Dina Merrill obit

Dina Merrill, heiress and actress, dies at 93

She was not on the list.

Dina Merrill was born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton on Dec. 9, 1923, into a life of high society.

Her father was Wall Street broker E.F. Hutton and her mother was cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. Her parents divorced when she was 10 years old.

A 2010 exhibit at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco showcased precious pieces that the French jeweler Cartier made for America's mega-rich.

One piece in the exhibit "Cartier and America" was an enormous pendant brooch that belonged to Merrill's mother.

A portrait hanging in Marjorie Merriweather Post's Washington, D.C., estate, Hillwood, shows her wearing this brooch — an 8-inch cascade of diamond and green glitter.

The New York Times reports:

"Although her father's investments had earned her a million dollars by the time she became an actress, against his wishes, Ms. Merrill supported herself by modeling clothes for Vogue at $10 an hour.

"It never occurred to me to ask my father or mother to pay for something they didn't believe in," she said in a 1979 interview. "My ambitions were my own — not exactly the ones they had for me."

"Her father wanted her to become a lawyer and then to run for Congress. Instead, Ms. Merrill made her Broadway debut — speaking three lines — in John Van Druten's "The Mermaids Singing" in 1945."

Before Merrill was acting on Broadway she had changed her name.

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

On the advice of a brother-in-law, she changed her name. (The new last name was inspired by one of her father's Wall Street colleagues, Charles E. Merrill — the Merrill in Merrill Lynch).

Merrill starred in many movies including: Butterfield 8, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Young Savages and Operation Petticoat.

While younger generations may not immediately recognize her name or her films, there is one place connected to Merrill that has been in the news a lot.

When Merrill was a young girl, her family wintered at Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.

The 115-room estate was bought by Donald Trump in 1985 and converted into a private club.

Mar-a-Lago, sometimes referred to as the winter White House, is where President Trump has spent many weekends.

Filmography

    Desk Set (1957) as Sylvia Blair

    A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed (1958) as Margie Solitaire

    Don't Give Up the Ship (1959) as Ensign Rita J. Benson

    Operation Petticoat (1959) as Second Lieutenant Barbara Duran, NC, USAR

    Catch Me As You Can (1959)

    BUtterfield 8 (1960) as Emily Liggett

    The Sundowners (1960) as Jean Halstead

    The Young Savages (1961) as Karin Bell

    Twenty Plus Two (1961) as Nicki Kovacs

    Westinghouse Presents: The Dispossessed (1961, TV Movie) as Annette DeGrande

    The Expendables (1962, TV Movie) as Barbara

    The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) as Rita Behrens

    I'll Take Sweden (1963) as Karin Granstedt

    The Sunshine Patriot (1968, TV Movie) as Brancie Hagen

    Seven in Darkness (1969, TV Movie) as Emily Garth

    The Lonely Profession (1969, TV Movie) as Beatrice Savarona

    Aru heishi no kake (1970) as Kelly Allen

    Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones (1971, TV Movie) as Vivian Greher

    Family Flight (1972, TV Movie) as Florence Carlyle

    The Letters (1973, TV Movie) as Penelope Parkington

    Running Wild (1973, TV Movie) as Whit Colby

    Throw Out the Anchor! (1974) as Lindy Baker

    The Meal (1975) as Kelly Fielding

    The Greatest (1977) as Velvet Green

    A Wedding (1978) as Antionette Goddard

    The Tenth Month (1979, TV Movie) as Cele

    Just Tell Me What You Want (1980) as Connie Herschel

    Anna to the Infinite Power (1983) as Sarah Hart

    The Brass Ring (1983, TV Movie) as Mother

    The Alan King Show (1986, TV Movie) as Nan Cooper

    Twisted (1986) as Neil Kempler

    Caddyshack II (1988) as Cynthia Young

    Turn Back the Clock (1989, TV Movie) as Maureen Dowd

    Fear (1990) as Catherine Tarr

    True Colors (1991) as Joan Styles

    The Player (1992) as Celia

    Not in My Family (1993, TV Movie) as Claire Worth

    Suture (1993) as Alice Jameson

    Open Season (1995) as Doris Hays-Britton

    Point of Betrayal (1995)

    Milk & Money (1996) as Ellen - David's Mother

    Something Borrowed, Something Blue (1997, TV Movie) as Lydia D'Arcy - Monique's Mother

    A Chance of Snow (1998, TV Movie) as Merilee Parker

    Mighty Joe Young (1998) as Society Woman

    The Other Sister (1999) as Pucky (uncredited)

    The Magnificent Ambersons (2002, TV Movie) as Mrs. Johnson

    The Glow (2002, TV Movie) as Phoebe Janusz

    Shade (2003) as Dina

    Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) as Woman in Courtroom (uncredited) (final film role)