Conrad Nicholson "Nicky"Hilton Jr. (July 6, 1926 – February 5, 1969) was an American
socialite, hotel heir, and businessman. He was the eldest son of
Hilton Hotels founder
Conrad Hilton and the first husband of actress
Elizabeth Taylor.
Growing up he did not take interest in the family business and he dropped out of
Loyola University in Los Angeles to join the
Navy.[2] His father enrolled him at
École hôtelière de Lausanne in
Lausanne, Switzerland but he was suspended after six months.[3][4] In 1951, he became the vice president of the
Hilton Corporation and manager of the
Bel Air Hotel.[5][6] In his later years, he was a director and chairman of the executive committee of the Hilton International Company.[7]
Hilton dated various Hollywood starlets and gained a reputation for being a
playboy.[9]
Hilton had an affair with his stepmother,
Zsa Zsa Gabor, according to claims made by Gabor after his death.[10] Gabor stated in her 1991 autobiography One Lifetime Is Not Enough, that their affair began when her marriage to Hilton's father was on the rocks and ended during his marriage to
Elizabeth Taylor.[11]
In October 1949, Hilton met Taylor at
Mocambo nightclub in Los Angeles.[12] The couple were married in a highly publicized ceremony at the
Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills on May 6, 1950.[13][14] They had a tempestuous 8-month marriage due to his
gambling, drinking,
heroin addiction, and abusive behavior.[3][15][16] During one of his violent outbursts, Hilton kicked Taylor in the stomach and caused her to have a
miscarriage.[17][18][19] Taylor announced their separation in December 1950;[20] she was granted a divorce on grounds of mental cruelty on January 29, 1951.[12]
In September 1951, actress
Betsy von Furstenberg announced her engagement to Hilton.[21][22] They planned to marry the following spring but they were never married.[23]
In 1958, Hilton married Patricia McClintock, an oil heiress from
Oklahoma. They had two sons, Conrad Nicholson Hilton III and Michael Otis Hilton.[33] Their marriage deteriorated as Hilton became addicted to the sleeping pill
Seconal and mixed it with
hard liquor.[3] McClintock sued for divorce on February 10, 1964.[34] She charged Hilton with "causing her extreme mental and physical suffering" but they later reconciled.[35] In August 1967, McClintock filed for divorce again, accusing Hilton of "repeated acts and threats of violence."[36] The divorce was never granted but they were separated at the time of Hilton's death.[37]