Dina Merrill

Dina Merrill
Dina Merrill
Born	Nedenia Marjorie Hutton; 29 December 1923 (age 102); New York City, U.S.
Died	22 May 2017 (aged 93); East Hampton, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actress, socialite, businesswoman, philanthropist
Years active	Late 1950s–early 2000s
Known for	Acting career spanning film, television, and theater; board memberships; business leadership at RKO Pictures and E. F. Hutton & Co.

Dina Merrill (originally named Nedenia Marjorie Hutton; December 29, 1923 – May 22, 2017) was an American actress whose career spanned from the late 1950s into the early 2000s, with more than one hundred credits in film and television.

Early life

Born in New York City on December 29, 1923, Merrill’s birth date was sometimes mistakenly recorded as December 9, 1925. She was the sole offspring of heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, known for Post Cereals, and Edward Francis Hutton, a Wall Street stockbroker who founded E. F. Hutton & Co.. Her family connections included two older half-sisters from her mother’s previous marriage, notably Eleanor Post Hutton, and she was related to heiresses such as Barbara Hutton and her son Lance Reventlow.

Merrill completed her education at Miss Porter's School and briefly attended George Washington University before pursuing acting studies at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. She further honed her craft at HB Studio under the guidance of Uta Hagen.

Acting career

Choosing the stage name Dina Merrill on the suggestion of her half-sister’s husband, she paid homage to Charles E. Merrill, a distinguished stockbroker like her father. Her theatrical debut occurred in 1945 with The Mermaid Singing.

During the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, she was marketed as a potential successor to Grace Kelly, earning the nickname "Hollywood's new Grace Kelly" in 1959. Her filmography includes titles such as Desk Set (1957), A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed (1958), Don't Give Up the Ship (1959), Operation Petticoat (1959) alongside Cary Grant, The Sundowners (1960), Butterfield 8 (1960), The Young Savages (1961), The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), followed by later appearances in The Greatest (1977), A Wedding (1978), Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), and Shade (2003). Her television movie credits include Seven in Darkness (1969) and The Tenth Month (1979).

In television, Merrill appeared frequently during the 1960s, notably portraying the antagonist Calamity Jan in two episodes of Batman in 1968 alongside then-husband Cliff Robertson. She also guest-starred on series such as Bonanza, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Mission: Impossible, and The Love Boat. Her later TV roles featured appearances on Quincy, M.E., Murder, She Wrote, and as Maxwell Sheffield’s British mother on The Nanny. Additionally, she was featured in a 1971 episode of The Men from Shiloh.

Her theater contributions include participation in the 1983 Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hart’s musical On Your Toes, starring Natalia Makarova, as well as an off-Broadway reading of Wit & Wisdom in 1991.

In 1991, Merrill joined forces with her third spouse Ted Hartley to combine their company Pavilion Communications with RKO, resulting in the creation of RKO Pictures, overseeing the intellectual property assets of the historic RKO Radio Pictures studio.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Merrill regularly appeared as a guest on popular network game and panel shows including Match Game, To Tell the Truth, What's My Line, and Hollywood Squares.

Board memberships

Merrill received a presidential appointment to serve on the board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She also held trusteeships at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and acted as vice president for the New York City Mission Society. In 1980, she joined the board of directors for her father’s firm E. F. Hutton & Co., maintaining a position on Lehman Brothers’ board and compensation committee after its acquisition of Hutton, serving for over eighteen years.

Personal life and death

Merrill entered into matrimony three times throughout her life. Her first marriage was in 1946 to Stanley M. Rumbough Jr., a businessman and heir to the Colgate-Palmolive legacy. Together, they had three children: Nedenia Colgate Rumbough, David Post Rumbough, and Stanley Rumbough III, before their separation in 1966. Later that same year, she married actor Cliff Robertson, with whom she had a daughter named Heather Robertson; this marriage ended in divorce in 1986. In 1989, she wed producer Ted Hartley, and they remained married until her passing.

Merrill passed away on May 22, 2017, at her residence in East Hampton at the age of 93, having battled Lewy Body Dementia. Of her four children, two predeceased her: David lost his life in a boating accident shortly before turning 24, while Heather succumbed to ovarian cancer at age 38.

Politically, she was affiliated with the Republican party but actively led the pro-choice organization "Republican Majority for Choice."

Honors

In recognition of her contributions, Merrill was honored with the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award in 1994 and received a lifetime achievement accolade from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in April 2005.

Feature films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1957	Desk Set	Sylvia Blair
1958	A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed	Margie Solitaire
1959	Don't Give Up the Ship	Ensign Rita J. Benson
	Operation Petticoat	Second Lieutenant Barbara Duran, NC, USAR
	Catch Me As You Can
1960	Butterfield 8	Emily Liggett
1960	The Sundowners	Jean Halstead
1961	The Young Savages	Karin Bell
1961	Twenty Plus Two	Nicki Kovacs
1963	The Courtship of Eddie's Father	Rita Behrens
1963	I'll Take Sweden	Karin Granstedt
1970	Aru heishi no kake	Kelly Allen
1974	Throw Out the Anchor!	Lindy Baker
1975	The Meal	Kelly Fielding
1977	The Greatest	Velvet Green
1978	A Wedding	Antionette Goddard
1980	Just Tell Me What You Want	Connie Herschel
1983	Anna to the Infinite Power	Sarah Hart
1986	Twisted	Neil Kempler
1988	Caddyshack II	Cynthia Young
1990	Fear	Catherine Tarr
1991	True Colors	Joan Styles
1992	The Player	Celia
1993	Suture	Alice Jameson
1995	Open Season	Doris Hays-Britton
1995	Point of Betrayal	Mother
1996	Milk & Money	Ellen - David's Mother	Executive Producer
1998	Mighty Joe Young	Society Woman
1999	The Other Sister	Pucky	Uncredited
2000	Meeting Genevieve	Mother	Short film
2003	Shade	Dina
2009	Beyond a Reasonable Doubt	Woman in Courtroom	Uncredited

Television films

Television

Year	Title	Character
1961	Westinghouse Presents: The Dispossessed	Annette DeGrande
1962	The Expendables	Barbara
1968	The Sunshine Patriot	Brancie Hagen
1969	Seven in Darkness	Emily Garth
1969	The Lonely Profession	Beatrice Savarona
1971	Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones	Vivian Greher
1972	Family Flight	Florence Carlyle
1973	The Letters	Penelope Parkington
1973	\| \|

Year	Title	Character	Remarks
1955	Four Star Playhouse	Marcia	Episode: "A Place Full of Strangers"
1956	Playwrights '56	Sarah / Mrs. Neville	Episodes: "The Center of the Maze", "Return to Cassino"
1956	The Phil Silvers Show	Lieutenant Roxberry / WAC Lieutenant	Episodes: "Bilko's Rest Cure", "Bilko's War Against Culture"
1957–1958	Matinee Theatre		Episodes: "One for All", "Day of Discoveries"
1958	Playhouse 90	Mary	Episode: "The Time of Your Life"
1958	Climax!	Iris Farrar	Episode: "Spider Web"
1959	Sunday Showcase	Laurette Harrington	Episodes: "What Makes Sammy Run?: Part 1 & 2"
1959–1960	The DuPont Show of the Month	Laura Hudson / Julie	Episodes: "The Fallen Idol", "Men in White"
1960	Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse	Aline Lincoln	Episode: "Murder Is a Private Affair"
1961	The Investigators	Valerie Corbin	Episode: "Style of Living"
	The United States Steel Hour	Lisa Muller	Episode: "Brandenburg Gate"
	Hong Kong	Helen Rowan Randolph	Episode: "Lady Godiva"
1962	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	Laura	Season 1 Episode 13: "Bonfire"
	The Dick Powell Theatre	Mrs. Eve Emerson / Carol Manson	Episodes: "The Court Martial of Captain Wycliff", "Obituary for Mr.X"
	The New Breed	Ruth Kingman	Episode: "So Dark the Night"
	Dr. Kildare	Evelyn LeFevre	Episode: "Oh, My Daughter"
	Checkmate	Laura Hammond	Episode: "A Very Rough Sketch"
1963	Burke's Law	Barrie Coleman	Episode: "Who Killed Mr. X?"
1963	The Eleventh Hour	Rita Hall	Episode: "Everybody Knows You Love Me"

Year	Title	Character	Remarks

Year	Title	Character	Remarks

Year	Title	Character	Remarks

Year	Title	Character	Remarks

Year	Title	Character	Remarks

1963–1965 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Maralise / Joan Cowley Episodes: "The Candidate", "The Game"

rowspan="3" |1964

Kraft Suspense Theatre Jo Andrews Episode: "The Gun"

Mickey Angela Episode: "Seaside Westside"

Rawhide Lisa Temple Episode: "Incident of the Gilded Goddess"

1964–1965 The Rogues Clothilde Bonheur / Kendall Frazier Episodes: "The Personal Touch", "A Daring Step Backward"

1965 Daniel Boone Madeline Lorne Episode: "The Tamarack Massacre Affair"

1965–1972 The F.B.I. Christine Minton / Jean Davis Episodes: "The Monsters", "The Franklin Papers"

rowspan="3" |1966

Bonanza Susannah Clauson Episodes: "The Pursued: Part 1 & 2"

Daktari Janet Lorne Episode: "Trail of the Cheetah"

12 O'Clock High Capt. Patricia Bates Episode: "Which Way the Wind Blows"

rowspan="2" |1967

Run for Your Life Caroline Willins Episode: "East of the Equator"

A.B.C Stage 67 Ginny Weldon Episode: "The Trap of Solid Gold"

1968 Batman Calamity Jan Episodes: "Penguin's Clean Sweep" (uncredited), "The Great Escape", "The Great Train Robbery"

1969 Mission: Impossible Meredyth Episodes: "The Controllers Part 1 & 2"

1969–1970 The Name of the Game Maggie Payden / Nancy Devlin Episodes: "The Incomparable Connie Walker", "The Glory Shouter"

rowspan="3" |1971

The Bold Ones: The New Doctors Madeline Calvert Episode: "Angry Man"

Medical Center Ruth Marlowe Episode: "Perfection of Vices"

The Virginian Laura Duff Episode: "The Angus Killer"

rowspan="3" |1973

Cannon Doris Hawthorne Episode: "Murder By the Numbers"

Marcus Welby, M.D. Dr. Carol Brooks Episode: "A Cry in the Night"

``Night Gallery`` Ruth Wilson Segments include “Hatred Unto Death” in “Hatred Until Death / How to Cure the Common Vampire”

1974 ``The Odd Couple Anita Episode: ``Oscar in Love``

rowspan="2" |1975

``Ellery Queen Harriet Manners Episode: ``The Adventure of the 12th Floor Express``

``Switch`` Luciana Episode: ``Kiss of Death``

rowspan="3" |1976

``Quincy M.E.`` Claire Garner Episode: ``Who's Who In Neverland``

``Hawaii Five-O`` Dr. Barbara Dalton Episode: ``Nine Dragons``

``Kingston: Confidential`` Helen Martinson Episode: ``Kingston``

1977 ``The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries`` Thelma March Episode: ``A Haunting We Will Go``

rowspan="2" |1979

``The Love Boat`` Helen Ames Two Episodes

``Roots: The Next Generation`` Mrs. Hickinger Mini-Series, Episode ``Part V``

1980 ``Matt and Jenny`` Adelaide Alcott Episode ``The Actress``

1982-1984 ``Hotel`` Jessica Cabot / Eleanor Blackwood Notable Episodes include ``Queen's Gambit``, ``Opening Moves``, ``The Wedding``

1984 ``Hot Pursuit Estelle Mordian 12 Episodes

1984 "Tales of the Unexpected" - Season 7, episode 18, ``The Open Window`` Marjorie

1990-1992 ``Murder, She Wrote`` Monica Douglas / Annie Floret Episodes include ``Always a Thief``, ``The Monte Carlo Murders``

1995 ``The Nanny`` Elizabeth Sheffield Episode titled ``The Two Mrs. Sheffields``

1996 ``Roseanne`` Doris Episode titled ``Hoi Polloi Meets Holti Toiti``

1998 ``Vengeance Unlimited`` Ellen Hayworth Episode titled ``Ambition``

2001 ``100 Centre Street`` Judge Helen Randolph Episode titled ``Bottlecaps``

External links

In Step with: Dina Merrill, news.google.com; accessed 2014-07-09.