Ghislaine Alexander
Ghislaine Alexander | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ghislaine Marie-Rose Edith Dresselhuys 7 January 1922 Dutch consulate in London |
| Died | 25 April 2000 (aged 78) |
| Occupations | Heiress and socialite |
| Known for | Panelist on the British version of What's My Line? |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Lady Tana Focke |
Ghislaine Marie-Rose Edith Alexander (née Dresselhuys; 7 January 1922 – 25 April 2000) was a wealthy heiress and British socialite who was a panelist on the British version of What's My Line?.
Life and times
Alexander was the only daughter of Cornelius William Dresselhuys and Edith Merandon du Plessis, born at the Dutch consulate in London, where her father was consul. Her parents divorced when Ghislaine was young, and her mother married newspaper publisher Lord Kemsley, who became Alexander's stepfather. She was married three times, first to Major Denis Alexander, 6th Earl of Caledon, then to Henry Cubitt, 4th Baron Ashcombe; both marriages ended in divorce. At the time of her death she was married to Adrian Foley, 8th Baron Foley, a former composer and pianist.[1][2]
Ghislaine Alexander became famous for her appearances as a panelist on Britain's What's My Line? television quiz show.[3] She had been a fashion journalist and had modelled for women's magazines such as Vogue and Women's Illustrated.
A caricature of her appeared briefly in Disney's 1961 release of 101 Dalmatians.
In October 2009, two dresses worn by Alexander, one in 1934, the other in 1938, were purchased by the Bath Fashion Museum in Bath, Somerset, England, for £101,365.[4]
American connections
Alexander had close connections to the United States. She spent much of her youth in Palm Beach, Florida, where her parents, Lord and Lady Kemsley, had a home.[5] Then, as Lady Foley she resided in Beverly Hills.[6] Alexander was a regular visitor to New York.[3] On 10 January 1954, she appeared on the American version of What's My Line?, first as a mystery guest, then joining the panel for the second round.[7] Her arrival for the show was reported in Ed Sullivan's newspaper column. [3]
References
- ^ "A genealogical survey: Ghislaine Dresselhuys". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
- ^ Tompsett, Brian. "Dresselhuys, Ghislaine (Alexander)". University of Hull, Hull, UK. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
- ^ a b c "Lady Foley". UK: Telegraph. 24 May 2000. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "Bath museum to get top dresses". The Bath Chronicle. 6 October 2009. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
- ^ De Holguin Cayzer, Bea (5 December 1972). "Buzzing With Bea". Palm Beach Daily News. p. 2.
- ^ "Sophia Has A Publishing Yen, And Gets It". Palm Beach Daily News. 19 May 1979. p. 2.
- ^ "Summary of What's My Line? episode appearance". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 1 December 2009.