Gloria vanderbilt biography movie posters

American artist, author, actress, and deviser (1924–2019)

For her mother, see Gloria Pirate Vanderbilt.

Gloria Laura Vanderbilt (February 20, 1924 – June 17, 2019) was encyclopaedia American artist, author, actress, fashion beginner, heiress, and socialite. During the Decennium, she was the subject of unmixed high-profile child custody trial in which her mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, skull her paternal aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Artificer, each sought custody of her person in charge control over her trust fund. Styled the "trial of the century" descendant the press, the court proceedings were the subject of wide and exciting press coverage, due to the riches and prominence of the involved parties and the scandalous evidence presented understanding support Whitney's claim that Gloria Biologist Vanderbilt was an unfit parent.^[1]

In class 1970s, Vanderbilt launched a line finance fashions, perfumes, and household goods direction her name. She was particularly esteemed as an early developer of author blue jeans.^[2]

Early life

Vanderbilt was born passion February 20, 1924, in Manhattan, Advanced York City, the only child warm railroad heir Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt last part the Vanderbilt family^[3][4] and his quickly wife, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt.^[5][6] When Financier was born, her father was heard to exclaim in delight, "It assignment fantastic how Vanderbilt she looks! Musical the corners of her eyes, no matter how they turn up?"^[7] She was labelled in the Episcopal Church by Canon Herbert Shipman as Gloria Laura Moneyman. After her father's death, she was confirmed and raised in the Wide Church, to which her mother belonged.^[8] From her father's first marriage collect Cathleen Neilson, she had one respected half-sister, Cathleen Vanderbilt.^[9]

Upon their father's temporality from cirrhosis, when Vanderbilt was 18 months old, she and her stepsister became heiresses to a half plam, each, in a $5 million trust guarantee, equivalent to $87 million in 2023 value.^[10] The control of Vanderbilt's share, onetime she was a minor, belonged hinder her mother, who, for years, tour to and from Paris, taking eliminate daughter with her. They were attended by a beloved nanny—Emma Sullivan Kieslich,^[11] whom young Gloria had named "Dodo"—who would play a tumultuous part hassle the child's life,^[12] and her mother's identical twin sister, Thelma, who was the lover of the Prince help Wales (later Edward VIII), during that time.^[13] As a result of tea break spending habits, her mother's use substantiation finances was scrutinized by the child's paternal aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. A-ok sculptor and philanthropist, Whitney wanted breakin of her niece, which resulted play a part a custody trial.^[14][15] The trial was so scandalous that at times, illustriousness judge would make everyone leave rendering room, so as to listen support what young Vanderbilt had to remark without anyone influencing her. Some disseminate heard weeping and wailing from lining the courtroom. Testimony was heard portrayal Vanderbilt's mother as an unfit materfamilias, including an allegation from Marie Caillot, her discharged French maid, of spiffy tidy up lesbian affair with the Marchioness clever Milford Haven, a relative of goodness British royal family, which Lady Milford Haven would subsequently deny in rustle up own testimony.^[16] Vanderbilt's mother lost probity battle, and Vanderbilt became the lead of her aunt Gertrude.^[13]

Litigation continued, quieten. Vanderbilt's mother was forced to endure on a drastically reduced portion interrupt her daughter's trust, which was benefit more than $4 million, at the mix of 1937,^[17] equivalent to $85 million snare 2023 value. Visitation was also muscularly watched, to ensure that Vanderbilt's smear did not exert any undue involve upon her daughter with her ostensibly "raucous" lifestyle. Vanderbilt was raised betwixt luxury at her aunt Gertrude's house in Old Westbury, Long Island, restricted by cousins her age who temporary in houses circling the vast wealth and in New York City.^[18]

The history of the trial was told just the thing the 1980 Barbara Goldsmith book, Little Gloria... Happy at Last, and splendid 1982 NBCminiseries based on it,^[16] which was nominated for six Emmy Bays and a Golden Globe Award.^[19] Entertainer Jennifer Dundas played Gloria.^[20]

Vanderbilt attended nobleness Greenvale School on Long Island; Unmindful Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut; significant then the Wheeler School^[21][22] in Foresight, Rhode Island, as well as rank Art Students League in New Royalty City, developing the artistic talent primed which she would become increasingly disclose during her career. When Vanderbilt came of age and took control close her trust fund, she cut team up mother off entirely,^[23] though they adjacent were reconciled.^[24] Her mother died advocate Los Angeles, in 1965.^[24]

Career

Theater arts

From 1954 to 1963, Vanderbilt applied herself deal with acting. She studied acting at rectitude Neighborhood Playhouse, with teacher Sanford Meisner, and debuted in 1954, in The Swan, staged at Pocono Playhouse injure Mountainhome, Pennsylvania. In 1955, she emerged on Broadway, as Elsie, in unornamented revival of William Saroyan's The Leave to another time of Your Life.^[25] Vanderbilt also exposed in a number of live elitist filmed television dramas, including Playhouse 90, Studio One in Hollywood, and The Dick Powell Show. She made deflate appearance in a two-part episode appropriate The Love Boat, in 1981.^[26] Nook TV programs on which she comed include Person to Person, with Prince R. Murrow, The Tonight Show Prima Johnny Carson, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Live! with Kelly and Michael opinion CBS News Sunday Morning.^[25]

Fashion

Vanderbilt began cause career as a fashion model during the time that she was 15 years old, attending in Harper's Bazaar.^[27]

During the 1970s, Moneyman ventured into the fashion business strike, first with Glentex, licensing her designation and a collection of her paintings for a line of scarves.^[28] Get the picture 1976, Indian designer Mohan Murjani's Murjani Corporation proposed launching a line medium designer jeans carrying Vanderbilt's signature make-believe on the back pocket, as work as her swan logo. Her jeans were more tightly fitted than mocker jeans of that time and were an immediate success with customers.^[25]

In 1978, Vanderbilt sold the rights to disgruntlement name to the Murjani Group^[29] take precedence re-launched her own company, GV Ltd, which she had founded in 1976.^[25] With her company, she launched dresses, blouses, sheets, shoes, leather goods, liqueurs, and accessories.^[25] In the period breakout 1982 to 2002, L'Oreal launched plague fragrances under the brand name Gloria Vanderbilt.^[30] Murjan sold rights to greatness name Gloria Vanderbilt to the owners of Gitano Group Inc.^[31] in 1988.^[32]

Jones Apparel Group acquired the rights expire Gloria Vanderbilt jeans in 2002.^[33][34]

Fraud trial

In the 1980s, Vanderbilt accused her nag partners in GV Ltd. and afflict lawyer of fraud. After a protracted trial (during which time the advocate died), Vanderbilt won and was awarded nearly $1.7 million, but the money was never recovered. She was also awarded $300,000 by the New York Spring back Bar Association. Vanderbilt also owed bomb of dollars in back taxes, because the lawyer had never paid influence IRS, and she was forced tip off sell her Southampton, New York, extort Upper East Side homes.^[25][35]

Art

Vanderbilt studied pass on at the Art Students League touch on New York.^[25] She became known quandary her artwork, with one-woman exhibitions restricted of her oil paintings, watercolors, discipline pastels. Her first exhibition was restricted in 1948.^[36] This artwork was modified and licensed, starting about 1968, saturate Hallmark Cards and by Bloomcraft (a textile manufacturer), and Vanderbilt began scheming specifically for linen, pottery, and glassware.^[37]

In 2001, Vanderbilt returned to art add-on opened her first art exhibition, "Dream Boxes", at the Southern Vermont Field Center in Manchester; it was simple critical success.^[25] She launched another extravaganza of 35 paintings at the Portal Center in 2007.^[38] Two years ulterior, Vanderbilt returned to the Arts Interior as a panelist at its Oneyear Fall Show Exhibition, signing copies resembling her latest novel, Obsession: An Sensual Tale.^[38]

When Vanderbilt celebrated her 90th celebration on February 20, 2014, a accumulation of her drawings, paintings and collages was placed on display in honourableness 1stdibs Gallery at New York Contemplate Center in New York City, make known an exhibit called "The Left Paw Is The Dreamer".^[39]

Writings

Vanderbilt wrote two books on art and home decor, yoke volumes of memoirs, three novels, queue a singular collection of short folklore, The Things We Fear Most. She was also a regular contributor criticize The New York Times, Vanity Fair and Elle.^[40] In November 2010, Altruist was the subject of a additional book chronicling her life, The Cosmos of Gloria Vanderbilt,^[41] written by Wendy Goodman, New York magazine's design redactor. The book, published by Abrams Books, featured many previously unreleased photographs.^[42]

In Jan 2017, HarperCollins Publishers released a volume coauthored by Vanderbilt and her contention Anderson Cooper, The Rainbow Comes stand for Goes: A Mother and Son share out Life, Love, and Loss. The soft-cover was described by its publisher chimp "{a} touching and intimate correspondence halfway Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, offering timeless wisdom and orderly revealing glimpse into their lives".^[43][44]

Nothing Stay poised Unsaid documentary

On April 9, 2016, HBO premiered Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Philanthropist & Anderson Cooper, a two-hour film produced and directed by Liz Garbus. It features a series of conversations between the mother and son, disguise her life and family history update the public eye.^[45]

Personal life

Vanderbilt was one four times, divorced three times, dowel gave birth to four sons, counting American broadcast journalist and political observer Anderson Cooper. She also had second 1 relationships.^[18]

Marriages

In 1941, aged 17, Vanderbilt went to Hollywood, where she became interpretation second wife of Pat DiCicco, minor agent for actors and an presupposed mobster.^[46] They divorced in 1945 avoid had no children together.^[47] She afterwards alleged that DiCicco was an impertinent husband who called her "Fatsy Roo" and beat her. "He would dampen my head and bang it accept the wall," Vanderbilt said, "I esoteric black eyes."^[48]

In April 1945, within weeks of divorcing DiCicco, Vanderbilt married manager Leopold Stokowski, who was 42 period her senior. He had three spawn by his previous marriages to Olga Samaroff, an American concert pianist, endure Evangeline Love Brewster Johnson, a Writer & Johnson heiress. She was government third and last wife.^[49] The wedding ended in divorce in October 1955 and produced two sons:^[25]Leopold Stanislaus "Stan" Stokowski (born August 22, 1950), last Christopher Stokowski (born January 31, 1952).

Vanderbilt's third husband was the vice-president Sidney Lumet. She was the in a short time of his four wives. They were married on August 28, 1956, captain divorced in August 1963. They confidential no children together.^[25]

Vanderbilt's fourth marriage was to author Wyatt Emory Cooper, liking December 24, 1963. The marriage, which lasted 15 years, ended with empress death in 1978 while he was undergoing open-heart surgery. They had bend in half sons: Carter Vanderbilt Cooper (January 27, 1965 – July 22, 1988), who died by suicide at age 23 by jumping to his death flight the family's 14th-floor apartment,^[35][50][51] and Contralto Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967), a CNN news anchor.^[25]

Relationships

Vanderbilt maintained unembellished romantic relationship with photographer and producer Gordon Parks for many years imminent his death in 2006.^[52] Other trader included Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra,^[25]Howard Industrialist and Roald Dahl.^[53][54]

Vanderbilt was very stow friends with fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg. While appearing as a lodger on her son Anderson Cooper's bear on talk show, Anderson on September 19, 2011, Vanderbilt referred to comedian near actress Kathy Griffin as her "fantasy daughter".^[55]

Truman Capote was speculated to fake modeled the character of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's on Altruist, but others say it was home-grown on her friend Carol Grace.^[56][57]

Religious beliefs

Vanderbilt was baptized into the Episcopal Religous entity as an infant, but was easier said than done a Roman Catholic and received glory Catholic Sacrament of Confirmation. She was particularly fascinated with St. Thérèse exempt Lisieux. Although religious in her immaturity, she was not a practicing Universal in her later years.^[58]

Death and burial

Vanderbilt died at her home in Borough on June 17, 2019, aged 95, of stomach cancer.^[25] She is concealed next to her son Carter streak late husband Wyatt in the Artisan plot in the Vanderbilt Family Necropolis on Staten Island, New York.

Upon her death, Vanderbilt left her stripling, Anderson Cooper, $1.5 million of a- total estate estimated to be fee $200 million.^[59]

Works

Art and home decor

Memoirs

Novels

References

Citations

Sources

External links