Top 10 Respected People Who Turned Out to Be AWFUL

Top 10 Respected People Who Turned Out to Be Terrible People

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were looking at ten people with respectable positions of authority who were also harboring horrifying secrets or ulterior motives.

By their very natures, cult leaders have to be respected, charismatic, and personable. And perhaps none fooled the world quite like Jim Jones. Jones was highly respected in his lifetime, advocating for racial equality and offering support systems for the disenfranchised. He also built significant political capital, receiving praise from mayors and city officials and even being appointed to the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission. He appeared to be a rare combination - a commanding spiritual leader, a prominent civil rights activist, and a community organizer. But Joness story ended in significant tragedy when he took the Peoples Temple to Guyana and murdered over 900 members, their story becoming one of the most shocking events of the 20th century.

Today, John Wayne Gacy is known as one of the most famous serial killers in American history. Active throughout the 1970s, Gacy murdered at least 33 people and buried most of them in the crawl space of his house. But go back to the 70s themselves and youll find a very respectable man. Gacy was highly active in politics, working closely with the local Democratic Party and even having his photo taken with First Lady Rosalynn Carter. He also volunteered for community events, ran a successful construction business, and famously performed at hospitals and childrens parties as Pogo the Clown. Many people liked him, which is why it came as such a surprise when the news broke.

Of all the actors who got #MeTooed, Bill Cosby was one of the most shocking. This comedian was enormously respected in his heyday, not only for his legendary career, but because he seemed like a genuinely good person. He was deeply involved in promoting education, donated millions to charity, and was a trusted public figure, resulting in his nickname Americas Dad. It was also this reputation that allowed people to ignore or mistrust the initial allegations against him. But when over sixty women publicly accused Cosby of assault, his reputation was thoroughly and permanently thrashed. His fall from grace marks one of the most dramatic downfalls in the history of Hollywood and may be studied for decades to come.

One of the most iconic fashion designers in history, Coco Chanel revolutionized feminine style in the early 20th century. Unfortunately, World War II somewhat ruined her reputation, as she knowingly dated Nazi officer Baron Hans Gunther von Dincklage. But its so much worse than that. In 2011, Hal Vaughan published the book Sleeping with the Enemy, reporting on intelligence archives that were recently declassified. Turns out, Chanel was also a Nazi spy and worked with them in various capacities, even going by the codename Westminster. Chanel also tried using antisemitic Nazi laws to force out the Jewish partners of Parfums Chanel, intending to leverage them for her own financial gain.

Before 2012, Jimmy Savile was a highly respected man in Britain, his commanding TV career being just a small piece of the pie. Savile also embarked on extensive fundraising campaigns and volunteered at many hospitals, both of which earned him public praise and institutional trust. He also had enormous royal and political connections, having personal ties with many powerful people and even being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services. But shortly after his death, it was revealed that Savile had assaulted hundreds of people throughout the course of decades, making him one of the most prolific offenders in British history. In hindsight, the warning signs were there, but they were largely ignored owing to Saviles reputation and extensive connections.

Following World War II, roughly 1,600 Germans were brought over to the United States to work for the American government. One of them was Wernher von Braun, who became a celebrity scientist during the Space Race of the 50s and 60s. And while his past with the Nazis was known, he was quickly rebranded as a Cold War hero while the US government downplayed his Nazi affiliations. In reality, von Braun was highly complicit in a system of forced labor and mass death, using concentration camp prisoners in his V-2 rocket program. Conditions were inhuman, and at least 10-20,000 people died while working at his site. In fact, more people died building the V-2 than were killed by the weapon itself!

This knight gained fame as a valiant military commander during the Hundred Years War and is primarily known for fighting alongside Joan of Arc. He was also born into nobility and became one of the richest men in France. But in the years following his military career, Gilles withdrew to his estates, where he engaged in increasingly erratic and sinister behavior. Local children began disappearing, but their peasant families were often too poor or afraid to confront a powerful nobleman. But rumors spread as more children disappeared, and Gilles was eventually investigated and arrested. His true body count is hard to substantiate, but it could be in the hundreds. He was found guilty and hanged on October 26, 1440.

A decorated Colonel, Russell Williams served in the Royal Canadian Air Force for over twenty years. A model officer, Williams oversaw important military operations and personally flew VIP dignitaries around the world, including Queen Elizabeth and various Canadian Prime Ministers. He was also a murderer and sexual offender. Williams committed over eighty fetish-related break-ins between 2007 and 2010, often stealing lingerie before graduating to assault. He also murdered two people - Jessica Lloyd and Marie-France Comeau, a military flight attendant. He was eventually sentenced to life in prison and stripped of his rank and medals. His uniform was even burned by the Canadian military in a symbolic gesture of protest.

Very few financiers were as respected as Bernie Madoff. This guy was a king on Wall Street, running the firm Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities and managing money for banks, charities, hedge funds, celebrities - you name it. He was also a pioneer in electronic trading and helped develop Nasdaq, becoming one of its first chairmen. And while all this was going on, Madoff was running the largest Ponzi scheme in history. In 2008, Madoffs own sons turned him in, and investigators uncovered $65 billion in fake profits. Thousands of investors lost their life savings, and Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison. Its a stark reminder that even seasoned professionals can be deceived when due diligence is ignored.

Doctors are some of the most respected individuals in society, and we quite literally trust them with our lives. So its absolutely horrifying when that trust is broken, especially through malicious means. Harold Shipman was a British GP who operated his own practice in Hyde, Greater Manchester. Through his role as doctor, he gained the trust of vulnerable patients, especially those with cancer and elderly women who lived alone. He would then give his patients fatal doses of pharmaceutical heroin and certify the deaths himself, often attributing them to natural causes like stroke or heart failure. In this manner, Shipman murdered an estimated 250 people, making him one of the most prolific serial killers in history.

Are you one to trust authority figures? Let us know in the comments below!