Kevin O'Leary

Kevin O'Leary
O'Leary in 2023
Born
Terrence Thomas Kevin O'Leary

(1954-07-09) July 9, 1954
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Other names
  • Mr. Wonderful
Citizenship
  • Canada
  • Ireland
  • United Arab Emirates
Alma mater
OccupationsBusinessman, investor, author, television personality, actor
Known forReality TV host,
CNBC and BNN contributor
Political partyConservative (2004–present)
Liberal (before 2004)
Spouse
Linda Greer
(m. 1990)
Children2
Websitekevinoleary.com

Terrence Thomas Kevin O'Leary (born July 9, 1954), also known as Mr. Wonderful, is a Canadian businessman and television personality. From 2004 to 2014, he appeared on various Canadian television shows, including the business news program The Lang and O'Leary Exchange as well as reality show Dragons' Den. O'Leary hosted Discovery Channel's Project Earth in 2008 and has appeared on Shark Tank, the American version of Dragons' Den, since 2009. He made his feature film debut as Milton Rockwell in Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme (2025).

O'Leary co-founded SoftKey Software Products, a technology company that sold software geared toward family education and entertainment. During the late 1980s and 1990s, SoftKey became a major consolidator in the global educational software market, having acquired rival companies via hostile takeover bids, such as Compton's New Media, the Learning Company, and Broderbund. SoftKey later changed its name to The Learning Company and was acquired by Mattel in 1999, surprising many financial observers, who viewed O'Leary's company as a house of cards. Nevertheless, the sale netted O'Leary around six million dollars. Mattel promptly fired O'Leary. The acquisition resulted in significant losses for The Learning Company and sparked multiple shareholder lawsuits targeting O'Leary's mismanagement.

In 2017, he campaigned to be the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. He dropped out in April 2017, one month before the election, citing a lack of support in Quebec.

In addition to his native Canadian citizenship, O'Leary also holds Irish and Emirati citizenship.