Dina Merrill
| Dina Merrill | |
|---|---|
Publicity photo of Merrill in 1968
|
|
| Born |
Nedenia Marjorie Hutton December 29, 1923 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Education |
George Washington University American Academy of Dramatic Arts |
| Occupation | Actress, socialite, businesswoman and philanthropist |
| Years active | 1945–2009 |
| Spouse(s) |
Stanley M. Rumbough, Jr. (m. 1946; div. 1966) Cliff Robertson (m. 1966; div. 1989) Ted Hartley (m. 1989) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) |
Marjorie Merriweather Post Edward Francis Hutton |
| Relatives |
Eleanor Post Close (half-sister) Barbara Hutton (cousin) |
Dina Merrill (born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton; December 29, 1923) is an American actress, socialite, businesswoman and philanthropist.
Merrill was born in New York City on December 29, 1923, although for many years her year of birth was given as 1925. She is the only child of Post Cereals heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post and her second husband, the Wall Street stockbroker Edward Francis Hutton. Merrill had two older half-sisters, Adelaide Breevort (Close) Hutton (July 26, 1908 – December 31, 1998) and Eleanor Post (Close) Hutton (December 3, 1909 – November 27, 2006), by her mother's first marriage, to Edward Bennett Close (grandfather of actress Glenn Close).
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. She received a lifetime achievement award from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in April 2005.
On 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. Merrill made her debut on the stage in the play The Mermaid Singing in 1945.
During the late 1950s and 1960s, Merrill was believed to have intentionally been marketed as a replacement to Grace Kelly, and in 1959 she was proclaimed "Hollywood's new Grace Kelly".
Merrill's film credits include 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).
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