Why He's No. 3

Branson's sharp entrepreneurial skills, personable demeanor and humanitarian affiliations helped him rank No. 1 as the most Admired Businessman in Britain. He is also second choice -- after Tony Blair -- amongst Britain's youth for Prime Minister.

His high-profile status has been enhanced by appearances on a host of hit TV series in the U.S. and his native U.K., including guest spots on Friends, Baywatch, Birds of a Feather, and Goodness Gracious Me. In 2004, he starred in the FOX reality show The Rebel Billionaire, which lasted just one season. He had a cameo as the shuttle engineer in the 2006 film Superman Returns, and turned in another high-profile cameo in Casino Royale -- the latest installment in the James Bond series set for released in November 2006.

Back Stage

Branson recently announced the creation of Virgin Fuel, which will develop a less expensive form of propellant for cars and airplanes.

His Virgin Galactic space tourism company is set to take passengers into suborbital space by the end of 2007, providing they can cough up the $200,000 ticket fee. The outer-space venture, which was announced in late 2004, will be cofinanced with Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen and space engineer Burt Rutan.

Forcaste

Multibillionaire Sir Richard Branson presides over the Virgin empire -- a diverse organization of businesses that includes music, transport, telecommunications, and beverage divisions. According to The Sunday Times Rich List 2006, Branson is reportedly worth more than $5 billion.

But not only is Branson a billionaire, he's a billionaire with a heart; in September 2006, the maverick entrepreneur announced that he'll be using a huge chunk of the revenue generated by Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains for the research and development of environmentally friendly energy. Branson's pledge is estimated to eventually contribute about $3 billion over the next 10 years to help combat the ill effects of global warming.