Dina Merrill (born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton; December 29, 1923 – May 22, 2017) was an American actress.[1][2] She had more than a hundred film and television credits from the late 1950s until 2000s. Throughout her life, she married three times.
Dina Merrill | |
|---|---|
 Publicity photo of Merrill in 1968 by John Engstead | |
| Born | Nedenia Marjorie Hutton December 29, 1923 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 22, 2017 (aged 93) East Hampton, New York, U.S. |
| Education | George Washington University American Academy of Dramatic Arts HB Studio |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, businesswoman, socialite |
| Years active | 1945–2009 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Eleanor Post Close (half-sister) C. W. Post (grandfather) Barbara Hutton (first cousin) Lance Reventlow (first cousin once removed) |
Early life
editMerrill was born in New York City on December 29, 1923, but for many years, her date of birth was given as December 9, 1925.[3][4] She was the only child of Post Cereals heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post and her second husband, Wall Street stockbroker Edward Francis Hutton, founder of E. F. Hutton & Co.[5] Merrill had two older half-sisters, Adelaide Brevoort Close (July 26, 1908 – December 31, 1998) and Eleanor Post Hutton (December 3, 1909 – November 27, 2006), by her mother's first marriage to Edward Bennett Close, grandfather of actress Glenn Close. Merrill was also first cousin—and first cousin once removed, respectively—to heiress Barbara Hutton and her son Lance Reventlow.[6][7]
Merrill graduated from Miss Porter's School, then attended George Washington University in Washington, DC for one term, but then enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. She studied acting at HB Studio[8] under Uta Hagen.[9]
Acting career
editOn advice from her half-sister's (then) husband, she adopted the stage name Dina Merrill, borrowing from Charles E. Merrill, a famous stockbroker like her father.[10] Merrill made her debut on the stage in the play The Mermaid Singing in 1945.[11]
During the late 1950s and 1960s, Merrill was believed to have been marketed as a replacement for Grace Kelly,[2] and in 1959, she was proclaimed "Hollywood's new Grace Kelly".[12]
Merrill's film credits included Desk Set (1957), A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed (1958), Don't 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), The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), I'll Take Sweden (1965), The Greatest (1977), A Wedding (1978), Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), Anna to the Infinite Power (1983), Twisted (1986), Caddyshack II (1988), Fear (1990), True Colors (1991), The Player (1992), Suture (1993), and Shade (2003). She also appeared in made-for-TV movies, such as Seven in Darkness (1969), The Lonely Profession (1969), Family Flight (1972), and The Tenth Month (1979).
Merrill appeared in numerous television series in the 1960s, such as playing the villain Calamity Jan in two 1968 episodes of Batman with then-husband Cliff Robertson. She also made guest appearances on two Bonanza episodes as Susannah Clauson, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode "Bonfire" (1962), The Investigators, The Bold Ones, Wagon Train (1964), Mission: Impossible, The Love Boat; Quincy, M.E.; Murder, She Wrote; Roseanne, and The Nanny, as Maxwell Sheffield's disapproving and distant British mother. In 1971, Merrill appeared as Laura Duff in The Men from Shiloh (rebranded name for the TV Western The Virginian) in the episode titled "The Angus Killer".
Her stage credits include the 1983 Broadway revival of the Rodgers and Hart musical On Your Toes, starring Russian prima ballerina Natalia Makarova. In 1991, she appeared in the rotating cast of the off-Broadway staged reading of Wit & Wisdom.[13]
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.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Merrill was a recurring guest on several network television game and panel shows, including Match Game, To Tell the Truth, What's My Line, and Hollywood Squares.
Board memberships
editMerrill was a presidential appointee to the board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a trustee of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, and a vice president of the New York City Mission Society. In 1980, Merrill joined the board of directors of her father's E. F. Hutton & Co., continuing on the board and the compensation committee of Lehman Brothers when it acquired Hutton, for over 18 years.[10][14]
Personal life and death
edit
Merrill was married three times. In 1946, she wed Stanley M. Rumbough Jr., an heir to the Colgate-Palmolive toothpaste fortune and entrepreneur.[15] They had three children, Nedenia Colgate Rumbough; David Post Rumbough; and Stanley Rumbough III,[15] before divorcing in 1966.[16] Later that year, she wed actor Cliff Robertson, with whom she had a daughter, Heather Robertson.[11] The couple divorced in 1986.[16]
In 1989, she married producer Ted Hartley, and they remained married until her death.[15]
On May 22, 2017, Merrill died at her home in East Hampton, New York at age 93. She had been suffering from dementia with Lewy bodies.[15]
Two of Merrill's four children predeceased her.[17][18] David died in a boating accident a few weeks before his 24th birthday, and Heather died from ovarian cancer at the age of 38.[citation needed]
Honors
editMerrill received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award, in 1994,[19] and a lifetime achievement award from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in April 2005.[20]
Filmography
editFeature films
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Desk Set | Sylvia Blair | |
| 1958 | A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed | Margie Solitaire | |
| 1959 | Don't Give Up the Ship | Ensign Rita J. Benson | |
| Operation Petticoat | Second Lieutenant Barbara Duran, NC, USAR | ||
| Catch Me As You Can | |||
| 1960 | Butterfield 8 | Emily Liggett | |
| The Sundowners | Jean Halstead | ||
| 1961 | The Young Savages | Karin Bell | |
| Twenty Plus Two | Nicki Kovacs | ||
| 1963 | The Courtship of Eddie's Father | Rita Behrens | |
| I'll Take Sweden | Karin Granstedt | ||
| 1970 | Aru heishi no kake | Kelly Allen | |
| 1974 | Throw Out the Anchor! | Lindy Baker | |
| 1975 | The Meal | Kelly Fielding | |
| 1977 | The Greatest | Velvet Green | |
| 1978 | A Wedding | Antionette Goddard | |
| 1980 | Just Tell Me What You Want | Connie Herschel | |
| 1983 | Anna to the Infinite Power | Sarah Hart | |
| 1986 | Twisted | Neil Kempler | |
| 1988 | Caddyshack II | Cynthia Young | |
| 1990 | Fear | Catherine Tarr | |
| 1991 | True Colors | Joan Styles | |
| 1992 | The Player | Celia | |
| 1993 | Suture | Alice Jameson | |
| 1995 | Open Season | Doris Hays-Britton | |
| Point of Betrayal | Mother | ||
| 1996 | Milk & Money | Ellen - David's Mother | Executive Producer |
| 1998 | Mighty Joe Young | Society Woman | |
| 1999 | The Other Sister | Pucky | Uncredited |
| 2000 | Meeting Genevieve | Mother | Short movie |
| 2003 | Shade | Dina | |
| 2009 | Beyond a Reasonable Doubt | Woman in Courtroom | Uncredited |
Television films
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Westinghouse Presents: The Dispossessed | Annette DeGrande | |
| 1962 | The Expendables | Barbara | |
| 1964 | "Rawhide" Incident of the Gilded Goddess | Lisa Temple | (TV Episode, First aired April 30, 1964) |
| 1968 | The Sunshine Patriot | Brancie Hagen | |
| 1969 | Seven in Darkness | Emily Garth | |
| The Lonely Profession | Beatrice Savarona | ||
| 1971 | Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones | Vivian Greher | |
| 1972 | Family Flight | Florence Carlyle | |
| 1973 | The Letters | Penelope Parkington | |
| Running Wild | Whit Colby | ||
| 1979 | The Tenth Month | Cele | |
| 1983 | The Brass Ring | Mother | |
| 1986 | The Alan King Show | Nan Cooper | |
| 1989 | Turn Back the Clock | Maureen Dowd | |
| 1993 | Not in My Family | Claire Worth | |
| 1997 | Something Borrowed, Something Blue | Lydia D'Arcy - Monique's Mother | |
| 1998 | A Chance of Snow | Merilee Parker | |
| 2002 | The Magnificent Ambersons | Mrs. Johnson | |
| The Glow | Phoebe Janusz |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Four Star Playhouse | Marcia | Episode: "A Place Full of Strangers" |
| 1956 | Playwrights '56 | Sarah / Mrs. Neville | Episode: "The Center of the Maze" Episode: "Return to Cassino" |
| The Phil Silvers Show | Lieutenant Roxberry /
WAC Lieutenant |
Episode: "Bilko's Rest Cure" Episode: "Bilko's War Against Culture" | |
| 1957–1958 | Matinee Theatre | Episode: "One for All" Episode: "Day of Discoveries" | |
| 1958 | Playhouse 90 | Mary | Episode: "The Time of Your Life" |
| Climax! | Iris Farrar | Episode: "Spider Web" | |
| 1959 | Sunday Showcase | Laurette Harrington | Episode: "What Makes Sammy Run?: Part 1" Episode: "What Makes Sammy Run?: Part 2" |
| 1959–1960 | The DuPont Show of the Month | Laura Hudson / Julie | Episode: "The Fallen Idol" Episode: "Men in White" |
| 1960 | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | Aline Lincoln | Episode: "Murder Is a Private Affair" |
| 1961 | The Investigators | Valerie Corbin | Episode: "Style of Living" |
| The United States Steel Hour | Lisa Muller | Episode: "Brandenburg Gate" | |
| Hong Kong | Helen Rowan Randolph | Episode: "Lady Godiva" | |
| 1962 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Laura | Season 1 Episode 13: "Bonfire" |
| The Dick Powell Theatre | Mrs. Eve Emerson /
Carol Manson |
Episode: "The Court Martial of Captain Wycliff" Episode: "Obituary for Mr.X" | |
| The New Breed | Ruth Kingman | Episode: "So Dark the Night" | |
| Dr. Kildare | Evelyn LeFevre | Episode: "Oh, My Daughter" | |
| Checkmate | Laura Hammond | Episode: "A Very Rough Sketch" | |
| 1963 | Burke's Law | Barrie Coleman | Episode: "Who Killed Mr. X?" |
| The Eleventh Hour | Rita Hall | Episode: "Everybody Knows You Love Me" | |
| 1963–1965 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Maralise / Joan Cowley | Episode: "The Candidate" Episode: "The Game" |
| 1964 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Jo Andrews | Episode: "The Gun" |
| Mickey | Angela | Episode: "Seaside Westside" | |
| Rawhide | Lisa Temple | Episode: "Incident of the Gilded Goddess | |
| 1964–1965 | The Rogues | Clothilde Bonheur / Kendall Frazier | Episode: "The Personal Touch" Episode: "A Daring Step Backward" |
| 1965 | Daniel Boone | Madeline Lorne | Episode: "The Tamarack Massacre Affair" |
| 1965–1972 | The F.B.I | Christine Minton /
Jean Davis |
Episode: "The Monsters" Episode: "The Franklin Papers" |
| 1966 | Bonanza | Susannah Clauson | Episode: "The Pursued: Part 1" Episode: "The Pursued: Part 2" |
| Daktari | Janet Lorne | Episode: "Trail of the Cheetah" | |
| 12 O'Clock High | Capt. Patricia Bates | Episode: "Which Way the Wind Blows" | |
| 1967 | Run for Your Life | Caroline Willins | Episode: "East of the Equator" |
| A.B.C Stage 67 | Ginny Weldon | Episode: "The Trap of Solid Gold" | |
| 1968 | Batman | Calamity Jan | Episode: "Penguin's Clean Sweep" (uncredited) Episode: "The Great Escape" Episode: "The Great Train Robbery" |
| 1969 | Mission: Impossible | Meredyth | Episode: "The Controllers Part 1" Episode: "The Controllers Part 2" |
| 1969–1970 | The Name of the Game | Maggie Payden / Nancy Devlin | Episode: "The Incomparable Connie Walker" Episode: "The Glory Shouter" |
| 1971 | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Madeline Calvert | Episode: "Angry Man" |
| Medical Center | Ruth Marlowe | Episode: "Perfection of Vices" | |
| The Virginian | Laura Duff | Episode: "The Angus Killer" | |
| 1973 | Cannon | Doris Hawthorne | Episode: "Murder By the Numbers" |
| Marcus Welby, M.D. | Dr. Carol Brooks | Episode: "A Cry in the Night" | |
| Night Gallery | Ruth Wilson | Episode: "Hatred Until Death / How to Cure the Common Vampire" Segment: "Hatred Unto Death" | |
| 1974 | The Odd Couple | Anita | Episode: "Oscar in Love" |
| 1975 | Ellery Queen | Harriet Manners | Episode: "The Adventure of the 12th Floor Express" |
| Switch | Luciana | Episode: "Kiss of Death" | |
| 1976 | Quincy M.E. | Claire Garner | Episode: "Who's Who In Neverland" |
| Hawaii Five-O | Dr. Barbara Dalton | Episode: "Nine Dragons" | |
| Kingston: Confidential | Helen Martinson | Episode: "Kingston" | |
| 1977 | The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries | Thelma March | Episode: "A Haunting We Will Go" |
| 1979 | The Love Boat | Helen Ames | 2 Episodes |
| Roots: The Next Generation | Mrs. Hickinger | TV Mini-Series Episode: "Part V" | |
| 1980 | Matt and Jenny | Adelaide Alcott | Episode: "The Actress" |
| 1982-
1984 |
Hotel | Jessica Cabot / Eleanor Blackwood | Episode: "Queen's Gambit" Episode: "Opening Moves" Episode: "The Wedding" |
| 1984 | Hot Pursuit | Estelle Mordian | 12 Episodes |
| 1984 | "Tales of the Unexpected" | Series 7, ep 18, "The Open Window" | "Marjorie" |
| 1990-
1992 |
Murder, She Wrote | Monica Douglas / Annie Floret | Episode: "Always a Thief" Episode: "The Monte Carlo Murders" |
| 1995 | The Nanny | Elizabeth Sheffield | Episode: "The Two Mrs. Sheffields" |
| 1996 | Roseanne | Doris | Episode: "Hoi Polloi Meets Holti Toiti" |
| 1998 | Vengeance Unlimited | Ellen Hayworth | Episode: "Ambition" |
| 2001 | 100 Centre Street | Judge Helen Randolph | Episode: "Bottlecaps" |
References
edit- ^ Gingrich, Arnold (May 1960). Coronet. D. A. Smart. p. 13.
- ^ a b Hamilton, George; Stadiem, William (October 14, 2008). Don't Mind If I Do. Simon and Schuster. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-4165-9450-5.
- ^ "Date of birth given as December 29, 1923". hillwoodmuseum.org. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014.
- ^ Dina Merrill date of birth: December 29, 1923 Archived January 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, paulbowles.org; accessed December 31, 2013.
- ^ "Dina Merrill Biography". filmreference.com. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- ^ Nelson, Nancy (2003). Evenings With Cary Grant: Recollections in His Own Words by Those Who Knew Him Best. New York: Citadel Press. p. 133. ISBN 0-8065-2412-X. "Dina Merrill's father (E. F. Hutton) and Barbara Hutton's father were brothers. Dina recalls: 'Cary and Barbara Hutton came to visit us in Washington right after they were married. [...] I was thrilled my cousin had married this eminent movie star.'"
- ^ "Engagement Announced". Lansing State Journal. August 7, 1959. p. 23. Retrieved July 8, 2024. "Actress Jill St. John, shown with Lance Reventlow, dime store heir [...] Reventlow, 23, son of Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton and her former husband, Danish nobleman Count Haugwitz-Reventlow, operates a stable of racing cars."
- ^ HB Studio Alumni
- ^ "A Touch Of Class". February 28, 1993. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Rowes, Barbara (May 12, 1980). "An Actress Turns to Finance: History Proves That Both Dina Merrill and Her Daddy Knew Best". People. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Bernstein, Adam (May 22, 2017). "Dina Merrill, actress and philanthropist of aristocratic poise, dies at 93". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ "Dina Merrill: A Star on Her Toes". The New York Times. April 3, 1983. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
- ^ Wit & Wisdom Archived June 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, theatermania.com; accessed December 27, 2013.
- ^ Gillespie, John (January 12, 2010). Money for Nothing: How the Failure of Corporate Boards Is Ruining American Business and Costing Us Trillions. Free Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-4165-5993-1.
- ^ a b c d Harmetz, Aljean (May 22, 2017). "Dina Merrill, Actress and Philanthropist, Dies at 93". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
- ^ a b "Dina Merrill: Performer". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
- ^ "Fortune, fame...and tragic deaths". Chicago Tribune. November 17, 1975. Retrieved July 14, 2016.[dead link]
- ^ "Deaths Robertson, Heather Merriweather". The New York Times. May 2, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Women's International Center. "Dina Merill". Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ "Dina Merrill - biography". IMDb. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
External links
edit
- Dina Merrill at IMDb
- In Step with: Dina Merrill[permanent dead link], news.google.com; accessed 2014-07-09.