Gloria Vanderbilt
Gloria Vanderbilt was a fashion designer, heiress, and socialite best known for being a prominent member of the Vanderbilt family heiress. She was also a famous face in the entertainment industry; she has appeared in dozens of hits films.
Additionally, Vanderbilt had a son Anderson Hays Cooper who currently works as an anchor on CNN television.
Born in Manhattan, New York City
Gloria Vanderbilt was born as Gloria Laura Morgan Vanderbilt on February 20, 1924, in Manhattan, New York City, to Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt (father) and Gloria Morgan (mother).
She was of American nationality and was of White ethnicity. Her sun sign was Pisces. Her father died of cirrhosis when she was young.
Gloria was raised along with her mother in the Catholic church after the death of her father. She had a half-sibling, Cathleen Vanderbilt, from her father's first marriage to Cathleen Neilson.
Studied Acting at Neighborhood Playhouse
Gloria Vanderbilt attended the Greenvale School in Long Island. Later, she studied at Wheeler School and Miss Porter's School.
Afterward, Vanderbilt joined the Arts Students League in New York City where she improved her artistic talents. She later studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse with the acting teacher, Sanford Meisner.
Custody Battle For Gloria
Gloria Vanderbilt gained public attention when she was just one and a half years old and that was mostly because of the drama brought in by the custody battle between her mother and her paternal aunt Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, who accused Gloria's mother to be careless and unable to take care of the child and also pointed at her disorderly spending habits.
Well, reportedly, all the chaos began after the death of Gloria's father of cirrhosis which legally made Gloria and her haf sister the owner of $5 million which is an equvalent to $71 million in 2018.
Eventually, the fight for custody took a legal form with Whitney being granted the custody of the child while her mother was provided with visitation rights.
Debuted From "The Swan"
Gloria Vanderbilt made her acting debut with a stage performance in 1954 on the drama named The Swan at Pocono Playhouse in Mountainhome, Pennsylvania. In 1955, she portrayed Elsie in a revival of William Saroyan's The Time of Your Life.
After that, Vanderbilt featured in several films such as Playhouse 90, The Dick Powell Show, and Studio One in Hollywood. She later guest-appeared in two episodes of The Love Boat in 1981.
As for her television roles, Gloria has starred in Live! with Kellly and Michael, CBS News Sunday Morning, and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
What Was Gloria Vanderbilt's Net Worth?
Gloria Vanderbilt, 95, had acc u mulated a total net worth of $200 million before her death. Her source of income was her career as an artist, author, actress, and fashion designer.
She published her first book, Love Poems, 1955, which cost around $135.00 on amazon. Her 2017 book The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss cost around $9.99 on amazon.
Additionally, her son, Anderson Cooper, has an estimated net worth of $200 million, as of December 2019. He has an annual salary of $12 thousand from his career as a CNN anchor.
Cause Of Death
Gloria Vanderbilt died on June 17, 2019, in Manhattan, New York. She was 95 years old at the time. The reason behind her death was stomach cancer.
The artist was buried next to her last spouse, Wyatt and her son Carter in the Vanderbilt Cemetery in Staten Island, New York.
Gloria Vanderbilt Was Married Four Time
The 5 feet 7 inch-tall Gloria Vanderbilt was married four times before her death. She first tied the knot with Pat Dicicco, an agent and producer, on December 28, 1941, but due to domestic violence her husband did to her, she got a divorce with him on April 20, 1945.
After that, she married English conductor Leopold Stokowski on April 21, 1945. The duo shared two sons, Christopher Stokowski and Leopold Stanislaus Stokowski, together. Their marital relationship didn't last long and the two divorced on October 29, 1955.
On August 27, 1956, Gloria went on to marry an American director, producer, and screenwriter, Sidney Lumet. Sadly, their marriage also didn't last long and got a divorce on August 24, 1963.
Vanderbilt then exchanged vows with an author and actor, Wyatt Cooper on December 24, 1963. The couple shared two children, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper, and Ander Hays Cooper, together.
Unfortunately, their marriage came to an end after Wyatt pa s sed away on January 5, 1978, due to Surgical complications.
Gloria then dated an American photographer, musician, writer, and film director, Gordon Parks, until 2006.