The curmudgeonly, litigious Solow is one of the most prominent developers in New York City.

The son of a Brooklyn bricklayer, Shelly dropped out of college and started working in real estate development, betting everything he had in 1972 with the construction of an office building at 9 West 57th Street. The now-iconic building made a splash for its curved glass facade, and quickly became one of the more profitable buildings in Midtown. Solow's early success helped him establish one of the city's more formidable development firms with an impressive collection of commercial and residential properties throughout the city.

Solow has the distinction of being one of the most litigious New Yorkers. Over the years, he's filed more than 200 suits against business associates, competitors, vendors—even friends. Notably, in 2004, Solow and Peter Kalikow ended up in a lawsuit after Solow took out an ad in the New York Post alleging (falsely, it turned out) that Kalikow was bankrupt, a move that sent creditors swarming. Why would Solow, who was reportedly one of Kalikow's closest friends, do such a thing? Apparently he was bitter that Kalikow had repaid a $7 million loan too quickly, denying Solow extra interest he'd been banking on. [Image via Getty, with Francis Ford Coppola]