Magda Gabor Net Worth 2024: The Glamorous Gabors

Publish date: 2024-06-27

Magda Gabor is one of the three famous Gabor sisters who dazzled Hollywood with their wealth and beauty. Read about her life and Magda Gabor net worth.

Their name is synonymous with wealth, fame, glamour, and influence. The Gabors made it from Hungary to Hollywood, determined to continue their lavish lifestyle at a time where the entire globe had just experienced the Second World War. 

They were proud, strong-willed women that would have been a great inspiration to today’s powerful women like Jessica Jackley and Amy Trask. And though their life revolved around vanity and tragedy, they were the personified image of what strong, independent women looked like in the early 20th century.

The fate of the Gabor women is closely knit, which is why it’s almost impossible to focus on them individually without first addressing Magda as part of their little group. 

Over two decades after she passed, Magda Gabor net worth is around $4 million based on her existing assets, one of which is a beautiful estate in Palm Springs, California, that is currently for sale.

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Magda Gabor Bio

She was born Magdolna Gabor on June 11, 1915, to father Vilmos Gabor, a Hungarian Colonel, and mother Janka Jolie Tilleman, from a wealthy family of jewelers from Budapest. Magda is the eldest of three sisters; Zsa Zsa followed her in 1917, and then Eva in 1919.

Vilmos Gabor

By 1939, Magda’s parents divorced. Vilmos was a typical man who preferred his wife to stay at home, be submissive, and bear him sons. Jolie was a proud, ambitious woman who bore him three daughters and rejected the idea of becoming no more than an old-fashioned wife.

Magda didn’t have many fond memories of the man. He was known to be unreasonably strict and always seemingly disappointed by the fact that his wife couldn’t give him a son. She feared him as a child, hiding under beds and tables whenever her father came her way.

Jolie Gabor

Magda’s mother, Jolie, had her own jewelry shop. First in Budapest, where her store was so popular that people were waiting in line. After the Second World War they fled to America, where Jolie opened another store. 

She directed her attention towards her daughters, giving them a lavish and privileged life. She also set a standard on glamour and fashion that the Gabor sisters would live up to for the rest of their lives.

Magda Gabor – Life

Magda stood apart from her sisters, in both appearance and witts. She was tall, beautiful, and the only red-haired sibling. She was a lively, free-spirited woman who idolized their mother. She followed her around and developed an interest in business, which later proved helpful to her.

Magda was the perfect student. That was her upper hand when it came to vying for their mother’s affection. She would often present her mother with the highest achievements from school. This was something that always pleased Jolie, seeing Magda’s potential to rise above society.

World War II – Fleeing Budapest

When the world fell into chaos after World War II hit, so did the life of the Gabor women. When most high-born families panicked and trembled in fear, knowing they may not survive, Magda and her mother were prepared to dig their hands in dirt.

They were born Hungarian, but they also come from a direct line of successful Jewish merchants. Jolie barely thought anything of the war, she was determined to travel through Germany and restock her store with precious stones. She only changed her mind when friends and relatives practically called her crazy for wanting to take a stroll through enemy territory.

Magda, on the other hand, became part of the resistance movement. She joined her first husband in the fight against the Germans. Magda willingly risked her life by securing a high-priority pass to drive a Red Cross truck, containing prisoners of war, out of Hungary.

She had no intention whatsoever to leave Hungary, even after both her younger sisters had fled to the United States and had started to work on obtaining a Hollywood career. Magda stayed with both her parents in Budapest, where she personally made sure that they were safe at all times.   

New Life In Hollywood

As the years passed, Zsa Zsa and Eva started to worry about Magda and their parents as the Germans hunted down members of the resistance in Hungary. This put Magda in immediate danger. She was not only an active soldier of the resisting force, she had Jewish blood.

Luckily, by then, in 1944, the younger Gabor sisters were already married to two of the wealthiest and most influential men in America, Zsa Zsa was married to billionaire Conrad Hilton, Paris Hilton’s great-grandfather. And Eva was married to Charles Isaacs, heir to a real estate fortune.

After appealing to the American government for assistance from Washington, their connections managed to help grant safe passage for their parents and Magda to the United States in 1945.

Career

Her sisters were unsatisfied with just wealth and kept aiming to be Hollywood actresses. Though she did have a short stint on theatre, film, and tv, Magda was content with working with their mother at the costume jewelry salon they opened at 699 Madison Avenue. 

Serial Matrimony

Upon the mention of the Gabors, one of the main topics that people bring up is the total number of marriages the sisters had throughout their lives. According to a documentary featuring the Gabor family, the sisters walked down the aisle a combined total of 20 times, led by Zsa Zsa.

Eva Gabor married five times, followed by the eldest sister, Magda with six times, then Zsa Zsa took first place with an impressive nine times. She’s also the only Gabor sister who had children.

Magda Gabor Net Worth – Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Was Magda Gabor Net Worth?

It’s been over two decades since she died; the last basis of the wealth is the Palm Springs estate that’s yet to be sold. Magda Gabor net worth is said to be around $4 million.

What Did Magda Gabor Do?

Magda Gabor net worth may probably not be as impressive as her sisters’, but she worked diligently alongside their mother, who opened a small custom jewelry shop in Madison Avenue and grew it into a multi-million dollar trade. She also had a very short acting career that sums to only five appearances.

How Many Times Was Magda Gabor married?

Magda Gabor went through 6 marriages. The first took place in 1937, when she was 22 years old, to Jon Bychowsky, who died in 1944. And 6th and final marriage was in 1972, when she was 57 years old, to Tibor Heltai, whom Magda divorced in 1975, barely making it into their 3rd year.

Magda Gabor Net Worth – Final Thoughts

It was rumored that Magda Gabor spoke 18 different languages. She fought for her country and risked her life for years to help people. She also stayed with her parents despite having every opportunity to escape the war. Maybe this is why she wasn’t as popular as her sisters.

Jolie gave everything so that her daughters could have it easy in the world, though Magda’s achievements may not have been as fabulous as the rest of her daughters. Magda did save hundreds of lives at the risk of losing her own. Her family would have been proud.

Magda Gabor net worth is valued at $4 million. She was one of the three glamorous girls from Hungary known as the Gabor Sisters. They were simply famous for being famous.

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Founder of Spark Nomad, Radical FIRE, Celebz Net Worth, Journalist

Expertise: Personal finance and travel content. I’m a full-time traveler, and I’ve been to 49 countries and 5 continents.
Education: Bachelor of Economics at Radboud University, Master in Finance at Radboud University, Minor in Economics at Chapman University.
Over 200 articles, essays, and short stories published across the web.

Marjolein Dilven is a journalist and founder of Spark Nomad, a travel platform, and Radical FIRE, a personal finance platform. Marjolein has a finance and economics background with a master’s in Finance. She has quit her job to travel the world, documenting her travels on Spark Nomad to help people plan their travels. Marjolein Dilven has written for publications like MSN, Associated Press, CNBC, Town News syndicate, and more.

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