Zsa Zsa Gabor, the outspoken, glamorous Jewish actress who epitomized what we think of as “celebrity” today, has died at age 99. Gabor is known for her many husbands (nine, but who’s counting), her witty remarks (“I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house.”) and for films such as 1952’s “Moulin Rouge.”
But there’s a lot more to Zsa Zsa Gabor’s story. Here are nine things you may not have known about her:
1. Both of her parents were Jewish.
Born Sari Gabor in Budapest, Hungary, Gabor’s father, Vilmos, was a soldier, and her mother, Jolie, was a socialite, jeweler, and memoirist. While Zsa Zsa made it to Hollywood before the war, Jolie had to flee Nazi-occupied Budapest in the 1940s, also settling in the US.
2. She is the ex-step-great-grandmother of Paris and Nicky Hilton.
Yes, this is true. And yes, it’s amazing.
3. She was crowned Miss Hungary of 1936.
She was later disqualified because she had lied about her age. Whoops.
4. At age 72, she was arrested for slapping a police officer.
The officer had stopped her for an expired tag on her license plate. She served three days in jail and 120 hours of community service.
5. She once held up the filming of an episode of “The New Hollywood Squares” for 45 minutes because she broke a fingernail.
Yaaaas queeeeen.
6. She was an actual princess… sort of.
After marrying her ninth and last husband, Frédéric von Anhalt, in 1986, Gabor took on the title of German Princess. Except Anhalt was the son of a commoner who paid an elderly princess to adopt him, a tactic that many European royalty do not recognize. Whatevs.
7. Speaking of husbands, she was married 9 times.
She even shared one of her husbands with her sister Magda, who were both married to George Sanders (at different times, of course).
8. She gave birth to one child, Constance Francesca Hilton, at age 30.
According to her autobiography, “One Lifetime is Not Enough,” the pregnancy resulted from rape by her then-husband, Conrad Hilton.
9. She had plans to live out the rest of her life in Hungary.
Her husband was planning on throwing her a big 100th birthday bash in Bel-Air, after which they would move to Hungary to live out the rest of her days. Sadly, she didn’t make it.
Rest in peace, Zsa Zsa. May your fabulous memory be for a blessing, dahling.
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