Tempestuous blonde Hungarian personality and sometime actress who has parlayed her ability for headline-grabbing into a career. Gabor's performances have always taken a decided backseat to her fur-swathed, be-diamonded appearances before talk show hosts and reporters as a worldly-wise femme fatale. Along with Jayne Mansfield, Gabor nourished and came to epitomize the American concept of "celebrity": a spotlit persona who exists in the public eye not because of any unique accomplishment, but simply by 'being'.
Against her dominant father's wishes, her ambitious mother propelled her into winning the Miss Hungary contest in 1936. Stardom of sorts and revolving-door marriages followed (the most notable ones were to millionaire Conrad Hilton and to actor-rake George Sanders). Seldom at a loss for biting repartee, Gabor achieved permanent celebrity status when she subbed at the last minute on a live TV show and, in trademark fashion, countered a compliment on her jewels with, "Oh, Dolink, zese are just my vorking diamonds." The same wit engaged her in numerous feuds throughout the years, sometimes with actor sister Eva.
In more recent years her publicity has soured, most notably in 1989 when she was found guilty of driving without a license in Beverly Hills; her confidence was reportedly bolstered by an open bottle of vodka. Claiming rudeness on the part of the arresting officer, Gabor delivered the now infamous slap, which resulted in a brief stint in jail.
Gabor made memorable decorative turns in "Moulin Rouge" (as Jane Avril, her singing dubbed) and "Lili" (1953) but is best remembered by cultists in the hilariously dismal "The Queen of Outer Space" (1958, not in the title role). On TV she guested on the camp television series "Batman" as the gold-digging Minerva, whose mineral spa fleeced swells by extracting secrets from their brains.