The greatest investors have long track records of generating market-crushing returns over their investing careers. Their successes, in turn, enrich the investors who entrust them with their money. Their uncanny ability to create wealth is what makes them famous.
Here's a closer look at some of the most well-known investors in the world:
1. Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett might be the most well-known investor. His rise to fame began in 1965, when he acquired struggling textile maker Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A -0.30%)(BRK.B -0.20%) and used it as a vehicle to build a vast investment empire. Today, Berkshire is a global conglomerate with stakes in iconic companies like GEICO, Dairy Queen, Coca-Cola (KO -0.07%), and Apple (AAPL -0.31%).
Buffett is best known for his disciplined value investing approach, which he learned from Benjamin Graham. He buys strong, well-managed companies at fair prices and holds them for the long term. Buffett's philosophy emphasizes patience, simplicity, and deep fundamental analysis, inspiring generations of investors.
Despite his multibillion-dollar net worth, Buffett is famously humble. He still lives in the modest Omaha home he purchased in 1958 and has pledged to give away 99% of his wealth through efforts like The Giving Pledge.
His legacy? A timeless blueprint for investing wisely -- and living with purpose.
2. Benjamin Graham
Benjamin Graham was an investing pioneer. He invented the concept of value investing in the 1920s -- an approach that prioritizes buying stocks priced below their intrinsic values. Graham wrote two of the most famous books on investing, Securities Analysis with David Dodd and The Intelligent Investor. Graham's legacy is the formative role he played in shaping Warren Buffett's investing strategy and his ascent as a leading value investor.
3. Carl Icahn
Carl Icahn is an activist investor who acquires significant stakes in public companies to force changes that he believes will increase shareholder value. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Icahn developed a reputation for being a "corporate raider" -- someone who engineers hostile takeovers of companies and then slashes costs and sells assets to boost the value of the shares.
Icahn focuses his activism on companies that he believes are undervalued due to mismanagement, and he often seeks to force changes related to a company's leadership team and its governance. While Icahn's "corporate raider" approach may seem callous, he aims to hold management teams accountable as good stewards of shareholder capital.
4. John Templeton
John Templeton is considered one of the best contrarian investors. During the Great Depression, he famously bought 100 shares of each company listed on the New York Stock Exchange that traded for less than $1. That simple, bold wager made him a very wealthy man. He founded his flagship mutual fund, the Templeton Growth Fund (NASDAQMUTFUND:TEPL.X), in 1954 and produced annualized returns exceeding 15% over 38 years. He also pioneered international investing, having established some of the largest and most successful cross-border investment funds. He eventually sold his firm, Templeton Funds, to the Franklin Group, which is now Franklin Resources (BEN -0.68%). His investing approach has demonstrated that being contrarian during periods of severe market turmoil can really pay off over the long term.
12. David and Tom Gardner
We would be remiss if we did not give an honorable mention to David Gardner and Tom Gardner, who cofounded the multimedia financial services company The Motley Fool in 1993 to help people achieve financial freedom. Since launching their flagship Stock Advisor service in February 2002, the Gardner brothers have delivered a 1,067% total return to their subscribers through September 10, 2025 -- vastly outperforming the S&P 500's 186% gain during that time period. The Gardner brothers recommend stocks to subscribers and invest in those same stocks themselves. They founded The Motley Fool to help anyone build wealth through the stock market.
Other famous investors
The above list is not exhaustive. Many other investors have earned name recognition for their ability to deliver market-beating returns year after year. For example, while Warren Buffett and John Templeton are some of the most famous value or contrarian investors, Jim Rogers, Marc Faber, and others have also earned reputations for their value investing success. Several investors, including Thomas Rowe Price Jr. and Phillip Fisher, have made names for themselves by successfully investing in growth stocks, and both are considered "fathers" of growth investing.
Not all famous investors earned their public image by creating wealth via the stock market. Billionaire real estate investors Sam Zell and Stephen Ross are famous for their ability to profit from real estate investments. Meanwhile, Bill Gross -- dubbed the "King of Bonds" -- eschewed the stock market in favor of bond investing.
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What do most famous investors have in common?
As this list shows, anyone can be a highly successful investor. However, one of the keys to success for the most famous investors is that they have a long-term mindset. Anyone can have a down year, which has been the case for many famous investors in the past. However, the key to being successful is to press through the challenging times.
It’s during challenging times that the best investors are buying so that they don’t miss the eventual recovery. Many made their best returns by investing through a turbulent period.
Another characteristic that famous investors share is their focus on and mastery of one specific approach to investing. Whether it's identifying value stocks, growth stocks, or pushing for change as an influential activist, these famous investors earn outsized returns by leveraging their deep investment knowledge and staying focused on the strategies that delivered consistent profitability.
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