Barbara Walters Names Steve Jobs 'Most Fascinating Person' of 2011

Barbara Walters has named the late Steve Jobs as the Most Fascinating Person of the Year on her special BARBARA WALTERS 10 MOST FASCINATING PEOPLE OF 2011 which aired last night on ABC. In fact, the Apple founder was selected much earlier in the year, before his death.  A businessman and a visionary, a marketing genius and a romantic, a billionaire and a Zen Buddhist, Jobs was one of a kind. His energy and vision changed the world and made him the choice for Most Fascinating Person of the Year.  Steve Jobs died in October at just 56, after an eight-year battle with cancer. His death was mourned by millions around the world. "He wanted things insanely great and would take or accept nothing less than that," said Disney president and CEO Bob Iger, Jobs' colleague and close friend.  

A college dropout, Jobs co-founded Apple Computer with his friend Steve Wozniak in his parents' basement in 1976. Almost a decade later, he was ousted from the company and embarked on a new path: He purchased and grew Pixar Animation Studios, married, and had three children.

Jobs' triumphant return to Apple in 1996 launched a period of tremendous success for the company, which revolutionized digital music with the iPod and later transformed the cell phone with the iPhone.  Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs was the top selling book of 2011, and you could read it on another one of Jobs' creations, the iPad.

"His enthusiasm was unbelievably evident, visceral," Iger said. "You could see it from his toes to his head, he was so enthusiastic. He also was inspirational in that he demanded excellence from his people. He demanded that they think big. Big ideas really got Steve moving." Jobs often said he had "the best job in the world." Driven and idealistic, he expected greatness from himself and those around him.

Also included on Walter's top 10 list was American Reality Royalty, the Kardashian family, the always provocative Simon Cowell, breakout stars from television's hit comedy, "Modern Family," Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet; MLB star and New York Yankees Captain Derek Jeter; American business tycoon/author/television personality Donald Trump, pop singing sensation Katy Perry; and quite possibly the most famous sister in the world - Pippa Middleton. 

Now in its 19th season, "Barbara Walters Presents the 10 Most Fascinating People" has consistently been one of the highest rated specials of the year.

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