At a Glance
- David Ellison, 43, became CEO of Paramount Skydance in August 2025
- Megan Ellison, 39, founded Annapurna Pictures and made Oscar history
- Both siblings left college early to launch successful film production companies
Why it matters: The Ellison children transformed their father’s tech fortune into major Hollywood influence, reshaping modern cinema with blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick and acclaimed films like Her.
Larry Ellison’s brief marriage to Barbara Boothe produced two of Hollywood’s most influential producers, each carving their own path in the entertainment industry.
From Oracle Heir to Movie Mogul
David Ellison was born in January 1983, just 11 months before his parents’ wedding. Despite a childhood that included family yachts and a private plane at 13, his mother kept him grounded with a $5 weekly allowance for chores.
After working at Oracle during high school summers, David dropped out of college in 2006 to finance his first movie. The World War I film Flyboys flopped commercially, but it launched his career.
Tony Bill, the film’s director, told the Los Angeles Times:
> “He never said or behaved or implied in any way who he was behind the scenes. It was like are you … kidding me?”
David founded Skydance Media, which produced major hits including:
- Top Gun: Maverick
- Mission: Impossible franchise
- Multiple blockbusters
In August 2025, David merged Skydance with Paramount, becoming CEO and chairman of the combined entity.
The Annapurna Revolution
Born three years after her brother, Megan Ellison was just three months old when her parents divorced in April 1986. Raised on a Woodside horse farm with David, the siblings amassed over 3,000 VHS movies they watched repeatedly.
Megan launched Annapurna Pictures in 2011, naming it after a Nepalese hiking trail. The company quickly gained acclaim for producing:
- Her
- American Hustle
- Zero Dark Thirty
In 2014, Megan became the first woman to receive two Academy Award nominations for Best Picture in the same year.
Key Takeaways
- David Ellison leads Paramount Skydance after merging his company in August 2025
- Megan Ellison made Oscar history with dual Best Picture nominations in 2014
- Both siblings credit their mother for keeping them grounded despite their father’s $100+ billion fortune
- The Ellison children transformed from Oracle heirs into Hollywood power players
Their father Larry, who once said becoming a parent “fundamentally changed” his personality, now watches his children reshape an entirely different industry than the one that built his fortune.
