The DICT Development Group

  leading light
      n 1: a celebrity who is an inspiration to others; "he was host
           to a large gathering of luminaries" [syn: luminary,
           leading light, guiding light, notable, notability]

  19 Moby Thesaurus words for "leading light":
     chief, electronics king, first-rater, genius, honcho, king, lead,
     luminary, master spirit, paramount, prima donna, principal,
     prodigy, star, superstar, top dog, topnotcher, virtuoso, wonder