She was a trustee of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and served on the board of trustees for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Merrill had few acting credits in recent years, but never regretted her career. She appeared in made-for-TV movies like "Seven in Darkness," "The Lonely Profession," "Family Flight," and "The Tenth Month." Kay put an investigative reporter on it, and then it really became public.. Dina Merrill, American actress, socialite heiress, businesswoman and philanthropist Birth Place: New York City, New York Country: United States Birthday: December 9, 1923 Death Date: May 22 , 2017 ( age 93 ) Birth Sign : Sagittarius About Biography Dina Merrill is an American actress socialite businesswoman and philanthropist. Of course my parents' eyebrows shot up when I said I wanted to be an actress. After divorcing Mr. Robertson in 1986, Ms. Merrill married Ted Hartley, a former Navy fighter pilot, actor and investment banker, who survives her. "I didn't want to trade on the Hutton name," she explained. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Her acting career brought her to Broadway and Hollywood and she was a highly active philanthropist. The cause of death and other . She chaired the New York City Mission Society, which supports young people living in poverty. Dina was one of the wealthiest actresses in the world, but it should be noted that the majority of her wealth comes from inheritance. Over the course of their relationship, they had three children together. She was born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton on Dec. 29, 1923, in New York City and nicknamed Deenie. In 1980, Merrill joined the board of directors of her fathers E. F. Hutton & Co., continuing on the board of directors and the compensation committee of Lehman Brothers when it acquired Hutton, for over 18 years. The property was later purchased by Trump, who as president has made Mar-a-Lago an unofficial weekend White House. Ms. Merrill had some regrets about her late-blooming acting career, which had been forestalled because of her child-rearing responsibilities. Nedenia Marjorie Hutton (Dina Merrill) was 93 years old, Died: 22 May 2017, in East Hampton, New York, United States, and was born: 29 December 1923, in New York City, New York, United States. Like most actresses at the time, she began her career on stage, performing in the play, The Mermaid Singing, and that became the first of many theatres shows Dina Merrill would play in the first 10 years of her career. That same year she married actor Cliff Robertson and had a daughter with him. "My mother brainwashed me," she said. She was the only daughter of Marjorie Merriweather Post, the heiress to the Post Cereals empire. When Hutton began her acting career, she chose to call herself Dina Merrill, a combination of her and a brother-in-law's names. Merrills film credits included Desk Set (1957), A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed (1958), Dont Give Up the Ship (1959), Operation Petticoat (1959, with Cary Grant, who had been married to her cousin, Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton), The Sundowners (1960), Butterfield 8 (1960), The Young Savages (1961). Its interesting to lead other people lives.. Dina Merrill, the rebellious heiress who defied her super-rich parents to become a movie star, has died at age 93. Hollywood lost another brilliant actress as her death was confirmed by her son, Stanley H. Rumbough, who stated Dina Merrill's cause of death is not yet known, but it was revealed that she suffered from Lewy Body dementia. She made her Broadway debut in 1945 with The Mermaids Singingand followed with George Washington Slept Hereand off-Broadway plays. She is survived by her third husband, the film producer Ted Hartley, whom she married in 1989, and by a son, Stanley, and daughter, Nina, from her first marriage, to Stanley Rumbough Jr. Dina . Merrill died Monday at her home in East Hampton, N.Y., The New York Times reported. The second marriage lasted 20 years, and Ms. Merrill later married Ted Hartley, who was chairman of RKO Pictures. Biography - A Short Wiki Later that year, she wed Oscar-winning actor Cliff Robertson, with whom she had a daughter, Heather Robertson (19682007). View the latest Dina Merrill photos. With other investors, Hartley and Merrill in 1989 acquired RKO Pictures, the onetime major Hollywood studio that had been moribund for many years. She had been suffering from dementia with Lewy bodies. The actress marriage to Cliff was one of her longest, lasting 20 years. NEW YORK Dina Merrill, the rebellious heiress who defied her super-rich parents to become a movie star, often portraying stylish wives or the other woman, has died at age 93. Its really so depressing to be still listed in the Social Register after all the acting Ive done. Merrill is survived by her husband, Ted Hartley, son Stanley Hutton Rumbough, daughter Nedenia Rumbough Roosenburg, and six grandchildren. As a result, her name was dropped from the snobbish Social Register, which excluded actors. Plus more than one last testament. Merrill attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for one term, then dropped out and enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Place of death . The cause of death and other details were not . I love the part about it where you can be somebody else, and not be you all the time. My ambitions were my own not exactly the ones they had for me.. After the birth of her daughter, Merrill resumed her acting and modeling career and was invited to Hollywood by Dick Powell for appearances in his television series. ", Outside of acting roles on TV, Merrill was a regular guest on game shows like "The Match Game," "To Tell the Truth," "What's My Line," and "Hollywood Squares." She then willed the entire 17-acre estate to the United States government upon her death but president Jimmy Carter did not accept the proposition. Dina's mother, Marjorie Merriweather Post, paid for the construction of the original Mar-a-Lago resort with her husband Edward F. Hutton. Her subsequent roles included the bored upper-class wife of an Australian sheep rancher in the Deborah Kerr movie The Sundowners (1960), and the alcoholic wife of an entrepreneur played by the comedian Alan King in Just Tell Me What You Want (1980). Dina Merrill's great uncle was William Edward Hutton Dina Merrill's great uncle was Homer Russell . Starting in the 1950s, Merrill appeared in more than 100 films and television programs, her break coming after Katharine Hepburn recommended her for the 1957 Tracy-Hepburn comedy "The Desk Set." Her father wanted her to become a lawyer and then to run for Congress. Cliff took the telephone and told the whole story, she recalled. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Dina's mother, Marjorie Merriweather Post, was at one time the richest woman in the United States. Throughout her career as an actress, Dina worked on several films such as Desk Set, Dont Give Up the Ship, The Young Savages, Ill Take Sweden, True Colors, and Shade. Additionally, in the 1960s and 1970s, Merrill was a recurring guest on several network television game and panel shows including The Match Game, To Tell the Truth, Whats My Line, and Hollywood Squares. Dina Merrill died on May 22, 2017, at the age of 93. Tension appears to exist between father and daughter. Recent images. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below. Unlike most actors and actresses, who grow up hoping to build a life for themselves and escape excruciating poverty through the profession, Dina was born a rich woman. Ominously, the feds said in a recent filing they are auditing the Barzin estate, "which will likely result" in a bill for more U.S. taxes. Real Estate In 2018, it was reported that. Merrill, who had the poised, aristocratic beauty of fellow blonde Grace Kelly, co-starred with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis in "Operation Petticoat," Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr in "The Sundowners" and Oscar winner Elizabeth Taylor in "Butterfield 8." Dina Merrill was an actress whose aristocratic poise and willowy good looks earned her many film and television roles as well-bred society women - parts that reflected her own life as a scion of . Her last husband, who she was with until her death was Ted Hartley. She was born Nedenia Hutton in New York City, and was drawn to the acting life at age 8, when she played an Indian in a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta at Greenvale School. Merrill, born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton, spent the summers. Recommended Lists: Women Film & Theater Personalities American Film & Theater Personalities American Female Film & Theater Personalities Capricorn Women My ambitions were my own not exactly the ones they had for me.. In becoming a businesswoman, Merrill was emulating her mother, who in the 1920s had helped build her late fathers cereal business into the giant General Foods Corp. NEW YORK Dina Merrill, the rebellious heiress who defied her super-rich parents to become a movie star, often portraying stylish wives or "the other woman," has died at age 93. Large gallery of Dina Merrill pics. More recently, she was part of Robert Altman's ensemble cast for the Hollywood satire "The Player" and in television programs such as "Murder, She Wrote" and "The Nanny.". My ambitions were my own not exactly the ones they had for me.. Hollywood lost another brilliant actress as her death was confirmed by her son, Stanley H. Rumbough, who statedDina Merrills cause of death is not yet known, but it was revealed that shesufferedfrom Lewy Body dementia. In 1991, Merrill and her third husband, Ted Hartley, merged their company, Pavilion Communications, with RKO to form RKO Pictures, which owns the intellectual property of the RKO Radio Pictures movie studio. They had three children, Nedenia Colgate Rumbough, David Post Rumbough, and Stanley Rumbough III before divorcing in 1966. During this period, she was marketed as a potential replacement for Grace Kelly. Two of Merrills four children predeceased her. Born: 9-Dec-1925 Birthplace: New York City Died: 22-May-2017 Location of death: East Hampton, NY Cause of death: unspecified Gender: Female Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Actor, Socialite Party Affiliation: Republican Nationality: United States Executive summary: EF Hutton heiress and actress . In the 1960s and 1970s, Merrill was a recurring guest on several network television game and panel shows including The Match Game, To Tell the Truth, Whats My Line, and Hollywood Squares. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor were among the guests on what has been described as a floating palace equipped with fireplaces, marble bathrooms, a barber shop and a wine cellar. He wanted to be in the Social Register.". Before she became known to the general public as Dina Merrill, a name she chose at the advice of her half-sisters husband, she was Nedenia Marjorie Hutton, daughter of Marjorie Merriweather Post and Edward Francis Hutton, two wealthy people who nurtured her after her birth on the 29th of December 1923 in New York City. NEW YORK Dina Merrill, the rebellious heiress who defied her super-rich parents to become a movie star, often portraying stylish wives or ''the other woman,'' has died at age 93. At the time of her death, she was suffering from dementia. At the time of her death, she was suffering from dementia. . Nedenia Marjorie Hutton was 93 years old, Died: 22 May 2017, in East Hampton, New York, United States and wasBorn: 29 December 1923, in New York City, New York, United States. Her interesting life, which other than as an actress, included being a presidential appointee to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ended on the 22nd of May, 2017 at the age of 93. But becoming an actress was not considered proper for someone of Merrills privileged status. "Mother was politically and diplomatically and every which way well connected," Merrill remarked in 2000, "but she didn't know anyone in show business. Two of Merrills four children predeceased her. Merrill was born in New York City on December 29, 1923, but for many years, her date of birth was given as December 9, 1925. Post's fortune, which included. In 1946 she married Stanley Rumbough, Jr., an heir to the Colgate-Palmolive fortune, and had three children with him. Son of Stanley Rumbough Jr. and Dina Merrill. It's interesting to lead other people lives.". At the time of her death, she was worth an estimated $5 billion. In 1946 she married Stanley Rumbough, Jr., an heir to the Colgate-Palmolive fortune and had three children with him. Her fortune was estimated at more than $250 million when she died in 1973 at age 86. The cause of death and other details were not immediately available Tuesday. Dina Merrill Children. Known throughout her life for her high intelligence, drive, fashion and elegance, Dina died on May 22, 2017 at age 93 of heart failure caused by Lewy Body Dementia. When Hutton began her acting career, she chose to call herself Dina Merrill, a combination of her and a brother-in-laws names. After a two-hour operation to save her, the doctors failed to get Diana's . But becoming an actress was not considered proper for someone of Merrill's privileged status. Apparently without doing much checking, the IRS mailed the full refund to a Paris address for De Bekessy three weeks later. Merrill was born in New York City on December 29, 1923, although for many years her year of birth was given as 1925. One child was named "Nedenia Colgate Rumbough," while the other was given the name "David Post Rumbough." The marriage began in 1989. I was thrilled when they dropped me, she said in 1983. 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