5 billion merger with Turner Broadcasting in 1996, making Time Warner the second largest cable-service company in the USA. In 2000 he announced the $105 billion merger with AOL, which was finally given approval by the US Federal Trade Commission in December and by the US Federal Communications Commission in January 2001. Levin was then appointed CEO of AOL Time Warner.

Levin was born in Philadelphia. He graduated from Haverford College with a BA in biblical literature in 1960 and from the University of Pennsylvania with an LLB in 1963. His career started as a lawyer with the New York law firm Simpson Thatcher and Bartlett. He was then affiliated with the investment company Development Resources Corporation in 1967 and, following that company's acquisition by IBEC in 1971, he served as its representative in Iran.

He is a director of the New York Stock Exchange, and also a member of the board of the New York Philharmonic, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage.