Meet the women of the Murdoch clan
The life of Australian born Rupert Murdoch has continued to fascinate business and gossip columnists for decades with his intriguing marriages, power struggles with his children and his incredible wealth and influence.
A new BBC documentary, The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty, due to begin airing in the UK on Tuesday 14 at 9pm on BBC2, has provided even more fodder on his life, and in particular shone a light on the women of the Murdoch clan.
It's taken four marriages for media mogul Rupert Murdoch to meet Jerry Hall, the woman friends of the family say is proving to be a unifying force for the family.
Murdoch, 88, was married to Patricia Booker from until He then married Anna Murdoch (née Torv) in and they remained together until Wendy Deng was next, this marriage lasting from until
Then Murdoch met Hall and the couple were wed in and sources claim she has brought the family together, even Rupert's ex-wife Wendi Deng who recently joined the couple and Murdoch and Deng's two children on a family holiday, all orchestrated by Hall.
The women of the Murdoch clan
Rupert Murdoch has two sons, four daughters and 13 grandchi
The Murdoch Family: All About the Real-Life People Who Inspired 'Succession'
An elderly media tycoon with several grown children in consideration to be his successor: What sounds like the plot of Succession is actually the reality for Rupert Murdoch and his six children.
But unlike in the critically acclaimed series, Rupert's eldest son, Lachlan, will take over the year-old's business empire, Fox Corp and News Corp.
Rupert has been married four times and has six children with three of his wives: Prudence (with his first wife Patricia Booker); Elisabeth, Lachlan and James (with his second wife Anna Torv); and Chloe and Grace (with his third wife, Wendi Deng). After divorcing his fourth wife, Jerry Hall, in August , the media tycoon announced his engagement to Ann Lesley Smith on March 20, (the pair called off their engagement just a few weeks later).
Over the years, there was public speculation about each of his four older children and their potential to be the next leader of the conservative media empire. But Rupert himself was notorious for avoiding the topic: "Let the chips fall where they will," he once said, according to The Irish Times.
In April ,
Meet the children taking over Rupert Murdoch's empire, who make Succession look like child's play.
As the four seasons of Succession unfolded, it was hard not to draw parallels to Rupert Murdoch, his powerful role as chairman of Fox News and News Corp, and his turbulent family life.
While the final season of Succession wrapped up last year, it looks like the real-life Murdochs also have an interesting story arc indeed. Last year it was announced that at age 92 and a seven-decade tenure, Rupert would be stepping down as chairman of Fox and News Corp to make way for a new successor.
Named to take over his helm has been his eldest son Lachlan Murdoch, who in many ways has won the real-life game of Succession if you will.
Despite this confirmation of an 'heir', the Murdoch family has still been embroiled in sibling-rivalry-drama the past year, including a current court hearing regarding vote rights for the Murdoch family trust. Spicy.
But to really break down how the race culminated in Lachlan being handed the reins, let's take a look at each of Rupert's six children and the part they have played in his career.
Prudence MacLeod,
Looking from the outside at the Murd
Who's who? Here's the Murdoch family tree to bring you up to date
Murdoch wives: Patricia Booker ()
In Rupert married his first wife Patricia Booker. She was a former shop assistant and flight attendant from Melbourne. They had their only child Prudence in and divorced in Patricia reportedly died in , in her 70s.
Murdoch wives: Anna Maria Torv ()
Anna Torv was a Scottish newspaper journalist who married Rupert in They were believed to have met when Anna was interviewing him while she worked for his newspaper the Daily Mirror in Sydney. Together they had three children, Elisabeth, Lachlan and James.
Torv was a main board director of News Corp from until the pair separated in
Murdoch wives: Wendi Deng ()
In , after 32 years of marriage, Rupert left Anna and proposed to one of his employees, Wendi Deng, who was 30 at the time. She was a Yale graduate and was the newly appointed vice-president of Rupert's STAR TV. Together they had two daughters, Chloe and Grace.
Murdoch wives: Jerry Hall ()
In March , then year-old Rupert married his fourth wife, former model Jerry Hall. In July she filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. The d
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