Basic Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Ethel Nicole Levitt |
| Also known as | Ethel Geary, sometimes Ethel Six Geary |
| Birth | July 20, 1942, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States |
| Death | August 23, 1967, Colorado Springs area, Colorado, United States |
| Age at death | 25 |
| Occupation | Aspiring television actress, homemaker |
| Notable appearances | Ben Casey (1965, as Nurse Lovejoy), The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1965, guest) |
| Mother | Ethel Merman, born 1908, died 1984 |
| Father | Robert Daniels Levitt, born 1910, newspaper promotion executive and later a lieutenant colonel |
| Sibling | Robert Levitt Jr., born August 11, 1945 |
| Spouse | William Bill Geary, married May 6, 1960, separated by 1967 |
| Children | Barbara Jean Geary, born February 20, 1961; Michael Geary, born about 1962 |
| Residences | New York City; Denver, Colorado |
| Burial | Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum, Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Stepfather | Robert Six, married to Ethel Merman 1964 to 1965 |
Early Life and Family Background
Bright footlights cast a long shadow over Ethel Nicole Levitt’s birth in Manhattan on July 20, 1942. Her mother, Ethel Merman, dominated Broadway with a clarion belt. As a promotion executive at the New York Journal American and then a lieutenant colonel, her father Robert Daniels Levitt brought newspaperman knowledge to the household. The family expanded in 1945 with her brother Robert Levitt Jr.
After Merman and Levitt divorced in 1952, Ethel and her younger brother grew up with divided residences and a busy celebrity mother. In this environment, Ethel learnt early that public life was loud and consuming while private life required quiet resilience. Personal bedrock was maternal grandparents Edward and Agnes Zimmermann, and New York City’s cultural fascination was constant.
Marriage and Motherhood
Ethel married William Bill Geary on May 6, 1960, at 17–18. Motherhood soon followed. Her daughter Barbara Jean was born February 20, 1961, and her son Michael was born around 1962. Ethel was a young wife and mother in her early 20s, two hard roles that defied theatrical drama.
The couple lived in Denver, Colorado, far from her childhood Manhattan marquees. This romance failed, and they split in 1967. In the same year, tragedy struck. An accidental barbiturates overdose killed Ethel in Colorado Springs on August 23. She was 25. That her tiny children finding her is the story’s most personal detail. She is buried in Colorado Springs’ Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum with her mother’s urn.
A Short Glimpse of a Career
In a century full with stories, Ethel Levitt’s public career was brief. She played Nurse Lovejoy in Ben Casey in 1965. She appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson that year. Her onscreen work is recognized by these two credits. They show her passion in TV and desire to be an entertainer.
Still, she did not build a long list of roles. Her life moved along different track lines, shaped more by family and place than by studio schedules. Where her mother commanded stages and soundstages, Ethel’s work was episodic, intimate, and quickly overshadowed by events beyond her control.
Timeline of Key Dates
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1942 | July 20 | Born in Manhattan, New York City |
| 1945 | August 11 | Brother Robert Levitt Jr. born |
| 1952 | Parents Ethel Merman and Robert Levitt divorce | |
| 1960 | May 6 | Marries William Bill Geary |
| 1961 | February 20 | Daughter Barbara Jean Geary born |
| 1962 | about | Son Michael Geary born |
| 1964 to 1965 | Ethel Merman married airline executive Robert Six, briefly making him Ethel’s stepfather | |
| 1965 | Appears in Ben Casey and on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | |
| 1967 | August 23 | Dies in Colorado Springs area at age 25; ruled an accidental overdose |
| 1984 | Mother Ethel Merman dies; urn placed in same mausoleum |
Key Family Members
| Name | Relation | Life dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethel Merman | Mother | 1908 to 1984 | Broadway icon known for Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, and Gypsy |
| Robert Daniels Levitt | Father | 1910 to unknown | Newspaper promotion executive, later a lieutenant colonel |
| Robert Levitt Jr. | Brother | Born 1945 | Later married actress Barbara Colby for a period |
| William Bill Geary | Husband | Married Ethel in 1960; separated by 1967 | |
| Barbara Jean Geary | Daughter | Born February 20, 1961 | Merman’s first grandchild |
| Michael Geary | Son | Born about 1962 | Five years old at his mother’s death |
| Robert Six | Stepfather | Airline executive; married to Ethel Merman 1964 to 1965 |
Life in Numbers
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Years lived | 25 |
| Age at marriage | 17 to 18 |
| Age at first childbirth | 18 to 19 |
| Children | 2 |
| Known television credits | 2 |
| Years of step relationship to Robert Six | About 1 |
| Primary residences | New York City and Denver |
| Year of death | 1967 |
A Family in the Spotlight
Ethel’s family background is full of American entertainment. With iconic roles and records, her mother shaped midcentury American theater. Ethel met artists and businesspeople in New York, and her father’s media skills revealed the relationship between newspaper, celebrity, and public desire.
Her brother Robert Jr. continued the family legacy into adulthood, while Ethel’s children marked a new chapter away from Times Square. That split geography between New York and Colorado gave her life a bicoastal feel, with Broadway brilliance and mountain air.
The Denver Years and Distance from Fame
Ethel moved to Denver for room and normalcy. It distanced her from Ethel Merman’s daughter expectations. Ethel had diapers, food, and hopes denied throughout the volatile 1960s in America. A successful acting career became less likely as her mother’s public image grew apart from her own private decisions.
People who remember the era understood the mix of prescription medications and stress in American households. Her accidental barbiturate overdose death certificate matches a terrible pattern of the period. A family experienced with public scrutiny and private suffering was left behind.
Career Snapshot and Context
Calling Ethel an actress is true but incomplete. She labored. She learnt lines. They talked on Carson’s couch after she hit on Ben Casey. Her output was brief. That briefness captures her narrative. She desired her own cinematic space despite living with one of the 20th century’s greatest actors. The contrast between the star and the cameo, each vital to the situation and telling different truths.
Memory, Resting Place, and Ongoing Mentions
Her legacy lives on in family archives, stories about a girl who sought a gentler life, and the marble stillness of Colorado Springs’ Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum. Her mother’s urn joined her in 1984, bringing them closer after years apart. Biographies of Ethel Merman and retrospectives on fame’s effects on family mention her. Ethel Levitt arises whenever the private expenses of public glory are weighed, but modern news knows little about her.
FAQ
Who was Ethel Levitt?
She was the daughter of Broadway star Ethel Merman and Robert Daniels Levitt, born in 1942 and deceased in 1967. She married young, had two children, and made brief television appearances.
How did Ethel Levitt die?
Her death on August 23, 1967 was ruled an accidental overdose of barbiturates. She died in the Colorado Springs area at age 25.
Was Ethel Levitt an actress?
She appeared on Ben Casey in 1965 and as a guest on The Tonight Show the same year. Her acting career did not extend beyond these known credits.
Who were Ethel Levitt’s parents?
Her parents were Ethel Merman and Robert Daniels Levitt. They divorced in 1952.
Did Ethel Levitt have siblings?
Yes, she had one brother, Robert Levitt Jr., born in 1945. He later married actress Barbara Colby for a time.
Was Ethel Levitt married, and did she have children?
She married William Bill Geary on May 6, 1960. They had two children, Barbara Jean, born 1961, and Michael, born about 1962.
Where did Ethel Levitt live?
She lived in New York City during her early life and later in Denver, Colorado. Her final years were spent in the Colorado Springs area.
Where is Ethel Levitt buried?
She is entombed at the Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum in Colorado Springs. Her mother’s urn was later placed in the same mausoleum.
Did Ethel Levitt have a stepfather?
Yes, airline executive Robert Six was briefly her stepfather during his marriage to Ethel Merman from 1964 to 1965. Their connection lasted roughly one year.
Is there recent news about Ethel Levitt?
Modern references are rare and typically appear in discussions of Ethel Merman’s life and family. She does not have a social media presence.
