Ivana Trump
A formidable business executive and glamorous socialite who helped build the Trump brand's gilded image in the 1980s.
1949–2022 (age 73)·Ex-wife of Donald Trump·Birthday: February 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
Long before she was known as a former wife, Ivana Trump was a driving force in the creation of the Trump empire's public persona. A former model and competitive skier from Czechoslovakia, she married Donald Trump in 1977 and quickly became far more than a decorative partner. With a sharp eye for design and a formidable work ethic, she took on executive roles within the Trump Organization, overseeing the interior design of major properties like Trump Tower and managing high-profile assets such as the Plaza Hotel in New York and the Trump Castle casino in Atlantic City. Her taste for opulent, European-style luxury became synonymous with the brand. Though their very public divorce in the early 1990s removed her from the business, she carved out a successful second act as an author, entrepreneur, and enduring figure in New York society, maintaining a reputation for toughness and style.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ivana was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ivana Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Ivana's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2022Died at 73
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Key Achievements
- Served as CEO and President of the Trump Castle casino resort in Atlantic City.
- Managed the renovation and operation of New York's historic Plaza Hotel, which the Trump Organization owned.
- Authored several bestselling novels and self-help books, including 'The Best Is Yet to Come: Coping with Divorce and Enjoying Life Again'.
Did You Know?
She was a competitive alpine skier and was an alternate for the Czechoslovakian ski team in the 1972 Winter Olympics.
She became a U.S. citizen in 1988.
She was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Czech-American TV personality, Marta Kubišová, for promoting Czech culture abroad.
“Don't get mad, get everything.”
