Wigand remains one of the most famous whistleblowers in American business history. His role in what is now known as The Big Tobacco scandal revealed that executives of cigarette companies knew that their products were addictive and that furthermore they added carcinogenic ingredients.

As a top scientist at Brown & Williamson, Wigand was the central witness in the lawsuits filed by Mississippi alongside 49 other US states which resulted in a settlement of $246billion.

His story was initially picked up by an investigative reporter for '60 Minutes' called Lowell Bergman. However, the interview was sabotaged by broadcaster CBS, while Wigand was sued, targeted and faced jail. The film 'The Insider' documents the harrowing ordeal with Russell Crowe as Wigand and Al Pacino as Bergman.