This was one of several projects proposed by Wood, including The Phantom Ghoul and Dr. Acula. The problem first manifested itself in 1937, when Lugosi was forced to withdraw from a leading role in a serial production, The Secret of Treasure Island, due to constant back pain. Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers. He even took top billing on films in which Lugosi was the star. Lugosi addressed his plea to be cast in non-horror roles directly to casting directors through his listing in the 1937 Players Directory, published by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in which he (or his agent) calls the idea that he is only fit for horror films "an error."[31]. It made the 6'1" Hungarian hunk irresistible to a series of beautiful women, including the notoriously sexy Clara Bow. The film would be Bela Lugosi's last "A" movie. Insult to injury, Karloff was able to move on from his appearances in silly vampire and wolfman and monster flicks to more illustrious roles, whereas Lugosi was stuck in a hall of mirrors of sorts, every new part more ridiculous and broad than the last. [64] In 2019, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announced acquisition of the cape via partial donation from the Lugosi family. In 1929, Lugosi took his place in Hollywood society and scandal when he married wealthy San Francisco resident Beatrice Weeks (1897-1931), widow of architect Charles Peter Weeks. The rumor that Lugosi was clutching the script for The Final Curtain, a planned Ed Wood project, at the time of his death is not true. The iconic portrayal of Count Dracula marked Lugosi's career and gave him widespread recognition. Below we countdown to Bela Lugosi upcoming birthday. A copy sold for $798,000 at Christie's in May 2000. In 1927, he got his big break. Lugosi later told reporters that he had no choice but to leave his home to find a job, walking 300 miles to an industrial center where he worked as a miner. From 1947 to 1950, he performed in summer stock, often in productions of Dracula or Arsenic and Old Lace, and during the rest of the year, made personal appearances in a touring "spook show", and on early commercial television. Youtube. Not exactly a natural fit for a banker's boy. Regarding Son of Frankenstein, the film's director Rowland V. Lee said his crew let Lugosi "work on the characterization; the interpretation he gave us was imaginative and totally unexpected when we finished shooting, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he stole the show. The film played at midnight with a number of celebrities in the audience that night (Judy Garland, Ginger Rogers, Rock Hudson, Broderick Crawford, Gracie Allen, Eddie Cantor, Shelley Winters and others). When Lugosi playfully attempted to bite the "nurse" in attendance, she overreacted and spilled a glass of milk all over his shirt and cape. [3], Lugosi married five times and had one son, Bela G. Lugosi (with his fourth wife, Lillian). . 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 . The picture was filmed in Cinecolor.The film is historically important as the only color film in which Bela Lugosi has a starring role. In 1966, Bela Jr. and Lillian sued Universal Studios for using Lugosi's personality rights without his heirs' permission. It appeared on their 1972 album Everybody's in Show-Biz. ISBN 0977379817 (hardcover). The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Bela Lugosi - Grunge In 1955, he checked himself into the psych ward of Los Angeles General Hospital. Bela Lugosi was born Bla Ferenc Dezs Blask on October 20, 1882, Lugos, Hungary, Austria-Hungary (now Lugoj, Romania), to Paula de Vojnich and Istvn Blask, a banker. Education: Dropped out of school at age 12. Lugosi memorized the script for the skit, but became confused on the air when Berle began to ad lib. The Hungarian actor Bla Ferenc Dezs Blask, better known as Bela Lugosi, became known to many as the face of Dracula after his iconic appearance as the famous vampire in the 1931 film adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic novel. From the Archives: Actor Bela Lugosi, Dracula of Screen, Succumbs After In addition to his nine Monogram features, he worked in three features for RKO and one for Columbia (Return of the Vampire, 1943). His immortal role as the count led him to play roles in 1934's The Black Cat and 1935's The Raven. [43], In 1959, a British film called Lock Up Your Daughters was theatrically released (in the U.K.), composed of clips from Bela Lugosi's Monogram pictures from the 1940s. Lugosi left Germany in October 1920, emigrating by ship to the United States, and entered the country at New Orleans in December 1920. Bela Lugosi Net Worth Net Worth List The funeral was held on Saturday, August 18 at the Utter-McKinley funeral home in Hollywood. Universal took notice of the tremendous business and launched its own national re-release of the same two horror favorites. Lugosi's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is mentioned in "Celluloid Heroes", a song performed by The Kinks and written by their lead vocalist and principal songwriter, Ray Davies. Lugosi remained in California where he resumed his film work under contract with Fox, appearing in early talkies often as a heavy or an "exotic sheik". The cape Lugosi wore in Dracula (1931) was in the possession of his family until it was put up for auction in 2011. Born: October 20, 1882 in Lugos, Hungary. She had been a fan, writing letters to him when he was in the hospital, recovering from addiction to Demerol. He dropped out of school when he was twelve years old, and began appearing in Shakespeare plays. He was buried in a Dracula costume, including a cape, but not the ones used in the 1931 film . Lughorrort age 18. He was 73. [6] He was raised in a Roman Catholic family. Wood plays Glen/Glenda. Bela Lugosis source of wealth comes from being a movie actor. He co-starred in a number of films with Boris Karloff, who was able to demand top billing. Actor: Dracula. It's enough to make one turn over in one's grave. Lugosi helped organize the Screen Actors Guild in the mid-'30s, joining as member number 28.Bela Lugosi died of a heart attack August 16, 1956. His first American film role was in the melodrama The Silent Command (1923). Lugosi was intoxicated and very ill during the film's promotional campaign and had to return to L.A. earlier than planned. [73][74], In 2001, BBC Radio 4 broadcast There Are Such Things by Steven McNicoll and Mark McDonnell. Following a role as a mute in "The Black Sheep" (1956), Lugosi died on Aug. 16, 1956 of a heart attack while lying on his couch in Los Angeles. 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 made money by Actors niche. He also appeared in the film Prisoners (also 1929), believed lost, which was released in both a silent and partial talkie version. His performance had piqued the interest of Fox Film, and he was cast in the Hollywood studio's silent film The Veiled Woman (1929). Birth Day: October 20, 1882: Birth Place: Lugoj, Romania: Bela Lugosi age: 137 YEARS OLD: Died On: Aug . 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. It was his first English-speaking role. 103. On 16 August 1956, Bela Lugosi died of non-communicable . People are becoming more and more interested in Bela Lugosi because of how much money he makes. 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. Several more silent roles followed, villains and continental types, all in productions made in the New York area. Shortly thereafter, according to this profile in Workers World, he had to leave Hungary for German because his left-wing sympathies were not tolerated when Hungary's short-lived communist government was overthrown in 1919. The rivalry all started, according to this piece on Bloody Disgusting, when Lugosi turned down the chance to play Frankenstein's monster in the 1931 film version of Mary Shelley's groundbreaking novel. Last chapter. [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. 71. It was a long way to fall for the star of one of Hollywood's most successful talkies. The divorce became final on July 17, 1920 and was uncontested as Lugosi could not show up for the proceedings. Though at first he was treated with benign pain remedies such as asparagus juice, doctors increased the medication to opiates. Hungarian actor who was immortalized as Dracula in 1931. 61. Want to more about Him? Exiled in Weimar-era Germany, he co-starred in at least 14 German silent films in 1920, among them Hypnose: Sklaven fremden Willens (1920), Der Januskopf (1920) and an adaptation of the Karl May novel Caravan of Death (1920). A copy sold for $798,000 at Christie's in May 2000. How tall is Bela Lugosi Along the way he picked up a drug habit. 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. Pg. Hope later gave most of Lugosi's personal belongings and memorabilia to Bela's young neighborhood friend Richard Sheffield, who gave Lugosi's duplicate Dracula cape to Bela Jr. and sold some of the other items to Forrest J. Ackerman. He dropped out of school when he was twelve years old, and began appearing in Shakespeare plays. Bela Lugosi was a working actor when World War I broke out in Europe. He currently resides in Lugoj, Romania. When his son, Bela Jr., was born in 1938, Lugosi couldn't afford to pay the hospital bill. What terrible revenge has Lugosi's character concocted for his revenge? He was born in Hungary and died in Los Angeles, California, in 1956. Bela Lugosi Net Worth, Biography, Age, Weight, Height She would sign her letters "A dash of Hope". Andy Warhol's 1963 silkscreen The Kiss depicts Lugosi from Dracula about to bite into the neck of co-star Helen Chandler, who played Mina Harker. The story features Lugosi and John Carradine in a mad tale of love, suspicion, and rabies in the jungle. Lugosi was proscribed from acting due to his participation in the formation of an actors' union. In late April of 1955 the 72-year-old actor, destitute and recently divorced from his . So it should come as no surprise, perhaps, that he was married not once, not twice or even three or four times, but five. [75], On July 19, 2003, German artist Hartmut Zech erected a bust of Lugosi on one of the corners of Vajdahunyad Castle in Budapest. 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. During post-production of the latter, Lugosi decided to seek treatment for his drug addiction, and the film's premiere was arranged to raise money for Lugosi's hospital expenses (resulting in a paltry amount of money). The film, daring as it is in its willingness to go where no one else would at the time, is considered one of the worst movies ever made. Bela Lugosi is a member of Movie Actor. He never got to see the finished film. 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. Lugosi was never a contender for such an award. In Tim Burton's Ed Wood, Bela Lugosi is portrayed by Martin Landau, who received the 1994 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the performance. He began his acting career in 1901 or 1902. ? Instead, he was relegated to the horror genre, written off as a B-movie hack. Bela Lugosi. Bela Lugosi Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Wiki, Family 2022 $4.5 Million. Tor Johnson said in interviews that Lugosi kept screaming that he wanted to die the night they shared a hotel room together. Historian John McElwee reports, in his 2013 book Showmen, Sell It Hot!, that Bela Lugosi's popularity received a much-needed boost in August 1938, when California theater owner Emil Umann revived Dracula and Frankenstein as a special double feature. Bela Lugosi - IMDb 134th birthday - DETAILS BELOW. [2] He later starred in the 1931 film version of Dracula directed by Tod Browning and produced by Universal Pictures. In June 1917, Lugosi married 19-year-old Ilona Szmik (18981991) in Hungary. Lugosi married Hope Lininger, his fifth wife, in 1955; they remained married until his death. After moving to Budapest in 1911, he played dozens of roles with the National Theatre of Hungary between 1913 and 1919. Some of the sources for his net worth are his salary, movies, and other earnings. titled "Last of the Red Hot Vampires" was an homage to Bela Lugosi; at the end of the episode, it was dedicated to "Mr. In 2001, BBC Radio 4 broadcast There Are Such Things by Steven McNicoll and Mark McDonnell. Lugosi took his place in Hollywood society and scandal when he married wealthy San Francisco resident Beatrice Woodruff Weeks (18971931), widow of architect Charles Peter Weeks, on July 27, 1929. [54](Lillian eventually did marry Brian Donlevy in 1966, by which time she had also become an alcoholic and she died in 1981. He also made plenty of personal live appearances to promote his horror image or an accompanying film. Or Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. Although Lugosi would later claim that he "became the leading actor of Hungary's Royal National Theatre", almost all his roles there were small or supporting parts. Bela Lugosi was born in Lugoj, Romania on Friday, October 20, 1882 (G.I. Play episode. Lionel Atwill was originally slated to appear in the film, but he was too ill to work, so George Zucco replaced him in the cast. Lugosi addressed his plea to be cast in non-horror roles directly to casting directors through his listing in the 1937 Players Directory, published by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in which he (or his agent) calls the idea that he is only fit for horror films "an error.". Bela Lugosi is a Libra and was born in The Year of the Horse. He was the youngest of four children. It also guaranteed that he would never work as a serious actor again. p. 203. [48] The divorce became final in October, 1925. His earliest known performances are from provincial theatres in the 190304 season, playing small roles in several plays and operettas. These horror, comedy and mystery B-films were mostly released by Monogram Pictures. Universal took notice of the tremendous business and launched its own national re-release of the same two horror favorites. Bela Lugosi's film career was all but dead when the B-movie (D-movie?) In 1929, with no other film roles in sight, he returned to the stage as Dracula for a short West Coast tour of the play. You get the point. He began his stage acting career in 1902. The article quotes Lugosi as saying, "Never has a role so influenced and dominated an actor's life as has the role of Dracula. Hope told Sheffield she had searched the apartment for several days looking for $3,000 she suspected Lugosi had hidden there, but she never found it. The song was a part of the Light Leaks record. In their place was a count's pedigree and a castle in the mountains of Transylvania. 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. It was expected to sell for up to $2 million, but has since been listed again by Bonhams in 2018. Bela Lugosi Net Worth. Bela Lugosi Net Worth - Valued Plan 's girlfriend? April 30, 2023. [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. Many believed, thanks to the 1994 filmEd Wood,that Lugosi went so far as to sleep in a coffin. During these moves, Ilona lost her unborn child,[13] after which she left Lugosi and returned home to her parents where she filed for divorce, and soon after remarried. Lugosi died of a heart attack prior to filming. 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. The couple divorced in 1920, reputedly over political differences with her parents. They only lived together for a few weeks, but their divorce took until October 1925 to be finalized. His next bride, Ilona von Montagh, divorced him after three years. According to TheVintage News, 100,000 Austro-Hungarian soldiers perished in the battle, and Lugosi was promoted to ski patrol. Bela Lugosi Jr. was boarded at the Elsinore Naval and Military School in Lake Elsinore, and also lived with Lillian's parents while she and Bela were touring. [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. Landau won an Oscar for his turn as the Hungarian heartthrob who'd fallen on hard times. Different prominent actors were considered before Browning cast Lugosi for the role, but the film was a hit. [80], In 2020, Legendary Comics published an adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 Dracula novel, which used the likeness of Lugosi. Independent producer Jack Broder took Lugosi at his word, casting him in a jungle-themed comedy, Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952), starring nightclub comedians Duke Mitchell and Jerry Lewis look-alike Sammy Petrillo, whose act closely resembled that of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (Martin and Lewis). At that time, in 1938, the new father was so strapped for cash he had to borrow from a Hollywood relief fund to pay the hospital bills. In 1925, he appeared as an Arab Sheik in Arabesque which premiered in Buffalo, New York at the Teck Theatre before moving to Broadway. Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers. It was, perhaps, simply the result of admiration and compassion. 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]. Three more parts came in 192526, including a five-month run in the comedy-fantasy The Devil in the Cheese. At the age of 12, Lugosi dropped out of school. Hungarian actor who was immortalized as Dracula in 1931. Pg 61. Wood hired Tom Mason, his wife's chiropractor, to double for Lugosi in additional shots. Bela Lugosi Net Worth. After playing in 172 different productions in his native Hungary, Lugosi moved on to appearing in Hungarian silent films in 1917. In September 1921, he married Hungarian actress Ilona von Montagh in New York City, and she filed for divorce on November 11, 1924, charging him with adultery and complaining that he wanted her to abandon her acting career to keep house for him. Lillian's father was against her marriage to Lugosi at first as the actor was experiencing financial difficulties at the time, so Bela talked her into eloping with him to Las Vegas in January 1933. Lugosi: His Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers. 's birthday? She filed for divorce four months later, citing actress Clara Bow as the "other woman". [57], Lugosi was buried wearing one of the "Dracula" capes and his full costume as well as his Dracula ring in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. Bela Lugosi Death: and Cause of Death. Independent producer Jack Broder took Lugosi at his word, casting him in a jungle-themed comedy, Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952), starring nightclub comedians Duke Mitchell and Jerry Lewis look-alike Sammy Petrillo, whose act closely resembled that of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (Martin and Lewis). He acted in several films in Weimar Germany, before arriving in New Orleans as a seaman on a merchant ship, then making his way north to New York City and Ellis Island. The feature is noteworthy as being Bela Lugosi's only color film. Bela Lugosi. Bela Lugosi (born October 20, 1882) is famous for being movie actor. Bela Lugosi beckons us to enter The Mystery House ! He also appeared in the film Prisoners (also 1929), believed lost, which was released in both silent and talkie versions. Scared to Death (1947 film) - Wikipedia Since the studio executives refused to give him his due in life, Lugosi's family namely his son, Bela LugosiJr., and his fourth wife, Lillian were determined that Universal Studio would not be able to profit off his likeness in death. California's descendibility statute for rights of publicity, Civil Code Section 990, was enacted in 1988, and Lugosi's estate now licenses the commercial use of his name and image. [78], In 2013 the Hungarian electronic music band agar recorded a song entitled "Mr. Lugosi", which contains a recording of the voice of Bela Lugosi. He also continued to lobby for his prized role in the film version of Dracula. Hungarian actor who was immortalized as Dracula in 1931. The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Bela Lugosi, The Immortal Count: The Life and Films of Bela Lugosi. 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. It was around this time, on January 31, 1933, that Lugosi married 21 year old Lillian Arch, and despite the almost 30 year age gap and Lugosi's previous marriage record, the pair would remain . As this piece in American Ghost Stories, points out, Lugosi wasn't always truthful about his past he was prone to exaggeration, claiming in one 1941 interview to have stolen 700 hats as a young boy but his childhood was undeniably cut short by his father's death, propelling him into menial labor jobs that tested his mettle. He also continued to lobby for his prized role in the film version of Dracula. Bela Lugosi became known as an actor the studios could get on the cheap. Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). Wood hired Tom Mason, his wife's chiropractor, to double for Lugosi in additional shots. He was raised in a Roman Catholic family.. At the age of 12, Lugosi dropped out of school and left home to work at a succession of manual labor jobs.