Maria (Cardullias) Sarandon (1916 - 2013)

Born 26 Oct 1916 in Norfolk, Virginia

Wife of Christos John Sarandon — married 18 Mar 1935 in Pinellas County, Florida

Died 11 Feb 2013 at age 96 in Tarpon Springs, Florida

Biography

TARPON SPRINGS — Cliffie Sarandon had been a nanny to the stars.

She cared for the children of Natalie Wood and musician Herb Alpert, and looked after a declining Rita Hayworth.

Ms. Sarandon herself came from humble roots and grew up learning not to judge people. She collected hundreds of friends as a result.

She even forgave the husband who left her penniless after 30 years of marriage. The crisis led to a career in Beverly Hills, one of several reinventions she undertook over a long life.

"That is probably the greatest life lesson I learned from my mother, how to accept that life is less than ideal in a dignified and graceful manner," said her son, Chris Sarandon, the actor known for his roles in Dog Day Afternoon, The Princess Bride and Fright Night.

Ms. Sarandon died Monday at a rehabilitation center in Tarpon Springs. She was 96.

She was born Maria Cardullias in 1916 in Norfolk, Va., the daughter of Greek immigrants. The family soon moved to Tarpon Springs, where her father sold sponges. Ms. Sarandon spoke no English until elementary school.

At 17, a family friend arranged for her to meet a dashing older man at a picnic. Chris Sarandon, then 35, slipped his Masonic ring on her finger and asked, "Do you think you could learn to love me?"

Before that, she had never even been on a date.

Soon Ms. Sarandon was a married woman living in Beckley, W.Va., where her husband owned a restaurant.

He improved her skill at cooking Greek food. They raised two sons. But security came with a cost.

The elder Chris Sarandon "had some jealousy issues," said Chris Sarandon, 70. He forbade her from dancing with anyone else or even wearing bright colors or scarves.

One day she came home to a note on the television.

Her husband had decided he was through with life in the United States and with the marriage. He had cleaned out the bank account and moved to Greece.

"It completely blindsided her," her son said.

Still, she was not without resources. Ms. Sarandon babysat for friends, then began working as a nanny for wealthier coal-mining families.

She also began wearing scarves again that swayed when she danced, and the color red. "She had this kind of vivaciousness that had been held in check for so long," said Chris Sarandon, who was once married to actress Susan Sarandon.

Around 1969, she moved to California, where another son ran a domestic service.

Her first job: helping to raise Natasha Gregson Wagner, the daughter of Natalie Wood. Ms. Sarandon lived with Wood and her husband, Robert Wagner, for a year or so. She worked for Alpert, who had an infant child, and for the heirs of the Alexander Graham Bell fortune.

She was fond of bromides about catching more flies with honey or not judging books by their covers. "She really loved those little word pills that people pop in their mouths and make them feel better," her son said.

In the 1980s, Ms. Sarandon served as a companion to Rita Hayworth, who was two years her junior but suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

In 1989 she returned to Tarpon Springs. She spent the last five years of her life at the Peninsula Care and Rehabilitation Center.

Sources

1920; Census Place: St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida; Roll: T625_229; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 133; Image: 597.

Florida, Marriages, 1830-1993; Marriage License;Chris Sarandon and Cliffie Cardullias, 18 Mar 1935; FHL microfilm 2115709.

Florida, Marriages, 1830-1993," index and images, Marriage Application;Chris Sarandon and Cliffie Cardullias, 18 Mar 1935; citing Pinellas, Florida, United States; FHL microfilm 002115489

Tampa Bay Times, dated Feb. 15, 2013.

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