Sophisticated screen star, Eva Gabor was born on February 11, 1919, in Budapest, Hungary. Gabor was raised in Switzerland with her parents and two sisters, Magda and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Known as the Gabor "sister with talent," she began performing as a cabaret singer and ice skater in Hungary. The advent of World War II forced the family to immigrate to the United States, and Gabor was the first of her sisters to land in Hollywood and pursue a career in acting.
Gabor secured small parts in films throughout the 40s; however, her breakthrough role came in a 1950 Broadway production of The Happy Time. She would go on to star in mostly films for the remainder of the 50s, including The Mad Magician in 1954 with Vincent Price, and the Oscar-winning Gigi in 1958. Now well-known in Hollywood, Gabor had become close friends with fellow actress, Audrey Hepburn, and also made frequent guest appearances on the small screen, on such shows as The Johnny Carson Show and The Liberace Show.
The 60s saw Gabor landing the role for which she is best-known, playing Lisa Douglas on the popular sitcom Green Acres from 1965 to 1970. Although the Gabor sisters had earned a reputation around Tinsel Town for their tempestuous behavior, Gabor was praised on the set by her cast mates for her professionalism and comedic timing.
Later in her career, Gabor did mostly voice-over work for Walt Disney films, including The Aristocats in 1970; The Rescuers in 1977, with Bob Newhart; The Rescuers Down Under in 1990, with John Candy; and Nutcracker Fantasy in 1979, with Melissa Gilbert.
In addition to acting, Gabor also lent her image to a successful line of wigs, marketing Eva Gabor Wigs and The Eva Gabor Look.
In keeping with the tradition of her sisters, Gabor once stated that "Marriage is too interesting an experiment to be tried only once." She proved her commitment to this theory by marrying five times: to Swedish physician, Erik Drimmer from 1939 to 1942; to Charles Isaacs from 1943 to 1950; to physician John Williams from 1956 to 1956; to Richard Brown from 1959 to 1972; and to Frank Jameson from 1973 to 1983. Gabor also lived with TV mogul and Wheel of Fortune creator, Merv Griffin, until her death, although they were reportedly in a platonic relationship.
On July 4, 1995, Gabor died at the age of seventy-six due to respiratory failure after suffering from food poisoning. She was outlived by both her two older sisters and her mother, who died in 1997 at the age of 103. Gabor is buried in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
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