Zsa Zsa Gabor (80's Style Graphic)

Zsa Zsa Gabor — Vintage Hollywood Glamour Tee

Few women understood the art of being famous quite like Zsa Zsa Gabor. Actress, socialite, professional glamour queen, and one of Hollywood's most gloriously outrageous personalities, Zsa Zsa turned being Zsa Zsa into a full-time occupation. And frankly, nobody did it better.

Born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1917, Gabor arrived in America with movie-star ambitions, a spectacular wardrobe, and a personality that could fill an entire ballroom. Alongside her equally glamorous sisters, Eva and Magda, she became part of a Hollywood dynasty known as much for its marriages, diamonds, and society-page appearances as its acting careers.

And Zsa Zsa certainly kept the gossip columnists employed.

Her film credits included Moulin Rouge (1952), Lili (1953), and Queen of Outer Space (1958), but her greatest role was always herself. With her unmistakable Hungarian accent, extravagant jewelry, platinum-blonde hair, and habit of calling absolutely everyone “dahling,” she became one of the first celebrities whose personality was considerably more famous than her filmography.

She married nine times, including to hotel magnate Conrad Hilton and actor George Sanders, and developed a reputation for delivering wonderfully shameless observations about men, marriage, money, and the importance of diamonds. Whether she was appearing on a talk show, dispensing questionable romantic advice, or simply arriving somewhere in an enormous fur coat, Zsa Zsa knew how to make an entrance.

And then there was the 1989 incident involving a Beverly Hills police officer, which resulted in her conviction for slapping him during a traffic stop. Naturally, the resulting trial became a media circus, and Zsa Zsa somehow emerged with an even more outrageous public persona. Not everyone could turn a misdemeanor into another chapter of Hollywood legend.

For gay men, drag queens, and lovers of old-school camp, Zsa Zsa was practically royalty. The accent, the attitude, the unapologetic vanity, the theatrical femininity, and the absolute refusal to behave like an ordinary person made her an enduring queer pop culture icon.