is RUPERT MURDOCH still alive? the BEST BOOKS, TV SHOWS, MOVIES ABOUT HIS LIFE
By Staff Writer, 7/24/26
If you're wondering “Is Rupert Murdoch still alive?", the answer is yes. Rupert Murdoch is 95 years old and has not passed away. The Australian-born media executive is one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern journalism, having built a global media empire spanning newspapers, television, book publishing, and digital media.
People searching for Rupert Murdoch's status are often also looking to understand his extraordinary career, his family's influence, and the media empire he created. Below you'll find a guide to the best books, documentaries, TV series, and films that explore his life and legacy.
The Best Books About Rupert Murdoch
If you want to understand Rupert Murdoch's rise to power, these are among the most respected books written about him.
1. The Scoop by Erin Van Der Meer
Erin Van Der Meer’s The Scoop is a satirical thriller set inside a fictionalized version of the media world, inspired by News Corp, Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire, and its competitors. It follows down-and-out New York City journalist Frankie, who takes a job at a Murdoch-style tabloid, and how far she’s willing to go — and who’s willing to destroy — to reclaim her place in the media elite.
Central to the story is “The Man Upstairs”, a Murdoch-like figure who is never seen but whose presence is felt by the characters, their need for his approval shaping their every decision. With “savage” wit and a propulsive plot, The Scoop examines how one powerful owner’s worldview can influence an entire media organization and ultimately the news the public consumes.
What reviews say: “Like if The Devil Wears Prada and Succession had a chaotic little baby.” - Rebecca Armitage, author of The Heir Apparent
“Offers a clear-eyed view into the seedy side of the media world, showing how ethics can be cast aside in the pursuit of clicks.” - Publishers Weekly
“A biting slide into journalistic turpitude that lands somewhere between satire and farce and sometimes feels like Evelyn Waugh’s Scoop updated for the 21st century.” - the Sydney Morning Herald
2. The Man Who Owns the News by Michael Wolff
Michael Wolff’s The Man Who Owns the News is one of the most notable biographies of Rupert Murdoch, offering an inside look at the businessman behind one of the world’s most powerful media empires. Drawing on extensive access to Murdoch, his family, and his companies, the book explores how he built News Corporation from a small Australian newspaper business into a global force spanning newspapers, television, publishing, and digital media. Wolff examines Murdoch’s relentless ambition, deal-making instincts, and ability to identify opportunities that transformed the modern media landscape.
What reviews say: “Rupert Murdoch emerges from this snootily barbed biography as a surprisingly appealing figure.” - The Guardian
“A wildly idiosyncratic, bizarrely organized … but never less than fascinating portrait.” - Columbia Journalism Review
Buy The Man Who Owns The News at bookshop.org
3. Hack Attack by Nick Davies
Award-winning investigative reporter Nick Davies’ Hack Attack is a deeply reported investigation into the culture of aggressive tabloid journalism surrounding Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, revealing the unethical practices that fuelled one of the biggest media scandals of the modern era. Through detailed reporting on the phone hacking scandal at the News of the World, the book exposes how sensationalism, competition, and a pursuit of exclusive stories contributed to a newsroom culture where privacy violations and illegal methods became embedded in the pursuit of headlines.
What reviews say: “A masterly summary of the hacking affair … the story of modern Britain and how its standards and politics have been degraded by one man's ruthless acquisition of power.” The Guardian
“An engrossing tale about the web of unspoken, ultimately “passive” power Murdoch and his editors held over the power elite of the U.K. as they tsk-tsked them into embarrassing revelations.” Kirkus Reviews
Buy Hack Attack at bookshop.org
4. Bonfire of the Murdochs by Gabrielle Sherman
Gabriel Sherman’s Bonfire of the Murdochs tells the extraordinary real-life succession story behind Rupert Murdoch’s media empire—a family power struggle that rivals the drama of Succession. The book explores how Murdoch’s decision to pit his children against each other in the race to inherit his global media colossus ultimately fuelled decades of rivalry, betrayal, lawsuits, and a multi-billion-dollar battle over control of one of the most influential companies in modern history.
Based on interviews with more than 150 sources, Sherman traces the rise of Murdoch’s empire from its Australian newspaper beginnings to its dominance of Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and major tabloids across three continents. At the centre of the story is Murdoch’s attempt to secure his legacy by dismantling the family succession plan and backing his conservative eldest son, Lachlan, as heir—a decision that set him against his other children and triggered a final reckoning over power, politics, and family loyalty. Bonfire of the Murdochs is a portrait of ambition, inheritance, and the personal cost of building a media empire powerful enough to shape global events.
What reviews say: "Sherman delves in this juicy melodrama into the caustic, decades-long family feud over the inheritance of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. . . . The saga reads like a real-life Succession, a comparison even the family can see, as evidenced by their paranoia about possible leaks to the show’s writers. Readers will be riveted by this merciless battle for dynastic dominance."– Publishers Weekly
“A real-life Succession drama, in all its inglorious tawdriness. . . . It's a story with as much moral relevance as King Lear. . . . Almost certainly guaranteed not to win Rupert Murdoch any new admirers.” – Kirkus Reviews
Buy Bonfire of the Murdochs at bookshop.org
The Best TV Shows & movies about Rupert Murdoch
Ink: Danny Boyle’s Rupert Murdoch Movie (netflix, upcoming)
Ink is an upcoming biographical drama directed by Danny Boyle that explores the rise of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire and the pivotal moment when he acquired the struggling British newspaper The Sun in 1969. Based on James Graham’s acclaimed stage play, the film stars Guy Pearce as Rupert Murdoch and Jack O’Connell as editor Larry Lamb, the man Murdoch hired to help transform The Sun into a bold, disruptive tabloid that would reshape British journalism.
What reviews say: While the film is yet to premiere, the official logline further details Ink as “an explosive cinematic rollercoaster about a group of visionaries and misfits who had an idea for a new kind of news — one that would give the people what they want and would change the face of the world we live in today.”
Dynasty: The Murdochs (Netflix)
Netflix's four-part documentary series Dynasty: The Murdochs chronicles the rise of Rupert Murdoch from Australian newspaper proprietor to one of the most influential media owners in modern history, while examining how his empire came to shape politics, journalism, and public opinion across the English-speaking world. Drawing on thousands of pages of internal documents, emails, text messages, and extensive reporting, the series traces the creation of News Corp, the launch of Fox News, the phone-hacking scandal, and the extraordinary concentration of power within the Murdoch family.
More than a business documentary, Dynasty: The Murdochs is a gripping account of a family at war over succession. It explores Rupert Murdoch's relationships with his children—Lachlan, James, Elisabeth, and Prudence—and the bitter battle over who would inherit the empire, revealing how questions of power, politics, and family loyalty collided behind closed doors. For anyone interested in Rupert Murdoch's life, media influence, or the real story that inspired comparisons to Succession, this is one of the most comprehensive documentaries available.
What reviews say: “Bursts with insights that mix journalistic acumen with gossip, backed by a score generously seasoned with mischievous violin string plucking … a messier succession.” - Salon
Watch Dynasty: The Murdochs on Netflix
The Murdochs: Empire of influence (cnn)
The Murdochs: Empire of Influence is a documentary series that charts Rupert Murdoch’s transformation from the heir to a small Australian newspaper business into one of the most powerful media owners in history. Featuring exclusive reporting, insider interviews, and extensive archival footage, the series examines how Murdoch built an empire spanning Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and newspapers across three continents, while tracing the political and cultural influence that made his companies a force in shaping public opinion.
The series also delves into the Murdoch family's bitter succession battle, exploring the rivalries between Rupert Murdoch's children and the high-stakes fight to inherit control of the empire. Alongside the family drama, it investigates pivotal moments including the phone-hacking scandal, political maneuvering, and the corporate decisions that cemented the Murdochs' global influence, making it one of the most comprehensive documentaries on Rupert Murdoch's life, legacy, and media empire.
What reviews say: A family drama that rivals “Succession” … nimble and surefooted, illuminating, and above all, entertaining.”
Watch The Murdochs: Empire of Influence on CNN
SUCCESSION (HBO)
Although Succession is a work of fiction, HBO’s Shakespearean premium drama series is widely understood to draw heavily on the Murdoch family and the internal power struggles surrounding Rupert Murdoch's media empire. Rather than recreating real events, creator Jesse Armstrong borrows the dynamics of dynastic wealth, media influence, and family rivalry to explore what happens when control of a global news organization becomes inseparable from questions of legacy and inheritance. Many of the show's themes—including an aging patriarch reluctant to relinquish power, competing heirs, and the political influence of a media conglomerate—closely mirror long-standing public narratives about the Murdochs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is Rupert Murdoch?
Rupert Murdoch is a media entrepreneur who transformed a single Australian newspaper business into an international media empire. Over several decades he acquired newspapers, television networks, film studios, and publishing companies across Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
His business career includes ownership or control of influential media brands including The Times, The Sun, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, HarperCollins, and numerous television stations worldwide. His influence on politics, journalism, and popular culture has made him one of the defining media figures of the last century.
Is Rupert Murdoch Still Alive?
Yes. Rupert Murdoch is alive.
Although rumous about celebrity deaths frequently circulate online, there is no credible evidence that Rupert Murdoch has died. Searches for "Is Rupert Murdoch dead?" often spike whenever there are major developments involving his companies, family, health, or public appearances.
How old is Rupert Murdoch?
Rupert Murdoch is 95. He was born in 1931.
What is Rupert Murdoch famous for?
He is best known for building one of the world's largest media companies and influencing newspapers, television, publishing, and political discourse across multiple countries.
What is the best TV show about Rupert Murdoch?
Most critics and audiences recommend Succession. While fictional, it draws heavily from the Murdoch family and their business empire.
What is the best biography of Rupert Murdoch?
Many readers consider The Man Who Owns the News by Michael Wolff to be one of the most comprehensive biographies available.
