Nedenia Marjorie Hutton was born on 29th December 1923, in New York City, USA, and as Dina Merrill was well known as an actress and socialite, though Dina added sums to her net worth as a businesswoman, too. More, she was a prominent philanthropist. Merrill was active in the entertainment industry from 1945 to 2009, before passing away in 2017.
How much was Dina Merrill’s net worth? It has been estimated that her wealth was as high as $5 billion; when her father died she inherited $250 million before adjusting money for inflation. At that time, she was only 27 years old, and a huge responsibility to manage money wisely fell on her shoulders.
Dina Merrill Net Worth $5 Billion
Dina Merrill’s father was a very wealthy man, Edward Francis Hutton, who worked as a stockbroker. She was taught at Miss Porter’s School, and later studied at the George Washington University, although she dropped out to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Dina Merrill appeared in numerous minor roles, but her noticeable debut on the big screen was a role in the film “Desk Set” (1957), an American romantic comedy film directed by Walter Lang. Subsequently, she starred alongside Cary Grant and Tony Curtis in the film “Operation Petticoat” (1959) directed by Blake Edwards. Dina became loved by cinema goers and critics, and it was believed that she was the face to replace the famous actress Grace Kelly, so much so that in public she was introduced as Hollywood’s new Grace Kelly. However, she landed roles in only 20 feature films after 1960. The most significant roles she landed were in “The Sundowners”(1960) directed Fred Zinnemann, “The Young Savages” (1961) directed by John Frankenheimer, “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father”(1963) directed by Vincente Minnelli, “I’ll Take Sweden”(1965) directed by Frederick de Cordova, “Just Tell Me What You Want”(1980) directed by Sidney Lumet, “Caddyshack II”(1988) directed by Allan Arkush, and “Suture”(1993) directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel. It is worth mentioning that all her appearances were well evaluated by critics, and increased her wealth as well as fame.
To add more, Dina Merrill appeared on television too. As a guest star she landed roles in such popular television series as “Calamity Jane” (1960), “Bonanza”(1966), and “Batman”(1968). Moreover, Dina also starred on the stage of Broadway, too; her best roles were landed in the musicals “On Your Toes” and “Wit & Wisdom”. Again, her net worth appreciated with each appearance.
Dina Merrill was a highly respected personality. Her later duties involved working at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a presidential appointee to the Board of Trustees, at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center as a trustee, and at the New York City Mission Society as a vice president. She was also on the board of directors as well as the compensation committee of Lehman Brothers for more than 18 years. In 2005 Dina Merrill was rewarded by the American Academy of Dramatic Arts for her lifetime achievements.
Dina Merrill was married three times, firstly in 1946 to Stanley M. Rumbough, Jr. with whom she had three children, although they divorced after two years of marriage. In 1966 she married actor Cliff Robertson, a marriage which lasted for 20 years and saw a daughter born before ending in the same way as the first. Merrill was married to Ted Hartley from 1989. until her passing on 22 May 2017, after suffering from Lewy body dementia.
Lifetime Achievement Award (American Academy of Dramatic Arts)
Movies
“The Sundowners”(1960), “The Young Savages” (1961), “The Courtship of Eddie's Father”(1963), “I'll Take Sweden”(1965), “Just Tell Me What You Want”(1980), “Caddyshack II”(1988), “Suture”(1993)
TV Shows
“Calamity Jane” (1960), “Bonanza”(1966), “On Your Toes”, “Wit & Wisdom”
At a net worth of over $5 billion, she is by far the richest actress in the world. While this list changes every year, she has consistently held the #1 spot every year.
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Both she and her then husband Cliff Robertson played "Special Guest Villains" in Batman (1966).
She studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village, New York City.
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Two of her three children with first husband Stanley Rumbaugh, Jr--a Colgate heir--are David (deceased) and Nina. She and second husband Cliff Robertson are the parents of daughter Heather Robertson (deceased).
In April 2005, she received a lifetime achievement award from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
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As an actress, socialite and model, she made the cover of Life magazine on January 11, 1960.
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On the artistic side, she is a trustee of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and a director of the Museum of Broadcasting. She was also a presidential appointee to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
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When one of her children was diagnosed with diabetes, she became one of the founders of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, which is dedicated to diabetic research. She is also a director of Project Orbis, a flying ophthalmological hospital which teaches advanced eye care and performs surgical techniques around the world.
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On Broadway in the 1940s before moving to film, she was hardly ever stretched during her career, being typed rather severely as a tactful, altruistic wife in family fare or as an elegant socialite and patron of the arts in sophisticated fluff.
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Spent her winters growing up at Mar-A-Lago, the largest and most elaborate estate in Palm Beach, Florida. As of this writing, Mar-a-Lago is owned by Donald Trump, who runs the estate as a private club and residence. Trump rescued the estate from condemnation in 1985 and painstakingly restored it to its former glory.
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Her mother's first husband, Edward Bennett Close, later became the grandfather of actress Glenn Close.
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Received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award in 1994.
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Current husband Ted Hartley was a regular on the television series Peyton Place (1964). In 1989, they bought RKO Pictures, which they manage today. The studio's recent film was Mighty Joe Young (1998).