Hollywood Influence: Tesla CEO Elon Musk mixing it up with rock stars and celebs [Video]

As one of today's most iconic business mavericks, Tesla Motors [NASDAQ: TSLA] CEO Elon Musk is often seen at major industry conferences hanging out with other tech titans. However, it might surprise you that Musk is also quite connected in celebrity circles. Musk has a long and storied history with Hollywood. Musk's sister, Tosca Musk, is an established movie producer. Elon and Tosca have collaborated on a number of movies — Elon has been an executive producer on the following films: The Rider and the Storm, Baseball in the the Time of Cholera, Dumbstruck, Thank you for Smoking, and Puzzled.

Above: Tesla CEO Elon Musk (Image: Yahoo Tech)

Yes, Musk's Tesla brand appeals to some big names in Hollywood but it's also a draw with professional athletes and sports stars. And, in the music scene, there are quite a few rock stars and hip hop celebs that own a Tesla including Adam Levine of Maroon 5, heavy metal icon Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, hip hop giant Jay Z, and R&B crooner John Legend. That said, Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, has also been (personally) photographed with many other music stars and hollywood celebs, check out a sampling in these paparazzi pics below...

Above (from top to bottom): Tesla CEO Elon Musk hanging out with music star Kanye West at SpaceX, Musk with actors Jared Leto and Cara DeLevine at Suicide Squad movie premiere, Musk with music star Pharrell Williams showing off Model S key at Tesla factory; Musk with Gone Girl actress Rosamund Pike at Golden Globes party (Source: @illclinic; @caradelevingnedailyxoxo; Celebrity Cars Blog; Daily Mail)

You can also catch Musk appearing with Leonardo DiCaprio on National Geographic Channel's climate change documentary, Before the Flood, on October 30th. And, on television, Musk has made cameo appearances on the Simpsons and Big Bang Theory. And Musk hasn't only done cameo appearances on television, he's also appeared on the big screen in Transcendence, Machete Kills, and Iron Man 2.

Above: How Musk is making cameo appearances in movies (Source: Bloomberg)

Perhaps Musk is most well-known in Hollywood circles as the inspiration for Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of comic book hero, Ironman, in films directed by fellow Tesla-owner and Musk pal, Jon Favreau. And, Musk has always been a fan of the movies — he even purchased the Lotus Espirit that was driven on land (and under sea) in the 1977 James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me" — and featured the James Bond car as part of a hidden easter egg feature inside the Model S.  

Above: (Top) A photoshopped "Elon Bond" and Musk's prior Twitter bio pic; (Bottom) Elon Musk's "volcano lair" (Source: Lynn Everatt; Reddit/itzahckrhet via XKCD)

But, we think Musk's secret hollywood aspiration is to play the cheeky supervillain Dr. Evil alongside Bond's comedic alter-ego, Austin Powers. Besides, there are lots of jokes online about Musk's secret volcano lair (see above). After all, Musk tweeted: "I'm treating myself to a volcano lair. It's time." Business maverick, hollywood celeb, rock star, or supervillain? Maybe, the real answer is: all of the above.