Photo: Maryland GovPics / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Michael Milken is one of those figures who genuinely reshaped American finance — for better and worse. The guy basically invented the modern high-yield bond market in the 1980s, convincing Wall Street that so-called "junk bonds" could be a legitimate tool for financing companies that traditional lenders wouldn't touch, and for a while it worked spectacularly. He made Drexel Burnham Lambert into a powerhouse and himself into a billionaire. Then came the securities fraud conviction in 1990, the $600 million settlement, and the ban from the industry. What's interesting is the second act: after battling prostate cancer, he poured serious money into cancer research and education philanthropy, and in 2020 got a presidential pardon. Love him or hate him, Milken is impossible to ignore — he's proof that one person really can bend a market to their will, consequences and all.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Michael Milken
- Name (Japanese)
- マイケル・ミルケン
- Reading
- まいける・みるけん
- Born
- July 4, 1946 (age 80)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Dog
- Origin
- Encino, California, United States
- Occupation
- banker / financier
2. Background
- High school
- Birmingham High School
- University
- University of California, Berkeley
Awards & achievements
- 1991 Ig Nobel Prize
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Michael Milken born?
Born July 4, 1946 (age 80).
Where is Michael Milken from?
Michael Milken is from Encino, California, United States.
What does Michael Milken do?
Michael Milken works as banker, financier.
Banker — see all → · Financier — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.