# The Murdochs

Five marriages, six children, and a trust that took a Nevada courtroom to settle. The real version of a story television has already told twice.

Source: https://netgraf.isik.co/m/murdoch-empire
Kind: Real
Summary: 21 people, 38 relationships, 1885 to 2025
Structure: average 3.0 connections each, 15% of the possible ties drawn, 4 communities

## People (21)

- Keith Murdoch, Australian newspaperman, 1885 to 1952
- Elisabeth Greene, His wife, later Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, 1909 to 2012
- Patricia Booker, First wife, 1956 to 1967
- Anna Murdoch Mann, Second wife, 1967 to 1999, from 1944
- Rupert Murdoch, Built the empire, from 1931
- Wendi Deng, Third wife, 1999 to 2013, from 1968
- Jerry Hall, Fourth wife, 2016 to 2022, from 1956
- Elena Zhukova, Fifth wife, from 2024
- Prudence MacLeod, Eldest child, from 1958
- Elisabeth Murdoch, Founded Shine, from 1968
- Lachlan Murdoch, Sole trustee from 2025, from 1971
- James Murdoch, Left the board in 2020, from 1972
- Grace Murdoch, Wendi's elder daughter, from 2001
- Chloe Murdoch, Wendi's younger daughter, from 2003
- Crispin Odey, Prudence's first husband, from 1959
- Alasdair MacLeod, Prudence's husband from 1989
- Elkin Pianim, Elisabeth's first husband
- Matthew Freud, Elisabeth's second husband, from 1963
- Keith Tyson, Elisabeth's husband from 2017, from 1969
- Sarah Murdoch, Lachlan's wife, from 1972
- Kathryn Hufschmid, James's wife

## Relationships (38)

- Keith Murdoch and Elisabeth Greene: married to (family, confirmed, 1928 to 1952) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Keith Murdoch -> Rupert Murdoch: father of (family, confirmed, from 1931) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch]
- Elisabeth Greene -> Rupert Murdoch: mother of (family, confirmed, from 1931) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch]
- Rupert Murdoch and Patricia Booker: married to (family, confirmed, 1956 to 1967) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Rupert Murdoch and Anna Murdoch Mann: married to (family, confirmed, 1967 to 1999) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng: married to (family, confirmed, 1999 to 2013) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall: married to (family, confirmed, 2016 to 2022) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Rupert Murdoch and Elena Zhukova: married to (family, confirmed, from 2024) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Rupert Murdoch -> Prudence MacLeod: father of (family, confirmed, from 1958) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Patricia Booker -> Prudence MacLeod: mother of (family, confirmed, from 1958) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Rupert Murdoch -> Elisabeth Murdoch: father of (family, confirmed, from 1968) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Anna Murdoch Mann -> Elisabeth Murdoch: mother of (family, confirmed, from 1968) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Rupert Murdoch -> Lachlan Murdoch: father of (family, confirmed, from 1971) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Anna Murdoch Mann -> Lachlan Murdoch: mother of (family, confirmed, from 1971) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Rupert Murdoch -> James Murdoch: father of (family, confirmed, from 1972) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Anna Murdoch Mann -> James Murdoch: mother of (family, confirmed, from 1972) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Rupert Murdoch -> Grace Murdoch: father of (family, confirmed, from 2001) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Wendi Deng -> Grace Murdoch: mother of (family, confirmed, from 2001) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Rupert Murdoch -> Chloe Murdoch: father of (family, confirmed, from 2003) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Wendi Deng -> Chloe Murdoch: mother of (family, confirmed, from 2003) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Prudence MacLeod and Crispin Odey: married to (family, confirmed, 1985 to 1986) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Prudence MacLeod and Alasdair MacLeod: married to (family, confirmed, from 1989) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Elisabeth Murdoch and Elkin Pianim: married to (family, confirmed, 1993 to 1998) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Elisabeth Murdoch and Matthew Freud: married to (family, confirmed, 2001 to 2014) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Elisabeth Murdoch and Keith Tyson: married to (family, confirmed, from 2017) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Lachlan Murdoch and Sarah Murdoch: married to (family, confirmed, from 1999) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- James Murdoch and Kathryn Hufschmid: married to (family, confirmed, from 2000) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Lachlan Murdoch and James Murdoch: brothers (family, confirmed) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Lachlan Murdoch and Elisabeth Murdoch: brother and sister (family, confirmed) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Prudence MacLeod and Elisabeth Murdoch: sisters (family, confirmed) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family]
- Rupert Murdoch -> Lachlan Murdoch: named him successor as chairman (business, confirmed, from 2023) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_of_Rupert_Murdoch]
- Rupert Murdoch -> Lachlan Murdoch: moved to make him sole trustee (business, confirmed, 2024 to 2025) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_of_Rupert_Murdoch]
- James Murdoch -> Rupert Murdoch: challenged the trust in Nevada (conflict, confirmed, 2024 to 2025) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_of_Rupert_Murdoch]
- Elisabeth Murdoch -> Rupert Murdoch: challenged the trust in Nevada (conflict, confirmed, 2024 to 2025) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_of_Rupert_Murdoch]
- Prudence MacLeod -> Rupert Murdoch: challenged the trust in Nevada (conflict, confirmed, 2024 to 2025) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_of_Rupert_Murdoch]
- Lachlan Murdoch -> James Murdoch: bought out for 1.1 billion dollars (conflict, confirmed, 2025) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_of_Rupert_Murdoch]
- Lachlan Murdoch -> Elisabeth Murdoch: bought out for 1.1 billion dollars (conflict, confirmed, 2025) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_of_Rupert_Murdoch]
- Lachlan Murdoch -> Prudence MacLeod: bought out for 1.1 billion dollars (conflict, confirmed, 2025) [source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_of_Rupert_Murdoch]

## Tour (5 steps)

1. Keith Murdoch was a famous Australian journalist. He left his son a single Adelaide newspaper and died in 1952.
2. Five marriages across seven decades, three of which produced children, and two of which ended after the empire was already built.
3. Six children, from three of those marriages. Only four of them had a vote in the trust that controls Fox and News Corp.
4. In 2024 Rupert went to a Nevada probate court to change an irrevocable trust and hand Lachlan sole control. Prudence, Elisabeth and James fought it.
5. It settled in September 2025. Lachlan became the sole decision maker. The other three took 1.1 billion dollars each and gave up their stakes.

## Sources

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdoch_family
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_of_Rupert_Murdoch