Georgina Rizk | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1953-01-03)3 January 1953 (age 73) Beirut, Lebanon |
| Height | 5 ft 6.5 in (169 cm)[citation needed] |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Title | |
| Hair color | Auburn[citation needed] |
| Eye color | Green[1] |
| Major competitions |
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Georgina Rizk (Arabic:جورجينا رزق,romanized: Jūrjīnā Rizq) (born 3 January 1953) is a Lebanese model, socialite and beauty queen. She represented Lebanon and wonMiss Universe 1971, making her the first Lebanese woman to win that title and the first Arab winner in the history of the competition. Prior to this, she was crownedMiss Lebanon 1970 and represented Lebanon at theMiss World competition but was unplaced.
She fell in love with a Palestinian militant,Ali Hassan Salameh, in 1971, and their relationship lasted until 1979 when the latter was assassinated by the Mossad. She is currently[when?] a beauty pageant judge for theMiss Lebanon contest and is married to Lebanese singer and actorWalid Toufic.
Rizk was born inBeirut into a Christian household.[2] She was crowned Miss Lebanon in 1970 and represented Lebanon at the Miss World pageant but failed to place. Months later, on 24 July 1971, she represented Lebanon at the Miss Universe pageant and was crownedMiss Universe 1971 inMiami Beach, Florida, United States. She was the first woman from the Middle East, the fourth woman from Asia overall and the first from West Asia to win the title. In the pageant, she made a memorable fashion statement by wearing a very revealing top andhotpants.[citation needed]
The 1972 Miss Universe pageant was held in Cerromar Beach Hotel inDorado, Puerto Rico. On 30 May 1972, a month before the pageant telecast, 17 Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico, along with other victims, were killed during an attack at theLod Airport in Israel (now Ben Gurion International Airport). Themassacre was perpetrated by three members of theJapanese Red Army on behalf of thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Due to fear of possible retaliation for the massacre of the Puerto Ricans, Rizk was not allowed to attend the Miss Universe pageant to crown her successor in Puerto Rico.[citation needed]
Prior to winning the pageant and at the time of her crowning, she dated a French university chemistry student named Philippe Duc.[3] She stated at a press conference in 1971 that she approved ofpre-marital sex, stating "we must have lots of experience" and that "marriage is not a simple thing".[4][5] Rizk would later claim that her comments were misquoted: what she really meant was that she approved of pre-marital sex but only with someone one loved or planned to marry.[6]
Rizk's first husband wasMuharram Fouad, an Egyptian singer and actor whom she married for a short period in 1975.[7] Rizk later marriedAli Hassan Salameh, a Palestinian who was chief of operations forBlack September and founder ofForce 17. The couple spent their honeymoon in Hawaii and then stayed atDisneyland. When Rizk got pregnant, she returned toBeirut. Salameh was killed in 1979 by theMossad. Salameh, identified as a key participant in the 1972Munich massacre, was killed as part ofMossad assassinations following the Munich massacre. Rizk was six months pregnant when Salameh was assassinated.[8]
She married Lebanese singerWalid Toufic in 1990. She has two children with him.[citation needed]
She has been a judge for theMiss Lebanon pageants.[9][10]
Her sister was jailed in Syria for murdering her husband.[11]
Rizk has a Canadian maternal nephew, actorTy Wood.[citation needed]
Even though Rizk was a model who became a popular figure in Lebanon for her achievements, she never had any interest or aspirations to be involved in politics. However, Rizk was often involuntarily drawn into the regional conflict. This was largely due to the current political events at the time, with her country Lebanon caught up in theArab-Israeli conflict and strategically positioned near the heart of the conflict.[citation needed]
AtMiss Universe 1971, in Miami, Florida, she was reportedly on friendly terms with theMiss Israel contestant Etty Orgad, whom she "met and enjoyed knowing" according to Rizk. She responded to criticism by stating that "this is a beauty contest, not politics" and that the conflict "is the government's worry, not mine."[12]
In 1972, at theLod Airport Massacre in Israel, 17 Puerto Rican tourists, among others, were murdered by Palestine militant terrorists under the banner of thePLO. As a result, Rizk was forbidden to attend theMiss Universe 1972 in Puerto Rico to crown her successor due to fear of a revenge attack. She stated that she was afraid to attend the beauty pageant for fear of what might happen.[citation needed]
In theLebanese Civil War in the mid-1970s, she was drawn into the conflict when she began a romantic relationship with PalestinianPLO militant and intelligence official Ali Hassan Salameh, who was nicknamed "The Red Prince" due to his lavish lifestyle, and playboy persona. (Salameh was allegedly still married to his first wife Um Hassan when their affair began). The date on which the couple was married is widely disputed.Yasser Arafat was said to disapprove of their pre-marital relationship because it violated the traditional conservative Arab status quo, and he remained hostile to Rizk due to that.[13]
After her marriage, in keeping with Salameh's traditional Muslim background and conservative Palestinian culture, Rizk quit her modeling and film careers, staying mostly at home.[14] The couple were said to only be known to socialize with fellow wealthy Lebanese and Palestinians.[15]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Puerto RicoMarisol Malaret | Miss Universe 1971 | Succeeded by AustraliaKerry Anne Wells |
| Preceded by Georgette Gero | Miss Lebanon 1971 | Succeeded by Marcelle Herro |
Miss World 1970 national titleholders | |
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