What is Pia Zadora’s net worth?
Pia Zadora, an American actress and singer, has a net worth of $25 million dollars. She began her career in the 1960s as a child star on stage and in the film “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.” In 1982, she gained national recognition for her role in the critically derided crime drama “Butterfly,” winning both Golden Globe and Golden Raspberry Awards. She then transitioned to music and released several albums consisting of popular standards after her film career failed to take off.
Early Life and Career
Pia Zadora was born in 1953 in Hoboken, New Jersey. She began her career as a child actress, appearing in shows such as “Midgie Purvis” and “Fiddler on the Roof” on Broadway. Zadora also made her film debut in “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” in 1964. However, she struggled to gain traction in Hollywood and instead appeared in commercials for Dubonnet.
Pia Zadora’s Acting Career
Pia Zadora gained public attention in 1982 for her role in “Butterfly” alongside Stacy Keach and Orson Welles. Despite negative reviews, Zadora won the Golden Globe Award for Best New Star of the Year, but allegations arose that her husband had bought the award through a promotional campaign, leading to her winning the Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Actress and Worst New Star. Zadora went on to star in films such as “Fake-Out,” “The Lonely Lady,” and “Voyage of the Rock Aliens.” She also appeared in comedic roles in “Hairspray,” “Troop Beverly Hills,” and “Naked Gun 33 ⅓: The Final Insult.”
Pia Zadora’s Music Career
Pia Zadora gained more critical success as a singer than as an actress. In 1983, her cover of Shirley Ellis’ “The Clapping Song” hit the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 for her film “The Lonely Lady.” The following year, she had a hit duet with Jermaine Jackson called “When the Rain Begins to Fall” for her film “Voyage of the Rock Aliens.” In 1985, Zadora earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the song “Rock it Out.” She has also released several albums over the years, including the standards albums “Pia & Phil” and “I Am What I Am.”
Other albums in Zadora’s discography include “Let’s Dance Tonight,” “When the Lights Go Out,” “Pia Z,” and “All Or Nothing At All,” which was released in 2020.
Pia Zadora’s Comeback Attempts
In 2011, Zadora tried to make a comeback with her cabaret show “Pia Zadora: Back Again, and Standing Tall.” The show was performed in Palm Beach Gardens, Boca Raton, and San Francisco. The following year, she performed in Palm Desert with the Desert Symphony Orchestra. Since 2013, Zadora has been hosting and performing “Pia’s Place” at Piero’s Italian Cuisine in Las Vegas.
Personal Life
Pia Zadora married businessman Meshulam Riklis in 1977 when she was 23 and he was 54. They had two children together and bought Pickfair Manor in 1988 for around $7 million, but it was later torn down and replaced with a new residence. The couple divorced in 1993, and Zadora stayed in the mansion until 2006. She married writer-director Jonathan Kaufer in 1995 and had one son before divorcing in 2001. In 2005, she married Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department detective Michael Jeffries.
In 2013, Zadora was charged with coercion and domestic violence battery after an altercation with her son Jordan. A SWAT team surrounded her home, and she admitted to consuming alcohol before the incident. She was ordered by the judge to attend impulse control counseling.
