Czechoslovakia
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Ivana Marie Trump
Zlín, Czechoslovakia
Archival Overview
Czech-American businesswoman, model, and Manhattan socialite who was central to the creation of the Trump real estate brand in the 1980s, directing the design of Trump Tower and the Plaza Hotel, famous for her cameo motto in The First Wives Club: "Don't get mad, get everything!"
Biographical Record
Ivana Marie Zelníčková was born in Zlín (then Gottwaldov), Moravia, Czechoslovakia. A competitive skier from youth, she earned a master's in physical education from Charles University in Prague before emigrating to Canada in the 1970s, working as a fashion model in Montreal and New York.
In 1977, she married real estate developer Donald Trump. As vice president of interior design for the Trump Organization, Ivana directed the opulent signature aesthetic of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, the Grand Hyatt Hotel, and Atlantic City's Trump Taj Mahal. Appointed president of the historic Plaza Hotel in Manhattan in 1988, she oversaw its restoration, winning Hotelier of the Year. Following their high-profile 1992 divorce, she built an empire in fashion, jewelry, and cosmetics through home-shopping channels and authored best-selling lifestyle books and novels. In 1996, her cameo line in The First Wives Club—"Don't get mad, get everything!"—became an immortal pop-culture catchphrase.
Key Life Milestones
Opening of Trump Tower Manhattan
Directed interior design of the landmark 58-story Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, defining 1980s luxury aesthetics.
Iconic Cameo in The First Wives Club
Delivered her famous cultural catchphrase "Don't get mad, get everything!" in the hit comedy The First Wives Club.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialBedminster, United States