Zsa Zsa Gabor was a Hungarian actress with a distinct personality and lifestyle. In 1941, Gabor emigrated to the United States. Her first film role was in Lovely to Look At, 10 years after arriving in the United States. The same year, she appeared in We’re Not Married! and Moulin Rouge.
In June 1989, Beverly Hills Police Officer Paul Kramer pulled Gabor over for expired tags on her Rolls-Royce.
As Kramer checked for other violations, including having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle and an expired license, Gabor drove off.
The officer chased her down and pulled her over again, and that was when Gabor slapped him, although she claimed that she had only acted in self-defense because, as she said, Kramer used excessive force in arresting her.
The trial lasted weeks in Beverly Hills Municipal Court, and things quickly escalated into drama when Gabor repeatedly caused a scene.
Gabor broke a court-imposed gag order, then insulted prosecution witness Amir Eslaminia, calling him “a little punk with a hairdo like a girl,” and in a strange attempt to fix what she said, she told him she spoke Turkish. The witness replied that he was from Iran, to which Gabor said, “Well, that’s close.”
Then, on September 27, 1989, two weeks into the trial, Gabor stormed out of the courtroom in the middle of the district attorney’s closing argument.
The prosecutor told the jury that Gabor “craves media attention, and abused two weeks of this process for her own self-aggrandizement.”
And while her lawyer objected when the prosecutor said, “the defendant doesn’t know the meaning of truth,” Gabor was already running out in tears. This was her fourth dramatic walkout of the trial.
Defending his wife, Prince Frederick von Anhalt told the Los Angeles Times reporters, “I think the rich and famous should be treated differently when they do something wrong. They bring the money into Beverly Hills.”
The trial ended on September 27, 1989. The jury convicted Gabor for the incident, and she was sentenced to 72 hours in jail, 120 hours of community service, and $13,000 in fines and restitution. She was also fined $500 for contempt of court.
At the end of it all, Gabor said, “I’m going home to collapse in my swimming pool.”
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