A Critics Choice Award winner and Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and SAG Award nominee for her supporting role in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, the Bulgarian actor takes the part of the Czech Republic-born Ivana Zelníčková, Donald Trump’s first wife. A keen skier, Zelníčková attended Prague’s Charles University and earned a master’s degree in physical education before marrying Austrian ski instructor Alfred Winklmayr. Following their divorce, she moved to Canada to work as a ski instructor and model, eventually relocating to New York. It was there, in 1976, that she first met Donald Trump.
The pair married in 1977 and became partners in both life and business, with Ivana working as a senior executive in the Trump organization and leading the interior design of Trump Tower. They were frequently spotted on the Manhattan social circuit in the ’80s, going on to have three children: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. However, their marriage eventually disintegrated and they divorced in 1990. (The Apprentice includes a controversial marital rape scene between Trump and Ivana, inspired by an incident recorded in Ivana’s 1990 divorce deposition that was later retracted. “As a woman I felt violated,” she subsequently said of the incident. “I referred to this as a rape, but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.” Trump always denied the allegation.)
After their divorce, she received a $14 million settlement, developed clothing lines that were sold on TV, published an autobiography, and married businessman Riccardo Mazzucchelli and, later, actor Rossano Rubicondi. In 2022, she died at the age of 73 as a result of injuries sustained after falling down the stairs of her Manhattan home.
Martin Donovan as Fred Trump
Photo: Getty Images
