And it came to me, and I knew what I had to have before my soul would rest. I wanted to belong - to belong to my mother. And in return - I wanted my mother to belong to me.

Vanderbilt is very close friends with Diane von Fürstenberg and also the comedienne Kathy Griffin and while appearing as a guest on her son Anderson Cooper's talk show Anderson on September 19 2011 referred to Griffin as her "fantasy daughter. Professional career
Vanderbilt studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse with teacher Sanford Meisner and studied art at the Art Students League of New York. She is a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family of New York and the mother of CNN's Anderson Cooper.

She is a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family of New York and the mother of CNN's Anderson Cooper. Gloria Laura Vanderbilt (born February 20 1924) is an American artist author actress heiress and socialite most noted as an early developer of designer blue jeans.