I had heard the nname Barry Diller but if you asked me who he was, I couldn’t have told you. But now I know. I read Diller’s new book, Who Knew.

Barry is one of the businessmen I should have known because his birth date is near mine and he is a man who created many of the movie and TV shows I’ve enjoyed throughout my life. He’s been very busy.

Diller’s story is told chronologically and we read that a very young Barry Diller dropped out of college in his first year to get a job as a mail clerk at the William Morris Agency. He spent spare time reading documents and learning the entertainment business. Five years later he became a programming assistant at ABC and quickly moved up the ranks to become a vice president.

And then Diller’s career kept moving on becoming CEO of Paramount Pictures at age 32 and launching the Fox TV network at age 44.

Diller’s career is so full that reading is not easy. Lots of activity. Lots of titles. (He created “Movie of the week” and long TV series like “Roots”. He oversaw production of movies “Saturday Night Fever” and “Grease” and on and on.) And there’s even a bit of romance with men and one particular woman along the way. Barry is married to fashion mogul Diane Von Furstenberg, in fact, he has married her twice.

If you are a fan of non-fiction. If you are a fan of TV and movies. If you are a reader who can keep a dazzling career and lots of initials in check, then I recommend this book. I loved reading everything about Barry Diller’s career. We’re told Diller had planned the book for 15 years, but didn’t finish because he was “over-engaged in business pursuits.” He adds:

“I have had quite a long run and I’m still running. If I had to ask myself why, I’d say with certainty it’s because I’m still curious. I never see a plane taking of that I don’t want to be on. I still want and need to be engaged and part of things.”

The book has lots of interesting photos.