American actress and philanthropist Dina Merrill, best known for playing regal aristocratic blondes, has died at 93.
Merrill defied her wealthy family's wishes to enter show business. Her father was E.F. Hutton, a founder of the American stock brokerage firm that bears his name, and her mother was Marjorie Merriwether Post, heiress to the Post Cereal fortune and a noted collector of pre-revolutionary Russian art.
FILE - In this April 6, 1962, photo, socialite-actress Dina Merrill models the gown she was to wear at the Academy Awards presentation in Los Angeles. Merrill, the rebellious heiress who defied her super-rich parents to become an actress, died May 22, 2017, at age 93.
Merrill and her family lived for a time at the Mar-a-Lago estate, the Florida resort now owned by President Donald Trump.
Merrill appeared on the stage, on television and in more than 100 films, including The Desk Set, Operation Petticoat, and Butterfield 8.
She used her family's fortune for numerous charitable endeavors, including providing food and shelter for impoverished families and a foundation to help children suffering from diabetes.