an éminence grise

(formal)

someone who has a lot of power and influence but no official position Although he never became a minister, he was the party's éminence grise for 15 years.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Donato	do-NAH-to (Italian, Spanish)	Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Tiberius	ti-BE-ri-uws	Ancient Roman
Chita	CHEE-tah	Spanish
Valeria	[və'liəriə]
Almon	['ælmən]
Dardanos	-	Greek Mythology