Tony O'reilly: "I Want More Of Everything"

Like many a jet-setting billionaire, Anthony J.F. O'Reilly is a tough man to pin down. When he's not hanging out at his pad in Normandy--the former home of William the Conqueror--he might be at his estate in his native Ireland, charming guests into the early morning with wry impersonations or pondering whether his wife's new Jackson Pollock is hung right side up. In New York, he can be found padding around the presidential suite of the St. Regis Hotel, which is where he was just before heading to Pittsburgh for the gala Dec. 9 opening of the $20 million O'Reilly Theater. "I am a maximalist," the 63-year-old freely admits. "I want more of everything."

Which may explain why, after stepping down as chief executive of H.J. Heinz Co. in April, 1998, O'Reilly has not exactly put his feet up and taken a breather. As corporate executives go, O'Reilly was a curiosity during the 19 years he ran Heinz because he insisted on having business interests outside the global giant. Now the gregarious brand builder is gearing up ambitious plans across his little-known empire. "If Tony was 40 years younger, you get the sense he would be working for an Internet company," says longtime Heinz watcher John M. McMillin of Prudential Securities Inc. "He can smell action."