Donald Trump

Biography: Before his catchphrase "You're fired!" became the "Talk to the hand!" of the early 2000s, Trump became famous in the '80s when he took the respectable real-estate business he inherited from his father and turned it into an empire. Astutely aware of the currency of fame, Trump marketed his own image and became an unlikely celebrity, with his high-profile marriages---and subsequent divorces---from Marla Maples and Ivana Trump only serving to increase his visibility. After almost going bankrupt in the '90s, he bounced back in 2004 by executive-producing and starring in the hugely successful reality show The Apprentice. And Trump saw an improvement in his personal life as well in 2005 when he wed Slovenian model Melania Knauss. Trump eventually entered politics, running for president in 2016 and winning the Republican nomination. After defeating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general election, Trump became the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017.