Francesca Hilton
Constance Francesca Gabor Hilton (March 10, 1947 – January 5, 2015) was an American actress, photographer, and comedian. She was the only daughter of Hilton Hotel founder Conrad Hilton with his second wife, actress and socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Francesca Hilton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Constance Francesca Gabor Hilton March 10, 1947 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 5, 2015 (aged 67) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actress, photographer, comedian |
| Parent(s) | |
| Relatives |
|
Early life and family
Francesca Hilton was born in 1947 in New York City, after her parents were granted a divorce in September, 1946. [1][2] Her father, Conrad Nicholson Hilton, was the founder of the Hilton Hotel chain.[1][3][4] Her mother, Zsa Zsa Gabor, was a Hungarian actress and socialite.[1][3][4] Gabor's 1991 autobiography One Lifetime Is Not Enough, alleged that her pregnancy was a result of rape by then-husband Conrad Hilton.[5][6]
She was the only child of Zsa Zsa Gabor and therefore the only descendant of the Gabor sisters as well as the only daughter of Conrad Hilton. Her three half-brothers were Conrad Nicholson Hilton Jr. (1926–1969); William Barron Hilton (1927–2019);[3] and Eric Michael Hilton (1933–2016). She attended movie premieres with her mother and competed in equestrian competitions as a child.[2][3]
In 1947, while Hilton was an infant, a burglar entered their home and tied up Zsa Zsa Gabor and their housekeeper, and threatened to kill Francesca. The burglar stole jewelry worth over $750,000.[7]
She worked in reservations at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California during summers as a teenager. When her father died in 1979, he left most of his wealth to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.[1] She contested the will, which left her only $100,000, but lost the suit. In October 1993, she married Joseph Piche. The couple divorced in 2010 and had no children. At the time of her death, she was engaged to Michael Natsis. She resided in Los Angeles most of her life.[3][1][4]
On June 1, 2005, her stepfather, Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, filed suit against her in a California court and accused her of fraud. The court threw out the case for lack of evidence. Hilton denied the allegations.[1] Hilton lived in West Hollywood apartments for the last nine years of her life. After her mother Zsa Zsa Gabor became incapacitated (including loss of voice, hearing, and eyesight, as well as total dementia) and left to the care of her stepfather, Francesca was totally cut off financially by him.
Career
She appeared in A Safe Place in 1971[1][2] and The Gravy Train in 1974. She worked as a photographer in the 1980s.[1][2] She also worked for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.[3]
In 2008, she started performing as a comedian on a regular basis at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood.[1] Her show centered on her family.[8] She joked that her great-nieces, Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton, were "pole dancers and porn stars."[8]
According to her publicist, Edward Lozzi, she was writing an autobiography shortly before she died in 2015.[1][2]
Death
At the time of her death, Hilton had been homeless and living out of her car for some time. Francesca Hilton died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on January 5, 2015, after suffering a major stroke. She was just over two months short of her 68th birthday.[1][2][4] Her stepfather's fight to take possession of her body was rejected by the Los Angeles coroner, and so her body remained in a morgue until her half-brother Barron Hilton was given her body. Her family and Francesca's close friends arranged her funeral.[3] Her then close-to-98-years-old mother, Zsa Zsa Gabor, suffering from dementia, was unaware of her daughter's death and was never informed before her own death in December 2016.[2]
Francesca Hilton's funeral was held at St Ambrose Catholic Church, West Hollywood.[9] She was cremated. Her ashes were interred at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery close to her aunt Eva Gabor.[8][10]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | A Safe Place | Noah's Friend #5 | |
| 1973 | Cleopatra Jones | Shoplifter | Uncredited |
| 1974 | The Gravy Train | Girl in Restaurant | |
| 1995 | Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story | Woman #1 | TV movie |
| 1997 | Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills | Helene | |
| 1999 | Forever Fabulous | PTA Mother | Final film role |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Philbin's People | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1973 | Cannon | Carrie | 1 episode |
| 1974 | V.I.P.-Schaukel | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1984 | Tattletales | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1998 | Intimate Portrait | Herself | 1 episode |
| E! True Hollywood Story | Herself | 1 episode | |
| 2000 | Biography | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2007-2008 | Entertainment Tonight | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Inside Edition | Herself | 1 episode, Archive footage |
References
- Kurtis Lee, Francesca Hilton, daughter of Zsa Zsa Gabor and Conrad Hilton, dies at 67, The Los Angeles Times, January 6, 2015.
- Mike Barnes, Francesca Hilton, Daughter of Zsa Zsa Gabor, Dies at 67, The Hollywood Reporter, January 6, 2015
- Danielle and Andy Mayoras, The Tragedy of Francesca Hilton, Daughter of Zsa Zsa Gabor and Hilton Founder, Forbes, January 13, 2015.
- Ann Oldenburg, "Francesa Hilton, Zsa Zsa Gabor's daughter, dies", USA Today, January 6, 2015.
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/trialandheirs/2015/01/13/the-tragedy-of-francesca-hilton-daughter-of-zsa-zsa-gabor-and-hilton-founder/#3fe252b618b8
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Overpowers Two Women; Threatens To Murder Child". Logansport Pharaos Tribune. October 4, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
- Francesca Hilton, The Times, January 22, 2015.
- Francesca Hilton burial, radaronline.com; accessed May 27, 2015.
- Francesca Hilton, daughter of Zsa Zsa Gabor, dies aged 67, reuters.com, January 6, 2015.