Wendi Deng
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wendi Murdoch. Originally Wendi Deng (simplified Chinese: 邓文迪; pinyin: Dèng Wéndí, originally 邓文革; pinyin: Dèng Wéngé; born 1969 in Xuzhou, China) is a former Vice President of Business Affairs at News Corporation’s Asian satellite television operation and is married to its chief executive Rupert Murdoch, one of the most powerful media owners in the world.
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[edit] Childhood
Wendi Deng was born 1969 in China, Xushou area, and has 2 sisters and one brother. Deng’s father was president of a Chinese factory with her family being relatively wealthy compared to most Chinese residents at the time.
[edit] Move to the US
In 1985, she graduated from high school and enrolled in Guangzhou Medical College but dropped out at the end of the third year.
After schooling Deng attended Medical College and in 1987 at age 18, she met Jake Cherry a former UNICEF executive, and his wife, who started teaching Deng English. In 1988 Mr. and Mrs Cherry sponsored a student visa for Deng and she moved to America to live with the Cherry’s and to study at the California State University.
In 1990 Jake Cherry left his wife to marry Deng after his wife found photos her husband had taken of Deng in a hotel room. Five months through their marriage, Deng started seeing another man, Cherry and Deng then divorced after two years and seven months of marriage. Wendi Deng went on to apply and was accepted by Yale University where she pursued her Master of business administration degree.
According to Next Magazine, during that time, Deng shared an apartment with her schoolmates and worked as a cosmetics salesgirl to make ends meet.
She received an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management.
After receiving her degree in 1996, Wendi Deng moved to Hong Kong. On the flight over she met Bruce Churchill from Star TV and obtained a position as an intern through him. In 1998 Deng met Rupert Murdoch the managing director of Star TV's parent company News Corporation which led to Deng and Murdoch having an affair despite Deng being almost 40 years younger.
After receiving her degree in 1997, Wendi Deng moved to Hong Kong working for STAR TV. She was in charge of business development. In 1999 Deng met Rupert Murdoch the CEO of Star TV's parent company News Corporation, he divorced his wife of of 31 years, Anna Torv and they married in the same year. Deng and Rupert Murdoch have since had 2 children.
[edit] Marriage to Murdoch
They were married on June 25, 1999 aboard the Perini Navi yacht Morning Glory on the Hudson river. Deng and Murdoch have two children: Grace Helen Murdoch (born November 19, 2001) and Chloe Murdoch (born July 17, 2003).
There is reported to be tension between Murdoch and the children of his marriages to Anna over the terms of a trust holding the family's 28.5 percent stake in News Corporation, estimated in 2005 to be worth about $6.1 billion. Under the trust his children by Wendi Deng share in the proceeds of the stock but have no voting privileges or control of the stock. Voting rights in the stock are divided 50/50 between Murdoch on the one side and his children by two prior marriages.
It is Murdoch's stated desire to have his children by Wendi Deng given a measure of control over the stock proportional to their financial interest in it. However it does not appear that he has any strong legal grounds to contest the present arrangement and his three children by Anna Torv are said to be unwilling to make any such change.
[edit] Culture
The Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Proud Flesh" is supposedly based on Wendi Deng's marriage.
