Zsa Zsa Gabor has been many things in her life: actress, plaything of playboys, disqualified beauty pageant contestant and convicted slapper.
Sounds a lot like socialite Paris Hilton, no? It gets better. Turns out that Zsa Zsa Gabor and Paris Hilton have a deep family connection.
The Early Years
Sari Gabor was born on February 6, 1917 in Budapest, Hungary, although some sources state that she might have been born earlier. She was the daughter of Vilmos, a Soldier, and Jolie, who worked as a manager. She changed her name to Zsa Zsa when she was a child because she wasn't able to pronounce the name Sari, that her parents had given her.
The Big Break
Zsa Zsa's chance at stardom happened in 1936 when she was spotted by Richard Tauber, a famous opera singer, and he invited her to sing in his newest opera Der singende Traum (The Singing Dream) in Vienna. Shortly after her opera debut, Gabor married Burhan Asaf Belge, a Turkish diplomat who was 18 years her senior. When Belga brought her back to Turkey, she was spotted by the President of Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, and the two quickly became lovers.
The Beginning of a Dynasty
Zsa Zsa first ventured to the United States in 1941 where she quickly befriended and married Conrad Hilton (Zsa Zsa always had interesting ideas about marriage).Conrad was fighting to control his empire after the disaster of the Great Depression at the time, and perhaps Zsa Zsa seemed like a glamorous choice for a wife to help him take his mind off his troubles. Gabor wrote in her 1991 autobiography, One Lifetime is Not Enough, that Hilton raped her during their marriage, resulting in the birth of their daughter, Francesca.
More Scandal
Prior to Zsa Zsa, Conrad was married to Mary Adelaide Barron, who passed away in 1934, giving him William Baron Hilton I, Eric Michael Hilton, and Conrad Hilton, Jr. A 2007 piece in Vanity Fair about Zsa Zsa alleged that Conrad Hilton, Jr. was sleeping with his stepmother, Zsa Zsa, while she was still married to his father, Conrad Sr.
Zsa Zsa and Paris: The Connection
Conrad Jr.'s brother, William Baron Hilton married Marilyn June Hawley in 1947. They gave birth to eight children, including Richard Howard Hilton. Richard Hilton, in turn, married Kathy Richards in 1979. Their first child, Paris Hilton, was born in 1981. This connection makes Paris the grand-niece (or ex-grand niece, whichever way you want to look at it) of Zsa Zsa Gabor.
More Gabor Fun Facts
Zsa Zsa bought a home in swanky Bel Air from none other than the king of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley, in 1974. The home was originally built by Howard Hughes.
Gabor was arrested for slapping a LA cop in 1989, but that wasn't the first time she got in trouble for slapping someone. Back in September 1968, she slapped a bellboy in London during a fight over hotel towels.
Scott Calonico - Scott Calonico holds a BS in Communications from the University of Texas at Austin and an MA in International Journalism from City ...
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