What was Gloria Vanderbilt’s Net Worth?
Gloria Vanderbilt was a socialite, fashion designer, actress, writer, and entrepreneur from the Vanderbilt family. Despite being wealthy, Vanderbilt pursued a successful career in fashion and art. However, Gloria’s net worth was overestimated before her death, and her son Anderson Cooper revealed in his book that she did not leave behind a significant inheritance. Vanderbilt inherited fortunes, lost them due to bad business deals, and ran into tax issues. She lent her name to a designer jeans line and fragrances, earning $10 million in royalties in 1980 alone. Vanderbilt sued her psychiatrist and lawyer, alleging that they stole millions of dollars from her, and won a court case but never received payment. She sold some of her homes to pay a $2.5 million IRS bill. Vanderbilt published several books and co-authored one with her son, Anderson Cooper, who made a documentary about their lives.
The Vanderbilt Family Fortune
Cornelius Vanderbilt was one of the wealthiest Americans of all time, with a net worth of $185 billion (adjusted for inflation) at the time of his death. He earned his fortune in shipping, railroads, and real estate. His son William Henry doubled the family fortune in a decade before passing away at the age of 64. However, after William’s death, most Vanderbilt descendants simply spent their inheritance. Legend has it that at a 1973 family reunion, not one attendee was a millionaire.
Gloria Vanderbilt’s Early Life and Family History
Gloria Laura Vanderbilt was born in New York City in 1924 to railroad heir Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt and his second wife, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt. Reginald passed away when Gloria was just 18 months old, leaving her and her half-sister Cathleen a $5 million trust fund. Gloria was raised by her mother and nanny, Emma Sullivan Kieslich, and often traveled to Paris with her mother and her mother’s twin sister Thelma Furness, who was the Prince of Wales’ mistress.
After a custody battle immortalized in the book and miniseries “Little Gloria… Happy at Last,” Gloria’s paternal aunt Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney gained custody of the 10-year-old. Gloria attended several schools, including the Greenvale School, Miss Porter’s School, the Wheeler School, and the Art Students League.
Gloria Vanderbilt’s Career Highlights
Gloria Vanderbilt began modeling at age 15 and pursued an acting career from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s, studying with Sanford Meisner and appearing in stage productions and TV dramas. She later turned her focus to fashion, launching her own ready-to-wear line and partnering with Mohan Murjani to create designer jeans. L’Oreal released eight fragrances under her name, and she held exhibitions of her paintings, which were licensed by Hallmark Cards and textile manufacturer Bloomcraft. Vanderbilt also regularly wrote for publications such as “Vanity Fair,” “Elle,” and “The New York Times,” and published several books, including “It Seemed Important at the Time: A Romance Memoir.”
Gloria Vanderbilt’s Marriages and Relationships
Gloria Vanderbilt married Hollywood agent and alleged mobster Pat DiCicco at 17 years old, but they divorced after less than four years due to his abusive behavior towards her. She later married conductor Leopold Stokowski, who was 42 years older than her, and they had two sons before divorcing in 1955. Vanderbilt then wed director Sidney Lumet, but they divorced in 1963. Her fourth marriage was to author Wyatt Emory Cooper, with whom she had two children, including Anderson Cooper. However, tragedy struck when her son Carter died by suicide at age 23. Vanderbilt also had a long-term relationship with filmmaker/photographer Gordon Parks and reportedly dated Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Roald Dahl, and Howard Hughes.
Gloria Vanderbilt Passes Away at 95
Gloria Vanderbilt, the fashion icon and socialite, passed away on June 17, 2019 at the age of 95 from stomach cancer at her Manhattan home. She is buried in the Vanderbilt Mausoleum at Staten Island’s Moravian Cemetery next to her late husband Wyatt and her son Carter.
Despite her son Anderson once claiming she had no trust fund, Vanderbilt left most of her estate to him, including all her property except for a Manhattan co-op worth $1.2 million that was left to her oldest son, Stan. Her remaining son, Chris, was estranged from her and was left out of the will.
