Age: 78
Occupation: Republican donor
Few political donors have played as significant a role as billionaire casino magnate and fierce Israel advocate Adelson has in 2012. A $5 million gift from Adelson to the super PAC backing Newt Gingrich funded a flurry of ads that helped spark the former House Speaker's then flagging campaign. Along with his family, Adelson has donated more than $16 million so far, and he plans to give similar support to the eventual Republican presidential nominee, whoever that person is.