Wendi Deng Murdoch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wendi Murdoch
邓文迪 |
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Wendi Deng in 2024
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| Born |
Deng Wen'ge (邓文革)
December 5, 1968 |
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| Nationality | American | ||||||
| Education | Guangzhou Medical University California State University, Northridge (BA) Yale School of Management (MBA) |
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| Children | 2 | ||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 邓文迪 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 鄧文迪 | ||||||
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Wendi Deng Murdoch (Chinese: 邓文迪; pinyin: Dèng Wéndí) was born on December 5, 1968, with the name Deng Wen'ge. She is an American businesswoman and a well-known person in society. She was married to Rupert Murdoch, a very powerful person in the media world, from 1999 to 2013.
Early Life and Education
Wendi Deng was born in Jinan, Shandong, China. She grew up in Xuzhou, Jiangsu. Her birth name, Deng Wen'ge, included "Wenge," which means "Cultural Revolution." She has two older sisters and a brother. Both of her parents were engineers. When she was a teenager, she changed her first name to "Wendi."
She went to Xuzhou First Secondary School and was a good volleyball player. Her family later moved to Guangzhou to join her father. At 16, she started studying at the Guangzhou Medical College.
In 1988, Wendi left medical school and moved to the United States. She went there with a special permit to study. She enrolled at California State University, Northridge, where she studied economics. She was one of the best students there. She earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Economics. Later, she earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Yale University.
Career and Business Ventures
After finishing her studies at Yale in 1996, Wendi Deng met Bruce Churchill. He worked at Fox TV in Los Angeles. Churchill offered Wendi an internship at Star TV in Hong Kong. Star TV was a company owned by News Corp. This internship soon became a full-time job as a junior executive.
Even as a junior employee, Wendi helped plan Star TV's work in Hong Kong and China. She also helped grow the Chinese audience for Star's music channel, Channel V. Within just one year, she became a vice president. She also looked into new ways to use interactive TV for News Digital Systems.
Wendi Deng was an advisor for MySpace's operations in China. This was before MySpace was sold in 2011. She also managed the Murdoch family's investments in Chinese internet companies. She helped create business connections with China for fast video and internet access.
In 2009, Wendi co-founded an online platform called Artsy. She started it with Carter Cleveland and Dasha Zhukova. Artsy has become a leading online place to buy, view, and learn about art. Other important investors have also supported Artsy.
In 2011, Wendi co-produced her first movie, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. This film was about two young girls in ancient China. The movie won the Golden Angel Award at the Chinese American Film Festival. She also produced the Netflix documentary Sky Ladder. This film showed the art of Cai Guo-Qiang. It premiered in 2016 at the Sundance Film Festival.
Wendi Deng is also a collector of modern Chinese art. She has invested in many technology start-up companies. These include Oscar, Snapchat, Uber, and Warby Parker.
Personal Life
When Wendi Deng first came to the United States, Jake and Joyce Cherry let her stay in their home. Wendi later married Jake Cherry in 1990. During their marriage, Wendi received a green card, which allowed her to live and work permanently in the U.S. They divorced after about two and a half years.
In 1997, Wendi met Rupert Murdoch in Hong Kong. She was working at his company, Star TV. They got married in 1999 on his yacht. They had two daughters together: Grace, born in 2001, and Chloe, born in 2003. Tony Blair is Grace Murdoch's godfather. In June 2013, Rupert Murdoch filed for divorce from Wendi.
On July 19, 2011, Wendi Deng reacted quickly when a man threw a pie at Rupert Murdoch. This happened while he was speaking to a British parliamentary committee. The man, Jonathan May-Bowles, was later sent to prison for six weeks.
Wendi Deng lives in New York City with her two daughters. Grace attends Yale University, and Chloe studies at Stanford University. Grace and Chloe will inherit shares in their father's businesses. However, they do not have voting rights in these businesses.
See also
- Chinese Americans in New York City
