The late Zsa Zsa Gabor might have been a controversial figure in Hollywood for her numerous marriages over the years and for slapping a police officer, but did you know this glittering socialite once turned down a film role for being too controversial?

Zsa Zsa GaborZsa Zsa Gabor was an iconic figure in the 50s

Something about Zsa Zsa Gabor caught the attention of the media in the 50s. Whether it was her exotic beauty and style, her dramatic love life or simply her worth as the life and soul of every party, she was without doubt one of the most iconic figures of the day. But the one thing that nobody ever really took seriously was her acting career.

The Hungarian darling landed her first role on the big screen in Mervyn LeRoy's 1952 musical 'Lovely To Look At'. That year was a successful one for Gabor as she also went on to star in 'We're Not Married!' alongside Marilyn Monroe and the original 'Moulin Rouge'. It definitely made turning down the leading role in an adaptation of 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' worth her while.

The following year, Gabor appeared in Charles Walters' Academy Award-winning carnival drama 'Lili', but it was 1958 that was the biggest year for Gabor films. She was in the Orson Welles crime noir 'Touch of Evil', the musical 'Country Music Holiday', Herbert Wilcox courtroom drama 'The Man Who Wouldn't Talk' and sci-fi adventure 'Queen of Outer Space'.

More: Zsa Zsa Gabor dies aged 99

In her later years, the actress starred in 1984 comedy 'Frankenstein's Great Aunt Tillie' and had cameos in Michael Winner's 1976 film 'Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood', 1987's 'A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors' and 1993's 'The Beverly Hillbillies'.

She occasionally made TV appearances in such shows as 'General Electric Theater' and detective series 'Burke's Law'. As well as film and television, Gabor also ventured into stage performance, portraying Elvira between 1961 and 1970 in the 'Blithe Spirit' tour and making her Broadway debut in the lead role of 1970's 'Forty Carats'.

As much as this remarkable woman, who passed away aged 90 on Sunday (December 18th 2016), never exactly had huge acting roles, she will always be remembered as one of Hollywood's most stylish and independent women of the day with her nine husbands, hilariously quotable one-liners and unmatched red carpet elegance.