Edith Bouvier Beale, November 17, 1917 - January 14, 2002
Edith Bouvier Beale was born on November 17, 1917 in Manhattan New York. She was the eldest of ten grandchildren of John Vernou Bouvier Jr., and the cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Beale, the family beauty, was the daughter of Phelan Beale, a Wall Street lawyer and Edith, her mother and namesake. Beale debuted to society in 1936, an occasion commented on by the New York Times. At the age of 17, Beale began a modeling career and almost made it into films at the age of 35.
It was at this point in her life that her mother became ill and Beale had to quit her career and dreams to return home to Grey Gardens and care for her ailing mother. The estate of Grey Gardens was huge but dilapidated and the two women did nothing for the upkeep. In 1971, inspectors from the Suffolk County Health Department raided the house and found that it violated every building regulation in existence. The story became a national scandal, and the Health officials threatened to evict the two women if the house was not cleaned and taken care of. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis stepped in and paid for the cleanup. During this process, Onassis' sister introduced the Beales to Albert and David Maysles, who were doing a documentary on Onassis' early life. The Maysles proposed to make a documentary of the Beales instead. The film drew excellent reviews, and stars and designers alike expressed an interest in the huge old house and it's eccentric inhabitants.
Beale's mother died in 1977. Beale thought to begin a singing career and stayed in Grey Gardens for two years before selling it and moving to Florida. Beale died on January 14, 2002 at the age of 84 from a heart attack.