Constance Francesca Gabor Hilton (March 10, 1947 – January 5, 2015), known as Francesca Hilton, was an American actress and comedian, member of the Hilton family. She was the only child of

Hilton Hotels Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton Worldwide. The original company was founded by Conrad Hi ...

founder

Conrad Hilton Conrad Nicholson Hilton (December 25, 1887 – January 3, 1979) was an American hotel magnate and politician who founded the Hilton Hotels chain. From 1912 to 1916, Hilton was a Republican representative in the first New Mexico Legislature ...

and his second wife, actress and socialite

Zsa Zsa Gabor Zsa Zsa Gabor ( , ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were socialites and actresses Eva Gabor and Magda Gabor. Gabor competed in the ...

Early life and family

Hilton was born in 1947 in New York City, after her parents were granted a divorce in September 1946.Kurtis Lee
"Francesca Hilton, daughter of Zsa Zsa Gabor and Conrad Hilton, dies at 67"
''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'', January 6, 2015.Mike Barnes
"Francesca Hilton, Daughter of Zsa Zsa Gabor, Dies at 67"
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', January 6, 2015 Her father,

, was the founder of the

chain.Danielle and Andy Mayoras
The Tragedy of Francesca Hilton, Daughter of Zsa Zsa Gabor and Hilton Founder
''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'', January 13, 2015.Ann Oldenburg
"Francesa Hilton, Zsa Zsa Gabor's daughter, dies"
''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'', January 6, 2015. Her mother

and her aunts ( Eva and

Magda Magda may refer to: * Magda (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of persons with the name) * Marinko Magda (born 1963), Serbian mass murderer * Magda, São Paulo, Brazil, a municipality * Heimat (play), ''Heimat'' (play), commonly ...

) were Hungarian-born actresses and socialites. Gabor's 1991 autobiography ''One Lifetime Is Not Enough'' alleged that her pregnancy was a result of rape by then-husband Conrad Hilton. She was the only child of Zsa Zsa Gabor and therefore the only descendant of the

Gabor sisters The Gabor sisters were three Hungarian-American actresses/socialites: Magda (June 11, 1915 – June 6, 1997), Zsa Zsa (February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016), and Eva (February 11, 1919 – July 4, 1995). Born in Budapest, Hungary, the trio ...

as well as the only daughter of Conrad Hilton. Her three half-brothers were Conrad Hilton Jr.,

Barron Hilton William Barron Hilton (October 23, 1927 – September 19, 2019) was an American business magnate, philanthropist and sportsman. The second son and successor of hotelier Conrad Hilton, he was the chairman, president and chief executive officer of ...

, and Eric Hilton. She attended movie premieres with her mother and competed in equestrian competitions as a child. 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. Francesca worked in reservations at the

Beverly Hilton Hotel The Beverly Hilton is a hotel located on an property at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard, Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica boulevards in Beverly Hills, California, United States. The Beverly Hilton has hosted many awards ...

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

, during summers as a teenager. At the time of her death, she was engaged to Michael Natsis. According to her publicist, Edward Lozzi, she had been writing an autobiography. She also worked for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. When Conrad Hilton died in 1979, he left most of his wealth to the

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is an American non-profit charitable foundation, established in 1944 by hotel entrepreneur Conrad Hilton. It remained relatively small until his death on January 3, 1979, when it was named the principal benefici ...

. Francesca Hilton contested the will, which left her only $100,000, but lost the suit. In 2005, her stepfather, Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, filed lawsuits against her accusing her of fraud in obtaining a loan using her mother's house as collateral, and manipulation over her mother's will; the court threw out the case for lack of evidence after Gabor did not appear or sign a statement. Hilton denied the allegations. In 2012 she successfully sued for an independent conservatorship to be set up for the care of her mother, who had become incapacitated, but the judge appointed Von Anhalt as temporary conservator. Hilton lived in Los Angeles for most of her life. A month before her death in 2015, she was impoverished and living in weekly rental apartments and in her car.

Performing career

She appeared in '' A Safe Place'' in 1971 and ''

The Gravy Train ''The Gravy Train'', also commonly known as ''The Dion Brothers'', is a 1974 American crime film, crime-comedy film directed by Jack Starrett, written by Terrence Malick (under the pseudonym David Whitney) and Bill Kerby, and starring Stacy Kea ...

'' in 1974. She worked as a photographer in the 1980s. By 2008, she started performing at

The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy ...

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...

. Her show centered on her family.Francesca Hilton
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', January 22, 2015. She joked that her great-nieces,

Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Hilton was born in New York City and raised there partially; shuttling between Los Angeles and New York City; she is a great-grandda ...

and

Nicky Hilton Nicholai Olivia "Nicky" Rothschild ( Hilton; born October 5, 1983) is an American socialite, fashion designer and model. She is a member of the Hilton family by birth, and a member of the Rothschild family following her 2015 marriage to James ...

, were "pole dancers and porn stars".

Death

Hilton died at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, Tertiary referral hospital, tertiary, 915-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre, academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars ...

in Los Angeles on January 5, 2015, after having suffered a major

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

. She was 67 years old."Francesca Hilton, daughter of Zsa Zsa Gabor, dies aged 67"
Reuters, January 6, 2015. Her mother was then 97 and suffering from dementia; her stepfather sought unsuccessfully to take possession of Hilton's body. After it remained in the morgue for several days, an autopsy was performed and her half-brother

took possession of her body. Hilton's funeral was held at St Ambrose Catholic Church, West Hollywood. She was cremated and her ashes interred at the

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary is a cemetery and Morgue, mortuary located in the Westwood, Los Angeles, Westwood area of Los Angeles. It includes a crematory for cremation services. Its location is at 1218 Glendon Av ...

, close to her aunt,

Eva Gabor Eva Gabor ( ; February 11, 1919 – July 4, 1995) was a Hungarian-American actress and socialite. Gabor voiced Duchess and Miss Bianca in the Disney animations ''The Aristocats'' (1970), ''The Rescuers'' (1977), and ''The Rescuers Down Under'' ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hilton, Francesca 1947 births 2015 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from New York City American film actresses American people of Austrian-Jewish descent American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent American people of German descent American people of Norwegian descent American women comedians American women photographers Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Catholics from California Catholics from New York (state) Hilton family Gabor family Hilton Worldwide Comedians from New York City