Actress. She is best remembered for her portrayal of the lively fashionista Maggie Prescott in the technicolor musical "Funny Face" (1957). Born unto a family of wealth and position, she began her career in the 1930s starting with a regular spot on the radio program "Bing Crosby Entertains". Following this, she soon began to appear as a hostess in other shows of the era such as "The Lucky Strike Hit Parade" and "It's Chesterfield Time". Discovered by film director Charles Reisner during a dinner party at The Waldorf Historia, he was so impressed by her charm and wit that he arranged for her to begin a career in the film industry beginning with her being under his direction in "Manhattan Merry-Go-Round" (1937). For the next several years, she went on to flourish as a character actress between motion pictures and the Broadway theatre; often typecast as debutantes, society matrons, snobs, aristocrats, reporters, eccentrics, and women of distinction. She appeared in such motion pictures as "I Dood It" (1943), "Lost in a Harem" (1944), "Thrill of a Romance" (1945), "Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood" (1945), "No Leave, No Love" (1946), "The Kid from Brooklyn" (1946), "Till The Clouds Roll By" (1946), "Ziegfeld Follies" (1945), "Good News" (1947), "The Pirate" (1948), "Lady Possessed" (1952), and "Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon" (1970). With the advent of television, she became a familiar face appearing in various guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "The Dick Powell Theatre," "The Ed Sullivan Show," "The Mike Douglas Show," "One Day at a Time," and "The Hollywood Palace". She also appeared on the stage in such musicals as "Showboat," "Applause!," "No, No, Nanette," "Roberta," "Panama Hattie," "Oklahoma!," "Annie," "Hello, Dolly!," "South Pacific," "Mame," and "Gypsy." During her career, she was a vocal coach at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, was a choreographer instructor, was instrumental in establishing the musical success of singer Andy Williams, presided on the fashion board for Macy's Department Store, was active with the New York State Democratic Committee, was the author of the popular "Eloise at the Plaza" book series, managed her own one-woman show on the nightclub circuit, was the celebrity spokeswoman for the cosmetic company Elizabeth Arden, was a regular parishioner of the Congregation Emanu-El of New York, and she was married to musician Jack Jenney from 1937 to 1939 and radio producer William Spier from 1942 to 1947 (both unions ended in divorce and produced no children). In 1989, she retired from acting and singing and spent the final years of her life being a benefactor to several hospitals, schools, conservatories, and museums and lived in splendor on the Upper East Side until her death from natural causes.