10 Movies That Ruined Real Life People's Reputations
2. Titanic - William Murdoch
As much of a technically rigorous masterpiece as James Cameron's Titanic might be, it plays decidedly more fast and loose with historical fact, particularly with its depiction of First Officer William Murdoch (Ewan Stewart).
In the film, Murdoch infamously shoots two men amid the frantic scramble for lifeboats in an panicked attempt to maintain order, before shooting himself in the head in disgrace.
Murdoch's nephew Scott saw Titanic and vocally objected to Cameron's micharacterisation, given that there's nothing more than unsubstantiated rumour that Murdoch took part in any of these acts.
As a result, Fox executive Scott Neeson visited the nephew in Scotland to personally apologise, while also donating £5000 to a local high school's William Murdoch Memorial Prize.
Cameron himself even acknowledged the controversy on Titanic's DVD commentary, stating that he never intended to depict Murdoch as anything less than an "honorable man":
"I'm not sure you'd find that same sense of responsibility and total devotion to duty today. This guy had half of his lifeboats launched before his counterpart on the port side had even launched one. That says something about character and heroism."
Yet given that Titanic grossed over $2 billion worldwide and remains a cultural monolith today, it's fair to say that 99% of people still think of Murdoch as a murderer and a coward. Oof.