Gabor sisters

History

The Gabor sisters were born into a family of Hungarian-Jewish background, in Budapest, Hungary to parents Vilmos and Jolie Gabor. The family moved to New York in the wake of World War II. Magda had played a small role in a Hungarian film before the war, so Jolie and her three daughters moved to Hollywood to break into the film business. Eva was the first of the sisters to immigrate to the US, shortly after her first marriage, to a Swedish osteopath, Dr. Eric Drimmer, whom she married in 1937 when she was 18 years old.

In 1953, Eva was given her own television talk show, The Eva Gabor Show, which ran for one season (1953–54). Both of her sisters appeared on the show in guest spots. From September 1965 through April 1971, Eva starred in the CBS sitcom Green Acres, which proved to be a ratings success.

Widespread fame

The sisters were well-known socialites, with Eva and Zsa Zsa becoming notable for their acting and personality work. Both sisters had recurring roles on hit series such as Climax!, The Love Boat, and The Matinee Theater, at separate times, and appeared as themselves regularly on Hollywood Squares, The Dean Martin Show, and The Merv Griffin Show. In his autobiography, television host Merv Griffin, who was known to spend time with Eva socially, wrote of the Gabor sisters' initial presence in New York and Los Angeles:

All these years later, it's hard to describe the phenomenon of the three glamorous Gabor girls and their ubiquitous mother. They burst onto the society pages and into the gossip columns so suddenly, and with such force, it was as if they'd been dropped out of the sky.

Deaths

The youngest sister, Eva predeceased her elder sisters and her mother. Eva died in Los Angeles on July 4, 1995, from respiratory failure and pneumonia, following a fall in a bathtub in Mexico, where she had been on vacation. Her funeral was held on July 11, 1995, at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills.

Their mother, Jolie, was apparently never told of Eva's death and died less than two years later, in Palm Springs, California, of natural causes on April 1, 1997, at age 100. The cause of death was declared as kidney failure. Two months after Jolie's death, Magda died on June 6, 1997, five days before her 82nd birthday.

Zsa Zsa died at the age of 99 of cardiac arrest while in a coma at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on December 18, 2016, 50 days shy of becoming a centenarian. The causes of death were given as "Cardiopulmonary arrest, Coronary Artery Disease, and Cerebral Vascular Disease". She had been on life support for the previous five years.

Sole offspring

Zsa Zsa was the only Gabor sister to have a child. Zsa Zsa's daughter with husband Conrad Hilton, Francesca Hilton, was born on March 10, 1947. She died on January 5, 2015, at the age of 67, from an apparent stroke or heart attack. She had no children. Zsa Zsa was reportedly never told of her daughter's death.

Appearances together

Bibliography

References

References

1. Johnson, Irving. (February 29, 1948). "Those Gabor Girls". San Antonio Light.
2. (February 23, 2020). "19 Marriages and an Overbearing Mother: The Glamorous Life of the Gabor Sisters".
3. [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001248/ ''Zsa Zsa Gabor on IMDb'']
4. [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001247/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 ''Eva Gabor on IMDb'']
5. Griffin, Merv. ''Merv: Making the Good Life Last'', Simon & Schuster (2003), pg. 179; {{ISBN. 0743456963
6. (July 5, 1995). "Eva Gabor, 74, the Actress; Youngest of Celebrated Sisters". The New York Times.
7. Gary Wayne. (May 20, 1998). "Church of the Good Shepherd".
8. (2006). "Laid to Rest in California: a guide to the cemeteries and grave sites of the rich and famous". Globe Pequot Press.
9. [https://books.google.com/books?id=dtUqQKw2H9EC&dq=magda+gabor+desert+memorial&pg=PA141 ''Explorer's Guide'']
10. (July 2001). "Glamour and Goulash". Vanity Fair.
11. McFadden, Robert D.. (December 18, 2016). "Zsa Zsa Gabor, Actress Famous for Her Glamour (and Her Marriages), Dies at 99". The New York Times.
12. Tim Gray. (December 18, 2016). "Hollywood Legend Zsa Zsa Gabor Dies at 99".
13. Oldeburg, Ann. (January 6, 2015). "Francesa Hilton, Zsa Zsa Gabor's daughter, dies". [[USA Today]].
14. Witchel, Alex. (June 6, 1998). "The Lives They Lived: Jolie Gabor; Mother Dahling". The New York Times.
15. [http://www.classictvinfo.com/StarRevue/Season4.htm ''All Star Revue Season 4 - 1953'']
16. [http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/zsa-zsa-gabor/ ''LA Times - Hollywood Star Walk'']
17. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1289872/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt ''Hollywood Women – Episode: Glitz and Glamour (Aired December 2, 1993)'']