Wendi Deng Murdoch Explained

Wendi Murdoch
邓文迪
Birth Name:Deng Wenge (Chinese: 邓文革)
Birth Date:5 December 1968
Birth Place:Jinan, Shandong, China
Father:Deng Dehui
Mother:Liu Xueqin
Nationality:American
Spouse:
    Children:2[1] [2]
    Education:Guangzhou Medical University
    California State University, Northridge (BA)
    Yale School of Management (MBA)
    Module:
    Child:yes
    Order:st
    P:Dèng Wéndí

    Wendi Deng Murdoch (; born Deng Wenge; December 5, 1968) is a Chinese-born American entrepreneur, investor, film producer, and collector of Chinese contemporary art.[3] [4]

    Early life and education

    Wendi Deng was born in Jinan, Shandong and raised in Xuzhou, Jiangsu. Her birth name was Deng Wenge,,[5] Deng, the family name, and Wenge meaning "Cultural Revolution".[6] [7] She has two older sisters, and a brother, and both of her parents were engineers.[8] When she was a teen she changed her given name to "Wendi".[9] [5] [10]

    She attended Xuzhou First Secondary School (a.k.a. Xuzhou No.1 Middle School). She became a competitive volleyball player.[11] [12] While she was in high school, her father relocated to Guangzhou, where he was a factory director at the People's Machinery Works; she and her family remained in Xuzhou until they joined their father a short time later. In 1985, she was enrolled at the Guangzhou Medical College.

    In 1988, she left medical school and went to the United States on a study permit. She enrolled at California State University, Northridge,[13] where she studied economics and was among the top scoring students.[14] [15] She obtained a BA in Economics from California State University at Northridge and an MBA from Yale University.

    Career and public profile

    Upon graduation from Yale in 1996,[16] Deng met Bruce Churchill. At that time, Churchill oversaw finance and corporate development at the Fox TV branch in Los Angeles. He offered Deng an internship at News Corp subsidiary Star TV in Hong Kong, which developed into a full-time junior executive position. Though a junior employee, she took a role in working to plan Star TV's operations in Hong Kong and China and helped to build up Chinese distribution for Star's Channel V music channel.[17] Within one year, she became a vice president. Additionally, she investigated interactive TV opportunities for News Digital Systems.

    Murdoch was an advisor for MySpace's China operation, prior to the company's sale to Specific Media in June 2011.[18] [19] [20] She led the Murdoch family's Chinese internet investments and helped form business links with China for high-speed video and internet access.[21]

    In 2009, Murdoch co-founded the online platform Artsy[22] with Carter Cleveland[23] and Dasha Zhukova,[24] which has since become one of the top online places for buying, viewing and learning about art.[25] [26] Other investors include Peter Thiel, François Pinault and Eric Schmidt. She has invested in tech start-ups including Oscar, Snapchat, Uber and Warby Parker.

    In 2011, Murdoch co-produced her first film with Florence Sloan,[27] Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, a movie about two footbound children in Qing dynasty China,[28] [29] directed by Wayne Wang.[30] The film won the Golden Angel Award at the Chinese American Film Festival.[31] She also produced the Netflix documentary Sky Ladder[32] which showcased the art of Cai Guo-Qiang[33] and directed by Academy Award-winning director Kevin MacDonald.[34] The film premiered in January 2016 at the Sundance Film Festival.[35] Sotheby's hosted a private reception and screening of the film in October 2016 before the film's Netflix debut.[36]

    Personal life

    Jake and Joyce Cherry hosted Deng in their home during her studies in the United States. Later, Jake Cherry left his wife, and married Wendi Deng in 1990.[37] While married to Cherry, Wendi obtained a green card. Their marriage lasted 2 years and 7 months when they divorced.[14] Jake later said that they stayed together for only four to five months when he learned that Deng was spending time with David Wolf, a man closer to her age.[37] Deng used Wolf's money to study at Yale.

    In 1997, she met Rupert Murdoch, who is 37 years her senior, while working as an executive at the Murdoch-owned Star TV in Hong Kong.[8] They married in 1999[38] on board his yacht Morning Glory,[39] less than three weeks after the finalization of his divorce from his second wife, Anna Murdoch.[40] [41] [42] The couple had two daughters: Grace (born 2001) and Chloe (born 2003). Tony Blair is Grace Murdoch's godfather.[43] In June 2013, Rupert Murdoch filed for divorce from Deng, citing irreconcilable differences.[44]

    On July 19, 2011, Wendi Murdoch attacked Jonathan May-Bowles (comedian Jonnie Marbles) after he threw a pie at her husband Rupert Murdoch while he was giving testimony before a British parliamentary committee considering the News International phone hacking scandal.[45] May-Bowles was subsequently sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment.[46]

    In February 2014, The Daily Telegraph and Vanity Fair alleged that Wendi Murdoch might have had an affair with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.[47] [41] An article in The Economist claimed that as a result of Rupert Murdoch's suspicion that Blair had an affair with his wife, he ended his long-standing association with Blair in 2014.[48]

    In early 2018, The Wall Street Journal published a story suggesting that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump,[49] longtime friends of Murdoch, were warned by US intelligence agencies that Murdoch may be using her relationship with them to further the goals of the Chinese government.[50] Michael Wolff, author of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, posited that the article was an attempt by Rupert Murdoch, owner of The Wall Street Journal, to spread the idea that "Wendi is a Chinese spy" in the aftermath of their acrimonious divorce.[51]

    Murdoch lives in New York City with her two daughters. Grace attends Yale University (class of 2025), and Chloe studies at Stanford (2026).[52]

    See also

    References

    Bibliography

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Rupert Murdoch and His Family . . July 24, 2011 . July 9, 2011.
    2. Web site: Murdoch family genealogy . Sir William Arbuthnot and Charles . Hillman . Kittybrewster.com . June 8, 2020 . July 3, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140703215240/http://www.kittybrewster.com/ancestry/murdoch.htm . usurped .
    3. Web site: Robehmed . Natalie . Why Artsy Is Succeeding In Putting The Art World Online . Forbes . February 19, 2019 . September 6, 2013.
    4. News: Grishpan . Renny . Wendi Murdoch and Kenzo Digital: Where Art and Technology Meet . Asia Society . February 19, 2019 . March 4, 2013.
    5. News: Ellis. Eric. Wendi Deng Murdoch – A Life. The Monthly. 28–40. June 2007.
    6. News: Anthony . Andrew . Sex and single-mindedness: The Wendy Deng story . December 7, 2019 . . February 9, 2014 . Wendi Deng was born Deng Wen Ge, which means “cultural revolution,”....
    7. News: Zhao . Christina . Who Is Wendi Deng? Rupert Murdoch's Ex-Wife, Ivanka Trump's Bestie and Suspected Chinese Spy . December 7, 2019 . . January 16, 2018 . She was born in China's Shandong province in 1968, and her birth name was Deng Wenge, which translates to "cultural revolution." She changed her name as a teenager..
    8. Web site: Wendi Murdoch Is Nothing Less Than a Force of Nature. July 20, 2016. Haskell. Rob. Vogue. en. June 8, 2020.
    9. News: Wendi Deng hailed in China for defending Rupert Murdoch. July 20, 2011. Jonathan Watts. The Guardian.
    10. News: Rupert Murdoch's Wife Wendi Wields Influence at NewsCorp. The Wall Street Journal. November 2, 2000. December 5, 2010.
    11. News: Rupert Murdoch hit by custard pie: Wendi Deng's volleyball spike. Adams. Stephen. The Daily Telegraph. July 19, 2011. February 27, 2019. en-GB. 0307-1235.
    12. News: The Saturday interview: Wendi Murdoch. Danaher. Patricia. November 12, 2011. The Guardian. February 27, 2019. en-GB. 0261-3077.
    13. News: Wendi Murdoch Is Creating a Career of Her Own. Chozick. Amy. June 15, 2012. The New York Times. February 27, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331.
    14. Web site: The Boy Who Wouldn't Be King. Steve Fishman. September 11, 2005. New York. New York Media. 5. September 5, 2010.
    15. Web site: Wendi Deng: Heiress Apparent? . The Asia Magazine . December 5, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181013211600/http://www.theasiamag.com/people/wendi-deng-heiress-apparent . October 13, 2018 . dead .
    16. Web site: Wendi Deng profile: The demerger. June 14, 2013. The Independent. en. April 28, 2020.
    17. News: Rupert Murdoch's Wife Wendi Wields Influence at News Corp.. Lippman. John. November 1, 2000. Wall Street Journal. February 10, 2019. Chang. Leslie. en-US. 0099-9660. Frank. Robert.
    18. News: Wendi Murdoch to work with MySpace . . July 4, 2007 . September 5, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080519234912/http://www.chinaeconomicreview.com/it/2007/07/04/wendi-murdoch-to-work-with-myspace/ . May 19, 2008 .
    19. Web site: Wendi Deng's MySpace China Venture. July 12, 2011. AsiaSentinel. February 10, 2019.
    20. Web site: MySpace sells to Specific Media for $35 million. Lowensohn. Josh. CNET. en. February 10, 2019.
    21. News: Who is Wendi Murdoch?. Guardian Staff. November 5, 2000. The Observer. February 10, 2019. en-GB. 0029-7712.
    22. Web site: This Is What Wendi Murdoch Does on the Internet. Murdoch. Wendi. October 21, 2016. ELLE. en-US. February 10, 2019.
    23. Web site: Artsy's Wendi Murdoch Just Wants to Sell You a Painting. Shnayerson. Michael. March 15, 2018. Town & Country. en-US. February 10, 2019.
    24. Web site: Vice Media buys Dasha Zhukova's Garage art magazine. Garrahan. Matthew. July 5, 2016. Financial Times. en-GB. February 10, 2019.
    25. Web site: Why Artsy Is Succeeding In Putting The Art World Online. Robehmed. Natalie. Forbes. en. February 10, 2019.
    26. News: New York's Artsy Is Making It Even Easier to Buy Art Online. Schuetz. Molly. March 27, 2018. Bloomberg.com. February 10, 2019.
    27. Web site: The Producers. Lipsky-Karasz. Elisa. July 6, 2011. Harper's BAZAAR. en-US. February 10, 2019.
    28. http://www.foxsearchlight.com/snowflowerandthesecretfan/ Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
    29. News: Interview of Wendi Deng Murdoch for Swan Flower and the Secret Fan. The Charlie Rose Show. August 25, 2011. September 14, 2011. October 16, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111016162732/http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11862. dead.
    30. Web site: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Movie Review (2011) Roger Ebert. Ebert. Roger. www.rogerebert.com. en. February 10, 2019.
    31. Web site: Chinese American Film Festival (C.A.F.F.) (2011). IMDb. February 10, 2019.
    32. Web site: Wendi Murdoch's New Documentary On the Chinese Artist Cai Guo-Qiang Will Explode On Netflix. Eckardt. Stephanie. W Magazine. October 10, 2016 . en. February 10, 2019.
    33. Web site: Artist Cai Guo-Qiang Takes Center Stage in Netflix Documentary Sky Ladder. Vogue. October 14, 2016. en. February 10, 2019.
    34. News: 'I love fireworks, they mean good luck': Wendi Deng Murdoch on Chinese art. Helmore. Edward. October 6, 2016. The Guardian. February 10, 2019. en-GB. 0261-3077.
    35. Web site: Wendi Murdoch at Sundance 2016 for the opening World Premiere documentary of SKY LADDER: THE ART OF CAI GUO-QIANG. www.filmfestivals.com. en. February 10, 2019.
    36. Web site: Cai Guo-Qiang & Wendi Murdoch Bring 'Sky Ladder' to Sotheby's. Sporn. Stephanie. October 14, 2016. February 10, 2019. February 12, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190212011719/http://www.sothebys.com/content/sothebys/cn/news-video/blogs/all-blogs/events/2016/10/sky-ladder-cai-guo-qiang-wendi-murdoch-screening.html. dead.
    37. News: Leonard. Tom. How Murdoch's wife won her ticket to America. The Daily Telegraph . UK. November 2, 2000. September 5, 2010.
    38. News: Wendi Murdoch Is Creating a Career of Her Own. Chozick. Amy. June 15, 2012. The New York Times. March 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331.
    39. Golfar. Fiona. June 14, 2013. The Vogue Interview: Wendi Deng. Vogue. April 10, 2015. Pictures by Patrick Demarchelier.
    40. News: Wendi Deng: dizzying rise of the Shanghai star. Andrew. Anthony. February 8, 2014. The Guardian.
    41. Seduced and Abandoned. Mark. Seal. February 19, 2014. Vanity Fair. June 8, 2020.
    42. News: The Saturday interview: Wendi Murdoch. Danaher. Patricia. November 12, 2011. The Guardian. March 18, 2019. en-GB. 0261-3077.
    43. News: Rupert Murdoch in rift with Tony Blair over claims of 'multiple' encounters with ex-wife Wendi Deng. 24 Nov 2013 . The Daily Telegraph.
    44. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/22895642 "Rupert Murdoch files for divorce from Wendi Deng"
    45. John Plunkett and Jane Martinson "Rupert Murdoch attacked at phone-hacking hearing". The Guardian. July 19, 2011.
    46. News: CC Murdoch pie thrower reportedly blogging from prison. August 16, 2011. This Just In. CNN. August 16, 2011. January 14, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120114094826/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/16/murdoch-pie-thrower-reportedly-blogging-from-prison/?hpt=hp_t1. dead.
    47. News: Wendi Deng's 'love note for Tony Blair' published. Singh. Anita. The Daily Telegraph. February 5, 2014. March 24, 2019. en-GB. 0307-1235.
    48. News: Life after power: The loneliness of Tony Blair. registration. December 17, 2014. The Economist. June 8, 2020.
    49. Web site: Who Is Ivanka Trump's Best Friend? It's Reportedly Another Powerful Businesswoman . Monica Hunter-Hart . May 31, 2018 . . August 27, 2018 .
    50. News: O'Keefe. Kate. January 15, 2018. U.S. Warned Jared Kushner About Wendi Deng Murdoch. Wall Street Journal. January 16, 2018.
    51. News: Lockie. Alex. January 16, 2018. Jared Kushner reportedly was warned that his close friend Wendi Deng Murdoch may be a Chinese spy. Business Insider. January 16, 2018.
    52. Web site: Beth Marengo and Samaria Parker . Who's who: Meet the Murdoch Family . 2022-06-04 . CNN. April 18, 2022 .

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