Tova Borgnine

Tova Traesnaes Borgnine (born Tove Træsnæs,[1] November 17, 1941) is an American businesswoman. She is the founder of Beauty By Tova cosmetics and widow of Hollywood actor Ernest Borgnine.

Tova Traesnaes Borgnine
Born
Tove Træsnæs

(1941-11-17) November 17, 1941
Oslo, Norway
OccupationBusinesswoman
Spouse(s)
Louis Littleton
​
​
(m. 1965; div. 1972)​

​
​
(m. 1973; died 2012)​
Children1

Early life

Borgnine was born in Oslo, Norway; her father was a graphic artist and her mother was a translator at the US Embassy.[2] Following her parents' separation, she moved to the USA in with her mother, at around age 8;[3][4] she didn't speak English at the time.[5]

Career

Borgnine studied acting in Manhattan, but she developed a fondness for applying makeup rather than wearing it. After marrying a New Jersey businessman in 1965, she opened her own makeup center. When the marriage failed, she moved her business to Las Vegas to be near her mother.[2]

In Las Vegas, in 1975, Borgnine learned of a cactus-based face cream made from a formula by a Mexican family and bought worldwide distribution rights.[2] By 1977, the revenues for her company, then called Tova9, were about $500,000; by 1981, they were nearly $2 million.[2] In 1984, Borgnine published The Tova Difference: A Promise of Lasting Beauty, with Elaine Trebek.[6][7][8]

Borgnine's perfume, Tova Signature, has been produced since 1983, and sold on QVC since 1990.[9] By 1984, her firm had 47 employees at her offices in Beverly Hills, Calif., and factory in nearby Arcadia. By 1987, she had 65 skincare products and 80 employees.

According to QVC, as of 2001 her perfumes made her "a steady presence at QVC and its biggest fragrance vendor".

In 2002, QVC bought the Tova brand for a seven-figure sum; as of 2008, Tova Signature was QVC’s top-selling perfume.[10]

Borgnine was awarded the FiFi Award for the Women's Fragrance Star of the Year (Non-Store Venues) in 1998.[7] Her fragrance, Tova Signature, was nominated for the 2008 Fragrance Hall of Fame FiFi Award.[11]

In June 2009, Borgnine received the Retailer of the Year award from the Fragrance Foundation, both for her innovative use of direct marketing to sell her products and for her longevity in the fragrance industry.[9]

Personal life

Borgnine has been married twice. Her first husband was Louis A. Littleton of Point Pleasant, New Jersey. The marriage ended in divorce in 1972, after seven years. The couple had one son.[12] She married Ernest Borgnine on February 24, 1973,[13] his fifth wife. Their marriage lasted until his death at age 95 in 2012.[14]

Borgnine is the author of Being Married Happily Forever, published in 1997.[15][4]

Borgnine now divides her time between Beverly Hills, California, and West Chester, Pennsylvania.[12]

References
  1. "Ernest Borgnine er død", NRK, July 8, 2012.
  2. Adelson, Suzanne (August 17, 1981), "With His Fifth Marriage, Ernest Borgnine Finally Has a Face-Saver: Wife Tove", People, 16 (7))
  3. Mullen, Dan (April 27, 1984). "Tova Borgnine: Cosmetics not bad business if you can talk: 'Skin has no sex'". UPI. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  4. Rosenfeld, Megan (1997-11-19). "Kiss and Makeup". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  5. Benson, Leslie (August 14, 2008). "Tova Did It Her Way: Celebrating 25 Years of the TOVA Signature Fragrance". Global Cosmetic Industry. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  6. Borgnine, Tova. (1984). The Tova difference : a promise of lasting beauty. Trebek, Elaine. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-50032-5. OCLC 10726713.
  7. Schner, David (July 2010). "LEADERS Interview with Tova Borgnine, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, The Tova Corporation". www.leadersmag.com. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  8. Jacobs, Jody (1985-10-06). "More Amazing Blue Ribbon Amazers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  9. Gumpel, Eve (2009-07-01). "Like Sinatra, She Did It Her Way". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  10. Ellin, Abby (2008-07-10). "After Selling the Company, Remorse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  11. Frederick, Kelly (July 28, 2008). "2008 FiFi Hall of Fame Nominees". Global Cosmetic Industry. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  12. Stritof, Sheri & Bob. Timeline and Marriages of Ernest Borgnine, About.com; accessed October 17, 2014.
  13. "Ernest Borgnine Biography". University of North Alabama Library. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010.
  14. David, Mark (2013-02-01). "Jason Bateman Buys Ernest Borgnine's Beverly Hills Mini-Compound". Variety. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  15. Borgnine, Tova. (1997). Being married happily forever : 22 secrets, 12 strategies, and 8 compromises. New York: Putnam. ISBN 0-399-14321-1. OCLC 37226885.
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