Gabor sisters
The
Gabor sisters are three famous
Hungarian actresses:
*
Magda (1914? - 1997)
*
Zsa Zsa (1917? - )
*
Eva (1919? - 1995)
Their claim to fame, perhaps beyond their acting careers, is that of
serial matrimony: they having been married six, eight, and five times, respectively. In fact, British actor George Sanders was married first Zsa Zsa and later to Magda.
Gabor Sisters Biography
The Gabors were born in
Budapest, Hungary to 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 decided that they wanted to move to Hollywood to break into the movie business. Vilmos and Jolie disagreed over this, which led to their divorce.
Initially, the Gabor Sisters made several appearances on TV programs. Zsa Zsa's first starring role was in
Moulin Rouge (1952) followed soon after by
Lili (
1953); Eva's was in
Gigi (
1958). In both Lili and Gigi, the lead actress was
Leslie Caron. In the
1960s Eva became a household name when she starred as Lisa Douglas, in the long running TV show
Green Acres, which ran from 1964-1971.
In the late 60's trials and strains started to appear for the Gabor Sisters. In the 60's Magda had a serious fall in her estate in Beverly Hills, but she recovered quickly. Then, in 1964, thieves who were trying to steal her diamonds attacked Eva Gabor, and she was seriously injured.
Zsa Zsa's career experienced a renaisance after she slapped a policeman in 1989, and she made cameos in many films. Then in 1990 Eva rejoined Eddie Albert for the Green Acres Reunion Movie,
Return To Green Acres. In 1995 Eva Gabor died of food poisoning, making her the first Gabor to die. Jolie Gabor in 1997 when she was, according to her biographer Cindy Adams, 102 years old. Two months later, Magda died of renal failure.
Zsa Zsa is still alive, and once in a while makes an appearance. She currently resides in Beverly Hills, California with her husband.