I'm a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house.

Where does one start when describing the complex and incredibly beautiful Zsa Zsa Gabor? Stunning good looks accompanied by a delectable Hungarian accent (she was born there). All kinds of jewelry and couture gowns. And a talk-show host's best friend, with plenty of great stories.

By all appearances she's a delicate, wealthy beauty who'll not give up her virtue without a wedding ring. Problem is, she's given up her virtue nine times. Indeed, she's got more "exes" than a Scrabble game. She's also one of those people who's, well, famous for being famous. This phenomenon is eerily similar to her great-niece, celebrity Paris Hilton. This is proven; her filmography lists only 64 roles playing a part, yet over eighty as "herself."

Oh, and delicate. But not so delicate she's not prone to the occasional violent outburst. In 1968 she slapped a London bellboy. And then there's the more notorious slapping, in 1989, of a Beverly Hills police officer. Ms. Gabor, it seems, had not only forgotten to renew her drivers' license, she had an "open container of alcohol" in the car. She was pulled over for a traffic infraction. She promised the officer she'd be more careful, but became enraged when he began writing her a summons. She exited her bright yellow Rolls-Royce coupe and smacked the police officer, Paul Kramer, across the face. The bracelets he then put on her weren't the kind one buys at Tiffany & Co. The entire thing went to trial, and she was sentenced to 72 hours in prison and fined $13,000 court costs. She claims the jury was not "of her peers," as there were no actors, producers, etc. on the jury.
 

Gabor, who'd brought her pet with her on "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson:" Johnny, do you want to pet my pussy?
Johnny Carson: Yeah, move the cat.

The dialogue above, from The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, is a famous piece of urban legend. It's denied by both parties, and www.snopes.com makes a good case against it having happened on a taped show. All I recall is that one day in school, everyone was talking about it. Let's chalk it up to more Gabor lore.

Her most serious and challenging role as an actress was in 1952's Moulin Rouge, in the part of Jane Avril. But the bulk of her career was spent making B-movies and later in life appearing in cameo roles as herself and working the talk show circuit.

She made it to the role of "Minerva" on the television series Batman, and in fact appeared on the final show. Beside shows like Gilligan's Island, The Love Boat and Bonanza, she made her way into some peculiar, forgettable roles, perhaps the strangest being a movie called Frankenstein's Great Aunt Tillie. No, she did not play "Aunt Tillie."
 

Here Comes The Bride... Again

Here's the list of fine gentlemen who've enjoyed marital bliss with Ms. Gabor:

1937–1941 Burhan Belge, press director for the foreign ministry of Turkey, later known as a writer and diplomat
1942–1946 Conrad Hilton, Hilton Hotel magnate
1949–1954 George Sanders, actor (Sanders later married Zsa Zsa's sister, Magda)
1964–1966 Herbert Hutner, financial consultant
1966–1967 Joshua S. Cosden, Jr., oil heir and businessman
1975–1976 Jack Ryan, inventor associated with the Barbie and Chatty Cathy dolls
1977–1982 Michael O'Hara
1982–1982 Felipe de Alba (Annulled)
1986— Frederick Prinz von Anhalt

She bore her only child, a daughter named Francesca, to Conrad Hilton, who in 1955 promised her a special rate at all Hilton hotels.

The Marriage to Felipe de Alba was bigamous. She was still married to O'Hara, and although the ceremony was conducted by a ship's captain, they were not sure they were in international waters. Just to be careful, she had the marriage annulled the next day.

While married to Sanders, she carried on a notorious affair with Porfirio Rubirosa, the wealthy Dominican playboy. Twice she appeared to have been hit by Rubirosa, excusing one bump on her forehead as the result of a fall. The other injury, a black eye, she explained away as being the way a man "shows a woman he loves her deeply."
 

Zsa Zsa and Her Sisters

Zsa Zsa was born on February 6, 1917 in Budapest, Hungary. She has two sisters, Magda, an actress, and Eva, also an actress who gained a modicum of fame on the television herself. The three sisters have aggregated a total of eighteen divorces.

2002 brought more bad luck for Zsa Zsa; she was injured when a car she was riding in struck a lamp-post (the car was driven by her hairdresser). Gabor received a $2 million settlement, however, she remains paralyzed from the waist down.

Her current husband and her daughter have never hidden their scorn for each other; one accusing the other of taking advantage of the now-elderly Gabor.
 

Editors Note: Zsa Zsa Gabor died at the age of 99 of cardiac arrest at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on December 18, 2016. She was 99 years old.

SOURCES:

  • http://www.nndb.com/people/530/000025455/
  • http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001248/
  • http://www.popstarsplus.com/actress_zsazsagabor.htm
  • http://www.freewebs.com/gaborfamilygoestohollywood/zsazsabio.htm

 

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