How Pia Zadora 'Bought' the 1982 Golden Globes and Became the Most Hated Woman In Hollywood
In 1982, the Golden Globes award show became a laughingstock and a case study in corporate leverage. When Pia Zadoratook the stage as winner of the New Star of the Year, she beat Kathleen Turner and Elizabeth McGovern and her win cost the award show their reputation and their standing in Hollywood.
Pia Alfreda Schipani was born on May 4, 1956 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her win for the film Butterfly remains one of the most documented instances of how a private fortune can collide with a voting body to create a pre-determined result, the ultimate business transaction. The film received scathing reviews, with The Hollywood Reporter remembering a particularly brutal comment: "Brigitte Bardot recycled through a kitchen compactor."
The origin of the win started in Las Vegas. Zadora's husband, billionaire Meshulam Riklis, didn't dare leave his wife's career to the whim of critics. He invited members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) to his Riviera Hotel. He provided the transport and the luxury accommodations. He ensured they had prime seats to watch Zadora's floor show at the venue.
Then came the private screenings at his Beverly Hills estate. It was a targeted campaign aimed at a small, concentrated group of international voters. The strategy was effective. And the industry never forgot it. Zadora remembered walking to podium and watching Sally Field react to her win: the Oscar winner turned to her seatmate and mouthed the words, "Pia Zadora?!"
The fallout was swift. CBS, the network airing the ceremony, pulled the plug on the broadcast for years. The Zadora win turned the Golden Globes into a joke. It suggested that the Golden Globe was a trinket you bought in a catalog, not a respected acting award.
"Looking back, I realize what the controversy was about. I get it," Zadora later said. "I understand. Whether it was fair or not, I understand."
Turns out, the backlash against Zadora may have been misplaced. The scrutiny belonged on the voting process itself. The HFPA was a group of fewer than 100 people. Riklis didn't have to convince a large body of judges; he had to win over a small room. He used his considerable bank account to secure a trophy for his wife, exposing the structural fragility of the Globes in the process.
Zadora eventually found her footing as a performer, particularly in John Waters' Hairspray, proving she had more staying power than her critics expected. But the 1982 ceremony changed how the public viewed Hollywood awards forever. It removed the curtain and exposed the gears behind the machine.
Because of that win, the Globes spent the next forty years trying to prove they weren't for sale. Every time a surprise winner is announced today, the shadow of the Butterfly campaign sits in the front row.
The win served as a lasting caution to viewers that Hollywood's most critical performances can happen at a dining table long before any votes are recorded. Although the award was golden, the tactic was forged in steel.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 12:22 PM.