Early life

Vanderbilt was born on February 20, 1924, in New York City, the only child of railroad heir Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt (1880-1925) and his second wife, Gloria Morgan (1904-1965). When Gloria was born, her father was heard to exclaim in delight, "It is fantastic how Vanderbilt she looks! See the corners of her eyes, how they turn up?" She was baptized in the Episcopal church by Bishop Herbert Shipman as Gloria Laura Vanderbilt. After her father's death, she was confirmed and raised in the Catholic Church, to which her mother belonged. From her father's first marriage, to Cathleen Neilson, she had a half-sister, Cathleen Vanderbilt (1904-1944).

She and her sister became heiresses to a half share each in a $5 million ($67.5 million today) trust fund upon her father's death from cirrhosis when she was 18 months old. The rights to control this trust fund while Vanderbilt was a minor belonged to her mother, who traveled to and from Paris for years, taking her daughter with her. They were accompanied by a beloved nanny - Emma Sullivan Kieslich, whom young Gloria had named "Dodo" - who would play a tumultuous part in the child's life, and her mother's identical twin sister, Thelma, who was the mistress of the Prince of Wales during this time. As a result of frequent spending, her mother's use of finances was scrutinized by the child Vanderbilt's paternal aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. A sculptor and philanthropist, Whitney wanted custody of her niece, which resulted in a famous custody trial. The trial was so scandalous that at times the judge would make everyone leave the room so as to listen to what young Vanderbilt had to say without anyone influencing her. Some people heard weeping and wailing inside the court room. Testimony was heard depicting the mother as an unfit parent; Vanderbilt's mother lost the battle and Vanderbilt became the ward of her aunt Gertrude.

Litigation continued, however. Vanderbilt's mother was forced to live on a drastically reduced portion of her daughter's trust, which was worth more than $4 million at the end of 1937 (over $66 million today). Visitation was also closely watched to ensure that Vanderbilt's mother did not exert any undue influence upon her daughter with her supposedly "raucous" lifestyle. Vanderbilt was raised amidst luxury at her aunt Gertrude's mansion in Old Westbury, Long Island, surrounded by cousins her age who lived in houses circling the vast estate, and in New York City.

The story of the trial was told in the 1980 Barbara Goldsmith book, and the NBC 1982 miniseries, Little Gloria... Happy at Last, which was nominated for six Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Actress Jennifer Dundas played Gloria.

Vanderbilt attended the Greenvale School on Long Island; Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut; and then the Wheeler School in Providence, Rhode Island, as well as the Art Students League in New York City, developing the artistic talent for which she would become increasingly known in her career. When Vanderbilt came of age and took control of her trust fund, she cut her mother off entirely, though she supported her in later years. Her mother lived for many years with her sister, Thelma, Lady Furness, in Beverly Hills and died there in 1965.

Professional career

Vanderbilt studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse with teacher Sanford Meisner and studied art at the Art Students League of New York. She became known for her artwork, giving one-woman shows of oil paintings, watercolors, and pastels. This artwork was adapted and licensed, starting about 1968, by Hallmark Cards (a manufacturer of paper products) and by Bloomcraft (a textile manufacturer), and Vanderbilt began designing specifically for linens, pottery, and glassware.

Theater arts

From 1954 to 1963, Vanderbilt applied herself to acting. (Her first stage vehicle, The Swan, inspired the logo she later used as a fashion designer.) During this time in her life, she appeared in a number of live and filmed television dramas including Playhouse 90, Studio One in Hollywood, and The Dick Powell Show. She also made an appearance in a two part episode of The Love Boat in 1981. Other TV programs on which she appeared include Person to Person with Edward R. Murrow, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Live! with Kelly and Michael, and CBS News Sunday Morning.

Fashion modeling

Vanderbilt was also a top international fashion model. Beginning with the custody trial during her childhood, appearing at age 17 in Harper's Bazaar, being the public face of her clothing and fragrances lines, and noted for having inspired Richard Avedon, she has been a popular subject for photographers her entire life.

From fashion model to fashion designer

During the 1970s, Vanderbilt ventured into the fashion business, first with Glentex, licensing her name for a line of scarves. In 1976, Indian designer Mohan Murjani's Murjani Corporation, proposed launching a line of designer jeans carrying Vanderbilt's signature embroidered on the back pocket, as well as her swan logo. Her jeans were more tightly fitted than other jeans of that time. The logo eventually appeared on dresses and perfumes, while Vanderbilt also launched a line of blouses, sheets, shoes, leather goods, liqueurs, and accessories. Vanderbilt was one of the first designers to make public appearances, which was a difficult thing for her because of her shyness.

In 1978, Vanderbilt sold the rights to her name to the Murjani Group. She then launched her own company, "GV Ltd.," on 7th Avenue in New York. In the period from 1982 to 2002, L'Oreal launched eight fragrances under the brand name Gloria Vanderbilt. Jones Apparel Group acquired the rights to Gloria Vanderbilt jeans in 2002.

Fraud trial

But in the 1980s, Vanderbilt accused her former partners in GV Ltd. and her lawyer of fraud. After a lengthy trial (during which time the lawyer died) Vanderbilt won and was awarded nearly $1.7 million, but the money was never recovered, though she was also awarded $300,000 by the New York Bar Association from its Victims of Fraud fund. Worse yet, Vanderbilt now owed millions in back taxes, since the lawyer had never paid the IRS, and thus she was forced to sell her Southampton and New York City homes.

Art exhibitions

In 2001, Vanderbilt opened her first art exhibition, "Dream Boxes," at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester; it was a critical success. She launched another exhibition of 35 paintings at the Arts Center in 2007. Two years later, she returned to the Arts Center as a panelist at its Annual Fall Show Exhibition, signing copies of her latest novel, Obsession: An Erotic Tale.

Writings

Vanderbilt had written four volumes of memoirs and three novels (including Obsession: An Erotic Tale, mentioned above) as of late May of 2016, and she also regularly contributed to The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Elle. In November of 2010, Vanderbilt was the subject of a new book chronicling her life, titled The World of Gloria Vanderbilt, written by Wendy Goodman, New York's design editor. The book, published by Abrams, featured many previously unreleased photographs. Vanderbilt also brought a net-site that featured her artwork, the Gloria Vanderbilt Fine Art net-site, on-line.

On April 5, 2016, HarperCollins Publishers released a new book, written jointly by Vanderbilt and her son Anderson Cooper, titled The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son On Life, Love, and Loss. The book was described thus: "A charming and intimate collection of correspondence between #1 New York Times bestselling author Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, that offers timeless wisdom and a revealing glimpse into their lives."

The Nothing Left Unsaid documentary

On April 9, 2016, HBO premiered Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt & Anderson Cooper, a two-hour documentary, produced and directed by Liz Garbus, that featured a series of conversations between the mother and son, covering the mother's storied life and family history in the public eye.

Personal life

Vanderbilt was raised Roman Catholic and as a child was particularly fascinated with St. Theresa. Although religious in her youth, she no longer practices Catholicism and identifies more with a Zen Buddhism ideology.

At age 17, Vanderbilt went to Hollywood where she married agent Pat DiCicco in 1941; they divorced in 1945. DiCicco proved to be temperamental and an abusive husband who called her 'Fatsy Roo' and beat her. 'He would take my head and bang it against the wall,' Vanderbilt said. 'I had black eyes.'

Her second marriage, to conductor Leopold Stokowski in April 1945, produced two sons before their divorce in October 1955:

• Leopold Stanislaus "Stan" Stokowski (born August 22, 1950), who married Ivy Strick, an author, and later, Emily Goldstein, an artist
  • Aurora Stokowski (born in March 1983) (with Ivy Strick), who married Anthony Mazzei in June 2012.
  • Abra Stokowski (born in February 1985) (with Ivy Strick)
  • Myles Stokowski (born in 1998) (with Emily Goldstein)
• Christopher Stokowski (born January 31, 1952)

On August 28, 1956, she married director Sidney Lumet; they divorced in August 1963.

She married her fourth husband, author Wyatt Emory Cooper on December 24, 1963. They had two sons:

• Carter Vanderbilt Cooper (January 27, 1965 - July 22, 1988)
• Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967), CNN news anchor

Wyatt Cooper died in 1978 during open heart surgery in New York City. Ten years later, Carter Cooper committed suicide at the age of 23 by jumping from the family's 14th-floor apartment.

She maintained a romantic relationship with photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks for many years until his death in 2006. Other notable lovers have included Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Howard Hughes, and Roald Dahl. Truman Capote was said to have modeled the character of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's on her, but others say it was based on her friend Carol Grace.

Vanderbilt is very close friends with fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg and comedian Kathy Griffin. While appearing as a guest on her son Anderson Cooper's television talk show, Anderson on September 19, 2011, Vanderbilt referred to Griffin as her "fantasy daughter".

When Vanderbilt celebrated her 90th birthday on February 20, 2014, her collections of many drawings, paintings and collectibles were placed on display in the 1stdibs Gallery at New York Design Center in New York City.

Works

Art and home decor:

• Vanderbilt, Gloria (1970). Gloria Vanderbilt Book of Collage. New York City: Galahad Books. OCLC 1143871.
• Vanderbilt, Gloria; Roderick, Phyllis Hingston (1977). Gloria Vanderbilt Designs for Your Home. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-22637-4.

Memoirs:

• Vanderbilt, Gloria (1979). Woman to Woman. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-13645-7.
• Vanderbilt, Gloria (1985). Once Upon a Time: A True Story. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-394-54112-9.
• Vanderbilt, Gloria (1987). Black Knight, White Knight. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-394-54412-0.
• Vanderbilt, Gloria (1995). A Mother's Story. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-679-45052-8.
• Vanderbilt, Gloria (2004). It Seemed Important at the Time: A Romance Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-743-26480-8.
• Cooper, Anderson and Gloria Vanderbilt (2016). The Rainbow Comes and Goes. Harper-Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-245494-2.

Novels:

• Vanderbilt, Gloria (1989). Never Say Good-Bye: A Novel. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-394-57155-3.
• Vanderbilt, Gloria (1994). The Memory Book of Starr Faithfull: A Novel. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-394-58775-2.
• Vanderbilt, Gloria (2009). Obsession: An Erotic Tale. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-061-73489-2.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]