Gordon Gekko. Played by Michael Douglas in the 1987 film Wall Street, Gekko personified the excess of the 1980’s and the ruthless players that ran Wall Street. After a stint in real estate speculation and corporate raiding, Gekko makes his fortune on insider trading. He would have gotten away with it if it hadn’t been for his naïve protégée (Charlie Sheen) getting caught by the feds. A symbol for greed in popular culture, Gordon Gekko and his speech, “Greed, for a lack of a better term, is good “ is often referenced by politicians and quoted in TV shows. The FBI even uses him in a campaign against white-collar crime. With all this exposure, you’d think the Madoff & Martha Stewart’s of the world would’ve taken note. Apparently greed is blinding too.