Award Accusations and a Son's Fight Put Her in the Spotlight — How the 71-Year-Old Icon Is Living Today

A Golden Globe win sparked backlash. Years later, a physical altercation with her son put her back in the news. But none of it tells the full story of where this famous actress is now.

In the early 1980s, she found herself onstage accepting one of Hollywood's highest honors, but what should have been a breakthrough quickly turned into suspicion and ridicule.

Decades later, headlines returned, this time with her in handcuffs after a physical fight with her teenage son. However, through it all, this Hollywood star stayed standing, building a lasting marriage, repaired relationships, and a life that looks nothing like the one she was once known for.

A Controversial Rise to Fame

When the Golden Globe winner for New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture was announced in 1982, it wasn't a name most people recognized. In fact, the film that won this actress the award hadn't even been released in the United States.

The other nominees — including Elizabeth McGovern and Howard Rollins for "Ragtime," and Kathleen Turner for "Body Heat" — had delivered widely praised performances and were seen as the clear front-runners.

The winning role, a provocative performance as a young woman attempting to seduce her estranged father in "Butterfly," had gone largely unseen. Furthermore, once "Butterfly" finally hit theaters, critics wasted no time dismantling the performance.

That only fueled speculation about how, exactly, the award had been won. Suspicion quickly turned toward this famous actress's husband at the time, Israeli-born billionaire Meshulam Riklis.

Known for his business empire, which included brands like Playtex, Dewar's, Samsonite, as well as the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Meshulam was also the film's sole financier.

With Meshulam came a lifestyle few could imagine.

His relationship with the actress was no secret and neither was his role in producing "Butterfly." According to reports, he invited foreign press members to see his wife's live act at the Riviera in Las Vegas.

He hosted others at a private screening of "Butterfly" inside his Beverly Hills mansion. In the weeks that followed, the media blitz intensified, with glossy features in Playboy and New York magazine helping to elevate the actress's visibility ahead of the vote.

When she was announced as the winner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, many attendees were still trying to place her face. Industry figures and columnists began openly speculating that Meshulam had engineered the award. One detail fueling the perception was timing.

The screening at his mansion took place just weeks before the voting. Another was access. The by-laws allowed for in-home screenings, and the billionaire argued that others did the same thing by wining and dining press members. The famous actress later addressed the backlash:

"When Rik told me the press claims we bought off the judges, I felt so bad that I was sorry I won. It hurts me terribly, and it's not true."

Before the award, her career had followed a modest but consistent path. She'd started on Broadway as a child and had spent years in touring productions. In 1973, she was performing in a traveling cast of "Applause" when she caught Meshulam's attention.

49 at the time, he made his way backstage to meet the 19-year-old performer. For him, it was an instant attraction. For her, it took time. "My gut said no," she later said. "He was too old." But the billionaire persisted, and they married in 1977 when she was 24 and he was 53.

With Meshulam came a lifestyle few could imagine. They shared a Beverly Hills mansion and a Central Park apartment, with helicopters standing by for spontaneous getaways to their Hamptons estate.

As for the actress's professional life, her performances expanded from stage tours to casino headliners. She appeared in a commercial for Dubonnet, one of her then-husband's properties.

He also financed her debut film, her stage shows, and her first album. To critics, it looked like her husband was orchestrating a Hollywood fairy tale and writing every check to make it happen.

However, while he didn't deny it, the actress maintained that she had the talent to succeed without him. She posed the question, "Who knows where I'd be without him?"

When Headlines Turned Personal

By the time this actress made headlines again, years had passed since her controversial Golden Globe win. She had remarried for the third time and was living in Las Vegas — but the spotlight returned for all the wrong reasons.

In 2013, she was arrested and charged with domestic violence battery, and coercion following a physical altercation in her home. According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police report, the incident began late on a Saturday night after she told her 16-year-old son, Jordan, to go to bed around 11 p.m.

He refused, saying he wanted to stay outside and talk because it was the weekend. That's when tensions escalated. Upset, the actress began spraying people with a garden hose, demanding that Jordan go to bed and that her stepson, Mike Jr., leave the property.

After her split from her second husband, she eventually found love again in an unlikely way.

The situation quickly spiraled. The Hollywood star reportedly scratched her husband's face and then turned on her 32-year-old stepson, punching and scratching him, according to the report.

Several hours later, at around 4:30 a.m., another confrontation erupted when she and Jordan wrestled over his phone after he dialed 911. The report stated:

"[She] then grabbed him from behind around his head, grabbing his eyes and face, leaving a scratch on his left ear. Jordan got away and [the actress] came up and again grabbed him from behind, encircling his neck in the process."

When officers arrived at the scene, they were initially not allowed into the home. Aware that a Las Vegas Police detective — her husband — lived there, they attempted to gain entry. Eventually, officers found an unlocked door in the back.

"What are you doing in my house?" a man replied from within. The officers explained they needed to talk. However, met with hostility, they backed out and called in SWAT.

The actress later told police she hadn't come out earlier because she assumed her husband would handle it. After getting a few hours of sleep while SWAT officers continued to surround her home, she called 911. Dispatchers instructed her to go outside, which she did.

From Scandal to Stability

This famous actress is none other than Pia Zadora. After her split from her second husband, she eventually found love again in an unlikely way. "I came to Vegas for my son's birthday and I had a stalker" she recalled.

"My attorney said, 'You need to go to the police and file a report,' and I did, and it came across Michael Jeffries' desk, who was the detective for all the Strip cases of domestic violence and sexual assault."

The actress laughed as she remembered his initial reaction, saying, "He looked at the paperwork and said, 'Jesus Christ, some idiot named their kid Pia Zadora.' Then he looks again and goes, 'Oh my God, this could be her!'"

He contacted her to follow up on the case, and though they didn't meet immediately, the connection would eventually take shape. She shared:

"We ended up meeting two years later, and we got engaged."

By 2017, they were celebrating their wedding anniversary and Pia reflected on their marriage with a Facebook post that read in part, "It's Michael and my anniversary. I've been married 35 years...11 to him. I love him so much."

She also spoke warmly about what makes their relationship work, describing Michael as a steady presence who balanced out her high-energy personality. "I have ADD and all that kind of stuff. So he has my back, he slows me down. But the thing that I love most about him is that he really cares," she sweetly shared.

Beyond her marriage, Pia has spent recent years focused on her three children. Following her publicized falling out with her son in 2013, a social media post showed that things between them had mended.

In a Facebook photo shared on August 18, 2018, the actress is seen smiling at a restaurant beside Jordan. "The best way to spend #Friyay? With my handsome son, Jordan! 😘 #FamilyFriday," the caption read.

Another post from May 5, 2018, featured the Hollywood star dining out in Santa Monica with her other son Kristofer, whom she described as her "handsome lawyer son."

Pia also shared that one of her children has special needs. "You know what, I can't even tell you the joy that this kid — my third kid with special needs — has given me," she shared. Still, the actress did not shy away from being candid about motherhood — both its beauty and its burdens, revealing:

"I think people should think twice. They have to be ready and ready to support and ready to handle. I mean, I wouldn't take it back for a minute, but it's a bit hard."

And while much of her time is focused on family, Pia hasn't stepped away from the spotlight entirely. Professionally, she still makes appearances and participates in events. On October 8, 2023, she shared a photo on Instagram with comedian Jon Lovitz, smiling together at an event.

The actress has also gained attention on social media in recent years for her timeless beauty. "My dream woman since the start and till my end! There just is no other!" one netizen shared. Another added, "Just gorgeous," while a third typed, "Beautiful lady."

From the stage to the tabloids to her own living room, Pia has navigated fame, controversy, family, and forgiveness. Now, at 71, she's living fully with her loved ones.