His Hungarian accent led to him being typecasted as a horror villain in many films. April 30, 2023. Known For: Starring in the iconic role of Count Dracula in the 1931 film Dracula. [29][38], The Vincent Price film, House of Wax premiered in Los Angeles at the Paramount Theatre on April 16, 1953. Bela Lugosi Net Worth | Age, Height, Weight, Dating And More Lugosi, who got his start acting in Shakespearean dramas in his native Hungary, was an ambitious and stately performer. ), On June 26, 1931, Lugosi became a naturalized United States citizen. At the time of his death, Lugosi was in such poor financial straits that Frank Sinatra was rumored to have paid for his funeral. He was buried in a Dracula costume, including a cape, but not the ones used in the 1931 film . Sinatra would recall Lugosi's amazement at his visit, since the two men had never met before.[40]. The case took 11 years to litigate and went all the way to the California Supreme Court, where, according to FindLaw, the justices ruled that dead people do not have any right to their own likeness and that their heirs are likewise without recourse. [68], In 1979, a song called "Bela Lugosi's Dead" was released by UK post-punk band Bauhaus and is widely considered to be a pioneering song in the gothic rock genre. [3] (Szmik then married wealthy Hungarian architect Imre Francsek in December 1920, moved with him to Iran in 1930, had two children, and died in 1991.)[47]. In 1927, he starred as Count Dracula in a Broadway adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, moving with the play to the West Coast in 1928 and settling down in Hollywood. He went first to Vienna before settling in Berlin (in the Langestrasse), where he continued acting. Bela Lugosi Net Worth Net Worth List Bela Lugosi is a Libra and was born in The Year of the Horse. Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein(1948). Strange, but also fitting and bittersweet. Below we countdown to Bela Lugosi upcoming birthday. The one that had been on the night before was Dracula [1931]. Lugosi married Hope Lininger, his fifth wife, in 1955; they remained married until his death. That honor went to Lon Cheney. Lugosi was approached in the summer of 1927 to star in a Broadway theatre production of Dracula, which had been adapted by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel. Bela Lugosi is a member of Movie Actor. Prior to his death, Lugosi shot test footage of him wearing one of his Dracula capes in a graveyard. According to the Imaginative Conservative, the erasure of Lugosi's actual history was just one unfortunate blow he had to survive, following his star turn as the count. According to Bela G. Lugosi (his son), Forrest Ackerman, Dolores Fuller and Richard Sheffield, the film's portrayal of Lugosi is inaccurate: In real life, he never used profanity, did not hate Karloff, owned no small dogs, nor did he sleep in a coffin. Bela Lugosi was born on October 20, 1882 in Lugoj, Romania (73 years old). Continue reading to discover who . He went on to perform in Shakespeare's plays. His earliest known performances are from provincial theatres in the 190304 season, playing small roles in several plays and operettas. You've got your Bette Davises vs. your Joan Crawfords, your Sarah Jessica Parkers vs. your Kim Cattralls, your Marlon Brandos vs. your Frank Sinatras. Bela Lugosi Discusses His Drug Habit as He Leaves the Hospital in 1955 [2] When appearing in Hungarian silent films, he mostly used the stage name Arisztid Olt. [76][77], The Ellis Island Immigration Museum in New York City features a live 30-minute play that focuses on Lugosi's illegal entry into the country via New Orleans and his arrival at Ellis Island months later to enter the country legally. She claimed he slapped her in the face one night because she ate a pork chop he had hidden in their refrigerator. During World War I, he served as an infantryman in the Austro-Hungarian Army from 1914 to 1916, rising to the rank of Lieutenant. Blask (20 October 1882 16 August 1956), better known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian-American actor, famous for portraying Count Dracula in the original 1931 film and for his roles in various other horror films. He made his way to New York and was inspected by immigration officers at Ellis Island in March 1921. Bela's income mostly comes from and basic source was being a successful Hungarian actor (1882-1956). [42] Mason was noticeably taller and thinner than Lugosi, and had the lower half of his face covered with his cape in every shot, as Lugosi sometimes did in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. When appearing in Hungarian silent films, he used the stage name Arisztid Olt. Also Ed Wood did not meet Lugosi in a funeral parlor, but rather through his roommate Alex Gordon. Many believed, thanks to the 1994 filmEd Wood,that Lugosi went so far as to sleep in a coffin. Lugosi's life as an actor had begun. The fact that he was born just 50 miles from where the novel is set made him a natural choice for the part. Episode 80: The Thirsty Death - Ghoulish Delights In 1998, he played Mike McDermott in John Dahl's Rounders. Pg 61. According to Lost Magazine, by the time of his death of a heart attack at 73, Lugosi had played the count 1,300 times, both on stage and on screen. In 1951, while in England to play a six-month tour of Dracula, Lugosi co-starred in a lowbrow film comedy, Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (also known as Vampire Over London and My Son, the Vampire), released the following year. He'd hoped, like his contemporary, Boris Karloff, to win the hearts and minds of not just fans but critics, too. His earliest. The once-handsome, Hungarian-born star of Dracula had seen his career degenerate over the previous two decades until at last he was reduced to playing a cruel parody of himself in some of the tackiest B horror films ever made. [22], Lugosi was approached in the summer of 1927 to star in a Broadway theatre production of Dracula, which had been adapted by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel. Due to his activism in the actors' union in Hungary during the revolution of 1919, he was forced to flee his homeland. Sadly, his reputation rapidly declined, mainly because he had been blacklisted by the main studios and had no choice but to accept any part (and script) handed to him, and ended up playing parodies of his greatest role, in low-grade poverty row films. pg. Bela Lugosi Net Worth Incidentally, Lugosi persuaded Bow to pose nude for a portrait artist friend of his, and, as this article on Nitrateville reveals, he happily hung the painting in his many homes, over the possible objections of Mrs. Lugosi Number Four and Five. Fast Facts: Bela Lugosi. Following his return to the United States, he was interviewed for television, and reflected wistfully on his typecasting in horror parts: "Now I am the boogie man". They only lived together for a few weeks, but their divorce took until October 1925 to be finalized. List of Bela Lugosi Lugosi was proscribed from acting due to his participation in the formation of an actors' union. [16] He only declared his intention to become a US citizen in 1928; on June 26, 1931, he was naturalized. Lugosi's jealousy put an end to his union with Arch, who was more than three decades his junior. Gone were Lugosi's middle class parents, his teenage struggles to make ends meet in the mines and rail yards of turn-of-the-century Hungary. DETAILS BELOW. Bela Lugosi Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family He currently resides in Lugoj, Romania. He co-starred in a number of films with Boris Karloff, who was able to demand top billing. He was buried in a Dracula costume, including a cape, but not the ones used in the 1931 film, contrary to popular--but unfounded--rumors. 71. Embarrassed, Lugosi left abruptly, without attending the screening. His real name is Bla Ferenc Dezs? His immortal role as the count led him to play roles in 1934s The Black Cat and 1935s The Raven. Play episode. Contrary to popular belief, Lugosi never requested to be buried in his cloak; Bela G. Lugosi confirmed on numerous occasions that he and his mother, Lillian, made the decision but believed that it is what his father would have wanted.[58]. He was awarded the Wound Medal for wounds he sustained while serving on the Russian front. According to TheVintage News, 100,000 Austro-Hungarian soldiers perished in the battle, and Lugosi was promoted to ski patrol. His first marriage, to Ilona Smzik, ended in divorce in 1920, reportedly because his lefty politics upset his Smzik's parents. Itsvan died when Bela was just 12-years-old, throwing the family fortunes into turmoil. At Universal, he often received star billing for what amounted to a supporting part. It's enough to make one turn over in one's grave. [4], Lugosi eventually travelled to New Orleans, Louisiana in December, 1920 working as a crewman aboard a merchant ship, then made his way north to New York City, where he again took up acting in (and sometimes directing) stage plays in 19211922, then worked in the New York silent film industry from 1923 to 1926. The funeral was held on Saturday, August 18 at the Utter-McKinley funeral home in Hollywood. It was a wrenching move for the rising star, who, 16 years earlier, had changed his surname from Blask to Lugosi in homage to Lugos, the city of his birth. Through the 1930s, he occupied an important niche in horror films, but his notoriety as "Dracula" and ominous thick Hungarian accent greatly limited the roles offered to him, and he unsuccessfully tried for years to avoid the typecasting. Three more parts came in 192526, including a five-month run in the comedy-fantasy The Devil in the Cheese. In addition to his nine Monogram features, he worked in three features for RKO and one for Columbia (Return of the Vampire, 1943). We hope you enjoy it! In late April of 1955 the 72-year-old actor, destitute and recently divorced from his . The divorce became official on December 9, 1929. To Lugosi's disappointment, however, his role in this film was that of a mute, with no dialogue. [18] Three more parts came in 192526, including a five-month run in the comedy-fantasy The Devil in the Cheese. The court ruled that under California law any rights of publicity, including the right to his image, terminated with Lugosi's death. Today is the 134thbirthday of NAME: Bela Lugosi OCCUPATION: Actor BIRTH DATE: October 20, 1882 DEATH DATE: August 16, 1956 EDUCATION: Budapest Academy of Theatrical Arts PLACE OF BIRTH: Lugos, Hun, Bela Lugosi: Happy 132nd birthday - Blog - Spokane7. Released in August 1979, it is often considered to be the first gothic rock record. He didn't know a word of English at the time, but that didn't stop him from auditioning, and, two years after his arrival in the States, he was cast in the play, The Red Poppy. Bela Lugosi, born on October 20, 1882, began his acting career when he was a teenager in Hungary and went on to become one of the best-known actors in the world. It was a long way to fall for the star of one of Hollywood's most successful talkies. Add to that illustrious list Bela Lugosi and the British-born Boris Karloff. Bela Lugosi Net Worth, Biography, Age, Weight, Height Bela Lugosi Net Worth. There are contradictory reports of Lugosi's attitude toward Karloff, some claiming that he was openly resentful of Karloff's long-term success and ability to gain good roles beyond the horror arena, while others suggested the two actors were for a time, at least amicable. Weeks subsequently filed for divorce on November 4, 1929, accusing Lugosi of infidelity, citing actress Clara Bow as the "other woman", and claimed Lugosi tried to take her checkbook and the key to her safe deposit box away from her. Lughorrort age 18. The studio then rehired Lugosi to star in new films. Bela Lugosi. Different prominent actors were considered before Browning cast Lugosi for the role, but the film was a hit. He currently resides in Lugoj, Romania. How tall is Bela Lugosi Bela Lugosi's film career was all but dead when the B-movie (D-movie?) He was sent to fight in the Carpathian Winter War. 's salary? He had to suddenly emigrate to Germany after the failed Hungarian Communist Revolution of 1919 because of his former socialist activities (organizing a stage actors' union), leaving his first wife in the process. Without his knowledge, a beloved singer, actor, and fan was helping pay his way through rehab. So it should come as no surprise, perhaps, that he was married not once, not twice or even three or four times, but five. He was learning to act by trial and error, or, as he put it, his will "was forged to whiter and whiter heat." Bela Lugosi Net Worth (Actor) It might have been a turning point for the actor, but within the year he was back on Hollywood's Poverty Row, playing leads for Sam Katzman. Following his treatment, Lugosi made one final film, in late 1955, The Black Sleep, for Bel-Air Pictures, which was released in the summer of 1956 through United Artists with a promotional campaign that included several personal appearances. The film is lost today, but a March 16, 1959, critical review in the Kinematograph Weekly mentioned that the movie contained new Lugosi footage (intriguing since Lugosi had died in 1956). Short biography, height, weight, dates: Birth date: October 20, 1882, Lugoj, Romania Death date: August 16, 1956, Los Angeles, California, United States Birth place: Lugos, Kingdom of Hungary . At the age of 12, Lugosi dropped out of school. [43][71], Pter Mller's 1998 theatrical play Lugosi the Shadow of the Vampire (Hungarian: Lugosi a vmpr rnyka) is based on Lugosi's life, telling the story of his life as he became typecast as Dracula and as his drug addiction worsened.
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