Who is Christopher Stokowski? The untold story of Gloria Vanderbilt’s son
Christopher Stokowski is an American musician famous for being the son of the late American actress, author, artist, socialite, fashion designer, and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt. He is also the half-brother of the famous CNN journalist Anderson Cooper, an 18-time Emmy Award winner.
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Christopher Stokowski is a classical musician with over ten years of experience in the music industry. He is the son of the late celebrity couple Gloria Vanderbilt and Leopold Stokowski. His late father, Leopold, was one of the most accomplished conductors.
Profile summary
| Full name | Christopher Stokowski |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | 31 January 1952 |
| Age | 72 years old (as of 2024) |
| Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
| Place of birth | New York, United States of America |
| Current residence | New York, United States of America |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Hair colour | Brown |
| Eye colour | Green |
| Height | 6'0" (183 cm) |
| Weight | 187 lbs (85 kgs) |
| Father | Leopold Stokowski |
| Mother | Gloria Laura Vanderbilt |
| College | Bard College |
| Siblings | 6 |
| Relationship status | Single |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Net worth | $1 million |
Christopher Stokowski's biography
Christopher Stokowski was born on 31 January 1952 in New York, United States of America. His father, Leopold, was a well-known music director, and his mother, Gloria Laura Vanderbilt, was renowned for being the heiress of the Vanderbilt railroad fortune. After high school, Christopher attended Bard College in New York.
How old is Christopher Stokowski?
Christopher Stokowski is 72 years old as of 2024, and his star sign is Aquarius.
Who are Christopher Stokowski's siblings?
Christopher's mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, was married four times and had four sons. Gloria Vanderbilt's children are Leopold Stanislaus Stokowski, Christopher Stokowski, Anderson Cooper and Carter Vanderbilt Cooper.
Christopher also has three half-sisters on his father's side: Andrea Sadja Stokowski, Gloria Luba Stokowski, and Sonya Maria Noel Stokowski. Altogether, Chris has one biological brother and five half-siblings.
Leopold Stanislaus Stokowski
Christopher is the second child among her mother's children. His father, Leopold, was his mother's second husband, with whom she shared two sons. Christopher's older biological brother is Leopold Stanislaus Stokowski.
Better known as Stan, Stokowski was born on 22 August 1950. Despite his family's fame, Stan has largely avoided the public eye, though he has maintained a close relationship with his mother and occasionally accompanied her to public events.
Throughout his life, he has owned several landscaping businesses in the New York and New England regions. He is married to Emily Goldstein, and they have two daughters, Abra and Aurora.
Source: Original
Anderson Cooper and Carter Vanderbilt Cooper
In 1963, her mother, Gloria, married writer Wyatt Cooper. She also had two sons with him, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper and Anderson Hays Cooper.
Anderson Hays Cooper is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator, best known as the anchor of CNN's news program Anderson Cooper 360°. Beyond his role at CNN, Cooper also contributes as a correspondent for CBS News' 60 Minutes.
Raised in New York City, he attended the Dalton School and later graduated from Yale University before embarking on a career in journalism. In 1995, he became a correspondent for ABC News, eventually transitioning to anchor roles at CNN. Additionally, Cooper has been the longtime host of CNN's annual New Year's Eve Live special.
Carter Vanderbilt Cooper was born in 1965. Anderson described him as a gentle soul with a keen interest in military history and politics. After graduating from Princeton in 1987, Carter started working on book reviews and took on editing duties for the history magazine American Heritage.
What happened to Gloria Vanderbilt's other son?
On 22 July 1988, at the age of 23, Carter tragically died after jumping from the 14th floor of his mother's penthouse. It is believed that Carter took his own life.
Vanderbilt was there at the moment and desperately pleaded with her son to step away from the edge of the terrace before he jumped. This traumatic event profoundly haunted her for the rest of her life.
In the 2016 HBO documentary Nothing Left Unsaid, Vanderbilt reflected on the infamous custody battle between her aunt, Gertrude, and her young mother, Gloria, saying:
I thought the worst thing that had ever happened to me was when I was 9, but that wasn't the worst. The worst is to lose a child.
In 1997, Vanderbilt published A Mother's Story, a book in which she detailed the day she lost her son and the profound impact it had on her life. In an interview with People magazine, Vanderbilt shared:
Some people … who knew Carter will start to talk about him and then say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ And I say, ‘No, I love to talk about him. More, more, more. Because that brings him alive, and it brings him closer, and it means that he hasn’t been forgotten.
On the 30th anniversary of Carter's death in 2018, Vanderbilt honoured her son's memory by sharing a heartfelt post on her Instagram.
Thirty years ago today, before my eyes, I lost Carter Cooper. My son. My life. My hope. In the years since, his brother, my beloved Anderson, has been by my side, giving me love and strength. Carter is close and alive within me, as he was from the beginning and as he always will be.
The tragedy of losing a father and his brother deeply affected Anderson Cooper, who was still in college at the time of his bother's death. These incidents inspired him to pursue a career in journalism. He once said:
I became interested in questions of survival: why some people survive and others don't.
Source: Getty Images
What does Christopher Stokowski do?
He is said to have followed in his father's footsteps and pursued a career in music. However, because he worked under an alias, information about his career timeline and released songs remains unclear.
Did Gloria Vanderbilt leave an inheritance?
Gloria Vanderbilt passed away in 2019 at the age of 95. At the time of her death, her net worth had been reduced from an estimated $200 million to $10 million. Initially, it was speculated that Gloria's youngest son, Anderson, could be the sole heir to his mother's wealth.
Later, Gloria's will specified that her oldest son, Leopold Stanislaus Stokowski, would receive her Midtown co-op at 30 Beekman Place, valued at approximately $1.2 million. This inheritance contributed to Leopold Stanislaus Stokowski's net worth of $110 million.
Therefore, Anderson Cooper received the remainder of her inheritance. Unfortunately, Chris had a strained relationship with his mother and was left out of the will.
Who is Gloria Vanderbilt's famous son?
Among Gloria Vanderbilt's children is Anderson Cooper, famous for his journalism and television personality work. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Anderson Cooper's net worth is approximately $50 million. As the host of CNN's news show Anderson Cooper 360°, he earns an annual salary of $12 million.
Who is Christopher Stokowski married to?
Little is known about his dating life, which can be attributed to the fact that he prefers a private life away from his family's fame. He was once engaged to his ex-fiance, April Sandmeyer. The former couple travelled to Europe after their engagement but could not follow through with their marriage plans due to family interference.
Christopher was heartbroken, and he became estranged from his family until 2016. The estrangement between Christopher Stokowski and his mother is said to have stemmed from Vanderbilt's association with psychiatrist Dr. Christ L. Zois.
Following Wyatt Cooper's sudden passing, Vanderbilt was in mourning, and her relationship with Zois extended beyond that of a typical patient and doctor. She lavished him with expensive gifts and financed his vacations.
It was only later that she realized Zois had caused significant damage to her finances by embezzling money, which led to tax evasion problems with her properties. Additionally, he negatively affected Christopher's relationship with his then-girlfriend, April Sandmeyer. Sandmeyer told the Daily Mail in 2014
Christopher was the love of my life. But I was heartbroken when I found out what Zois had done, and I felt I had no option but to end my relationship with Christopher.
Following Christopher and Sandmeyer's breakup, he withdrew from his family. Although he tried to rekindle their romance, Sandmeyer rejected his attempts to reach her by phone or through letters.
Ultimately, Christopher relocated abroad, settling in Nether Wallop, a farm in England that belonged to his father, Leopold Stokowski. Upon his return to the United States, Christopher led a peaceful life in Vermont and several New England states.
Source: Getty Images
Where is Christopher Stokowski today?
Christopher Stokowski has largely stayed out of the public eye in recent years. While there isn't much recent information about his activities, he has lived a relatively private life, focusing on his pursuits.
After nearly 40 years of estrangement, Anderson Cooper and Vanderbilt released a documentary in 2016 called Nothing Left Unsaid, which critics noted largely overlooked Christopher. Sandmeyer commented on this to Page Six when the film was released.
I think she respects [Chris’s] privacy and [not mentioning him] is out of love for him. She knows he doesn’t want to be in the public eye. He doesn’t want the public’s attention.
After the film's debut, Anderson confirmed that he and Christopher had reconnected and reconciled. Additionally, Anderson's uncle, Harry Cooper, noted that Christopher and Vanderbilt had met several times following the film's release.
FAQs
- Who is Christopher Stokowski? He is the son of Gloria Vanderbilt and Leopold Stokowski.
- How old is Christopher Stokowski? He is 72 years old as of 2024. He was born on 31 January 1952.
- Who are Christopher Stokowski's grandparents? His maternal grandparents were Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt and Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt.
- Who are Gloria Vanderbilt's children? She had four sons: Leopold Stanislaus Stokowski, Christopher Stokowski, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper (deceased), and Anderson Hays Cooper.
- What happened to Carter Cooper? He died at 23 by jumping from the 14th floor of his mother's penthouse.
- Is Christopher Stokowski married? He is not married but was once engaged to April Sandmeyer, a Manhattan socialite.
- What is Christopher Stokowski's net worth? According to TV Show Stars, Chris Stokowski reportedly has a net worth of $1 million.
- Does Anderson Cooper have half-siblings? He has one half-brother, Christopher, from his mother's side. Anderson also has a half-sister named Janet from his father's side.
Christopher Stokowski is famously known as the son of the late American fashion designer and artist Gloria Vanderbilt. He is also the older brother of renowned CNN journalist Anderson Cooper. Unlike his other family members, he prefers to live a private life away from the limelight.
Yen.com.gh recently published an article on Julia Rehwald, an American model, actress, and social media personality. Julia is widely recognised for her roles in films such as Where's Darren? (2017) and Fear Street: Part One, Two, and Three (2021).
Julia Rehwald was interested in performing and theatre from a young age, and her family encouraged her to pursue her passion. After finishing high school, she travelled to New York to pursue acting.
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