Noun
svengali (plural svengalis)
One who manipulates or controls another as by some mesmeric or sinister influence; especially a coach, mentor or industry mogul.
Svengali (plural Svengalis)
Alternative letter-case form of svengali
I was Betty Bacall always. And Lauren was Howard Hawks... he felt that Lauren Bacall was better sounding than Betty Bacall. He had a vision of his own. He was a Svengali. He wanted to mold me. He wanted to control me. And he did until Mr. Bogart got involved. Lauren Bacall
Some artists want a producer to be a kind of svengali - someone who actually creates a sound for them. Jerry Harrison