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. In 1920 he emigrated to the US and made a living as a character actor, shooting to fame when he played Count Dracula in the legendary 1927 Broadway stage adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel. Blask. [21] A rumor has circulated for decades among film historians that Lugosi played an uncredited bit part as a clown in the 1924 Lon Chaney Hollywood film He Who Gets Slapped, but this has been heavily disputed. Lugosi's first film appearance was in the 1917 Hungarian silent film Leoni Leo. He also appeared in the film Prisoners (also 1929), believed lost, which was released in both silent and talkie versions. Appeared with Lon Chaney Jr. in five films: The Wolf Man (1941), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man . With Lugosi in his Dracula cape, Wood shot impromptu test footage, with no storyline in mind, in front of Tor Johnson's home, a suburban graveyard, and in front of Lugosi's apartment building on Carlton Way. pg. It appeared on their 1972 album Everybody's in Show-Biz. Itsvan died when Bela was just 12-years-old, throwing the family fortunes into turmoil. Bela Lugosi was an actor who was best known for his role as Count Dracula in a 1931 movie. 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. In 1955, recently divorced from his fourth wife, he checked himself into the Los Angeles General Hospital Psychopathic Ward, hoping to kick his methadone and morphine habits. Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). Bela Lugosi Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Wiki, Family 2022 Actually, Bela's widow Hope and ex-wife Lillian paid it; Sinatra's only connection to the aging actor was sending him a $1000 check . Bela Lugosi was born on October 20, 1882 in Lugoj, Romania. [6] He was raised in a Roman Catholic family. The king of horror was buried in his iconic Count Dracula cape His legal actions in Lugosi v. Universal Pictures led to the creation of the California Celebrities Rights Act. This drug dependence (and his gradually worsening alcoholism) was becoming apparent to producers, and after 1948's Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, the offers dwindled to parts in low-budget films; some of these were directed by Ed Wood, including a brief (posthumous) appearance in Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957). Bela Lugosi was a working actor when World War I broke out in Europe. 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). Bela Lugosis source of wealth comes from being a movie actor. 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. Bela Lugosi grew up in a solidly middle class family in Hungary, the son of a baker-turned-banker. In fact, he often told reporters that sex was the most important thing in the universe. When Lugosi playfully attempted to bite the "nurse" in attendance, she overreacted and spilled a glass of milk all over his shirt and cape. Through his association with Dracula (in which he appeared with minimal makeup, using his natural, heavily accented voice), Lugosi found himself typecast as a horror villain in films such as Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), The Black Cat (1934) and The Raven (1935) for Universal, and the independent White Zombie (1932). 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. (Lugosi learned in 1935 that von Montagh and a female friend were both arrested for shoplifting in New York City, which was the last he heard of her.)[49]. Back in 1950 however, Lugosi had appeared on a one-hour TV program called Murder and Bela Lugosi (which WPIX-TV broadcast on Sept. 18, 1950) in which Lugosi was interviewed and provided commentary about a number of his old horror films while clips from the films were being shown; historian Gary Rhodes thinks some of this Lugosi TV production found its way into the 1959 British film, which would finally explain the mystery. - ? While its relatively simple to predict his income, its harder to know how much Bela has spent over the years. [12][4] They escaped to Vienna before settling in Berlin (in the Langestrasse), where he began acting in German silent films. 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. 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. Bela Lugosi (Actor) - Overview, Biography - Celeb Networth Post Nearly 20 years later, Lugosi found himself the beneficiary of an unlikely guardian angel. Hope later moved to Hawaii, where she worked for many years as a caregiver in a leper colony. In 1917, Lugosi married Ilona Szmik (1898-1991). 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. During WWI, he volunteered and was commissioned as an infantry lieutenant, and was wounded three times.A distinguished stage actor in his native Hungary, Austria-Hungary, he began his stage career in 1901 and started appearing in films during World War I, fleeing to Germany in 1919 as a result of his left-wing political activity (he organized an actors' union). Then Cheney died, and Lugosi replaced him on the bill. $4.5 Million. Bla Ferenc Dezs Blask (Hungarian:[bel frnts d blko]; October 20, 1882 August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (/losi/; Hungarian:[luoi]), was a HungarianAmerican actor, best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic Dracula, Ygor in Son of Frankenstein (1939) and his roles in many other horror films from 1931 through 1956.[1]. 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. People are becoming more and more interested in Bela Lugosi because of how much money he makes. pg. Four other silent roles followed, villains and continental types, all in productions made in the New York area. The film would be Bela Lugosi's last "A" movie. Hungarian actor who was immortalized as Dracula in 1931. Bela Lugosi is a member of Movie Actor. He was sent to fight in the Carpathian Winter War. Bela Lugosi Remembered 65 Years After His Death 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". Lugosi left Germany in October 1920, emigrating by ship to the United States, and entered the country at New Orleans in December 1920. It's Dracula's curse.". The combination was so successful that Umann scheduled extra shows to accommodate the capacity crowds, and invited Lugosi to appear in person, which thrilled new audiences that had never seen Lugosi's classic performance. Fast Facts: Bela Lugosi. 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. He began his stage acting career in 1902. Or Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. She claimed he slapped her in the face one night because she ate a pork chop he had hidden in their refrigerator. At the age of 12, Lugosi dropped out of school. Without his knowledge, a beloved singer, actor, and fan was helping pay his way through rehab. 2020. Focusing on Lugosi and his well-documented struggle to escape from the role that had typecast him, the play went on to receive the Hamilton Deane Award for best dramatic presentation from the Dracula Society in 2002. Due to his activism in the actors' union in Hungary during the revolution of 1919, he was forced to flee his homeland. Despite the relative size of their roles, Lugosi inevitably received second billing, below Karloff. The cape Lugosi wore in Dracula (1931) was in the possession of his family until it was put up for auction in 2011. At Universal, he often received star billing for what amounted to a supporting part. What terrible revenge has Lugosi's character concocted for his revenge? Also in 1931, he became a U.S. citizen. 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. ? Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers. [64] In 2019, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announced acquisition of the cape via partial donation from the Lugosi family. Bela had four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He dropped out of school when he was twelve years old, and began appearing in Shakespeare plays. After playing in 172 different productions in his native Hungary, Lugosi moved on to appearing in Hungarian silent films in 1917. Hal B. Wallis, Martin and Lewis's producer, unsuccessfully sued Broder. Bela Lugosi was born on October 20, 1882 in Lugoj, Romania (73 years old). Lillian and Bla divorced in 1953, at least partially because of Bla's jealousy over Lillian taking a full-time job as an assistant to Brian Donlevy on the sets and studios for Donlevy's radio and television series Dangerous Assignment Lillian eventually did marry Donlevy in 1966. Some of the sources for his net worth are his salary, movies, and other earnings. He made his way to New York and was inspected by immigration officers at Ellis Island in March 1921. 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). . BearManor Media, ISBN 1593932855, Arthur Lennig, The Immortal Count, University Press of Kentucky, 2003, the failed Hungarian Communist Revolution of 1919, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "From the Archives: Actor Bela Lugosi, Dracula of Screen, Succumbs After Heart Attack at 73", https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCJB-Z61, "15 Intriguing Halloween-Related Factoids! All About Martin Landau: Death, Net Worth, Wife, Family, Brother Attendees included Forrest J. Ackerman, Ed Wood (who was a pall bearer), Tor Johnson, Conrad Brooks, Richard Sheffield, both of the widows (Hope and Lillian), Bela Lugosi Jr., Norma McCarty, Loretta King, Paul Marco and actor George Becwar. Wood hired Tom Mason, his wife's chiropractor, to double for Lugosi in additional shots. His immortal role as the count led him to play roles in 1934's The Black Cat and 1935's The Raven. [4] Returning to civilian life, Lugosi became an actor in Hungarian silent films, appearing in many of them under the stage name "Arisztid Olt". 's family members. Unable or unwilling to finish his studies, he supported himself as a miner and railroad worker until the age of 18 when his sister, Vilma, persuaded her husband to secure Bela a place in a traveling theater troupe. The picture was filmed in Cinecolor.The film is historically important as the only color film in which Bela Lugosi has a starring role. Bela Lugosi, Romania Actor. Following a successful run as Count Dracula in the stage version of Bram Stoker's bloody tale, Lugosi was cast as the lead in the film adaptation. Death, Net Worth, Wife, Family, Brother. A Trip Down Memory Lane: the Death of Bela Lugosi Lugosi memorized the script for the skit, but became confused on the air when Berle began to ad lib. So it should come as no surprise, perhaps, that he was married not once, not twice or even three or four times, but five. Lugosi eventually grew very bitter over the fact that the general public took him for Dracula. You get the point. What is Bela Lugosi titled "Last of the Red Hot Vampires" was an homage to Bela Lugosi; at the end of the episode, it was dedicated to "Mr. Landau won an Oscar for his turn as the Hungarian heartthrob who'd fallen on hard times. Monday, Bela Lugosi Net Worth (Actor) Different prominent actors were considered before Browning cast Lugosi for the role, but the film was a hit. Among his teamings with Karloff, he performed major roles only in The Black Cat (1934), The Raven (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939); even in The Raven, Karloff received top billing despite Lugosi performing the lead role. Born: October 20, 1882 in Lugos, Hungary. Bela Lugosi died of a heart attack August 16, 1956. And, indeed, it was made into a beloved film, Ed Wood, starring Johnny Depp as Wood and Martin Landau as Lugosi. Scared to Death (1947 film) - Wikipedia (Bela eventually had four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, although he did not live long enough to meet any of them.)[51]. 103. 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. He died a year into their marriage of a heart attack. Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers. In addition to his nine Monogram features, he worked in three features for RKO and one for Columbia (Return of the Vampire, 1943). Bela Lugosi Net Worth. During an impromptu interview upon his exit from the treatment center in 1955, Lugosi stated that he was about to go to work on a new Ed Wood film, The Ghoul Goes West. Last chapter. In 1955, he checked himself into the psych ward of Los Angeles General Hospital. Prior to his death, Lugosi shot test footage of him wearing one of his Dracula capes in a graveyard. Exiled in Weimar-era Germany, he began appearing in a small number of well-received films, among them adaptations of the Karl May novels On the Brink of Paradise (Auf den Trmmern des Paradieses, 1920) and Caravan of Death (Die Todeskarawane, also 1920) with Dora Gerson (Gerson, who was Jewish, died in Auschwitz). Wood added what footage he had of the star and used and (unconvincing) body double. According to TheVintage News, 100,000 Austro-Hungarian soldiers perished in the battle, and Lugosi was promoted to ski patrol. Karloff himself in interviews suggested that Lugosi was initially mistrustful of him when they acted together, believing that the Englishman would attempt to upstage him. Lugosi enjoyed a lively career on stage, with plenty of personal appearances. 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. [1] 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. Following the collapse of Bla Kun's Hungarian Soviet Republic in 1919, leftists and trade unionists became vulnerable, some being imprisoned or executed in public. 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. [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]. According to Classic Monsters, his third bride was the wealthy widow, Beatrice Weeks, who grew so enraged over his flirtation with "It Girl" Clara Bow that she dissolved the union after only three months. He next played Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994). [46], In 1933, the 51-year-old Lugosi married 22-year-old Lillian Arch (19111981), the daughter of Hungarian immigrants living in Hollywood. pg. For the remainder of his life he appeared less and less frequently in obscure, low-budget features.Bela Lugosi died on August 16, 1956 of a coronary occlusion at the age of 73. Lugosi left Germany in October 1920, intending to emigrate to the United States, and entered the country at New Orleans in December 1920. Lugosi plays a character named The Scientist who narrates the hackneyed and often embarrassing but also hilarious exploration of sex and gender identity. The iconic portrayal of Count Dracula marked Lugosi's career and gave him widespread recognition. The heat clearly worked. The feature is noteworthy as being Bela Lugosi's only color film. Throughout the 1930s, Lugosi, experiencing a severe career decline despite popularity with audiences (Universal executives always preferred his rival Karloff), accepted many leading roles from independent producers like Nat Levine, Sol Lesser, and Sam Katzman. Lugosi acted in several Hungarian plays before breaking out into his first English Broadway play, The Red Poppy, in 1922. This footage ended up posthumously in Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957[41]), which was filmed in 1956 soon after Lugosi died. He was born in Lugos, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary in 1882 and died in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1956. He lost even more. It's enough to make one turn over in one's grave. Famous for his thick Hungarian accent, he dominated the screen for two decades until his death. Tor Johnson said in interviews that Lugosi kept screaming that he wanted to die the night they shared a hotel room together. 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. Universal took notice of the tremendous business and launched its own national re-release of the same two horror favorites. [29][38], The Vincent Price film, House of Wax premiered in Los Angeles at the Paramount Theatre on April 16, 1953. Although Lugosi would later claim that he "became the leading actor of Hungary's Royal National Theatre", many of his roles there were small or supporting parts, which led him to enter the Hungarian film industry.[10]. In 1921, he married Ilona von Montagh, and divorced in 1924. According to this look at Lugosi's itinerant LA lifestyle, he had to borrow money from the Motion Picture Relief Fund to cover the medical costs. His immortal role as the count led him to play roles in 1934's The Black Cat and 1935's The Raven. In 2019 the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announced acquisition of the cape via partial donation from the Lugosi family and that the cape will be on display in 2020. Lugosi will probably forever be remembered for playing Count Dracula in Tod Browning's 1931 film version of Bram Stoker's spooky novel. The fact that he was born just 50 miles from where the novel is set made him a natural choice for the part. Bela Lugosi. It made the 6'1" Hungarian hunk irresistible to a series of beautiful women, including the notoriously sexy Clara Bow. She would sign her letters "A dash of Hope". His earliest known performances are from provincial theatres in the 190304 season, playing small roles in several plays and operettas. Lugosi complained of her excessive drinking and dancing with other men at social gatherings. He later allowed himself to be photographed drinking a glass of milk at a Red Cross booth there. He was kept employed by the studios principally so that they could put his name on the posters. 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. 134th birthday - No Traveler Returns: The Lost Years of Bela Lugosi by Bill Kaffenberger and Gary D. Rhodes (2012). Lugosi's will left several inexpensive pieces of real estate in Elsinore and only $1,000 cash to his son, but since the will had been written on Jan. 12, 1954 (before Lugosi's fifth marriage), Bela Jr. had to share the thousand dollars evenly with Hope Lugosi. Lugosi took over the role of Jonathan Brewster from Boris Karloff for Arsenic and Old Lace. Think Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, Dolph Lundgren as Ivan Drago, and Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Lugosi's final resting place is Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. Lugosi tried to keep busy with stage work, but had to borrow money from the Actors Fund of America to pay hospital bills when his only child, Bela George Lugosi, was born in 1938. After living briefly in Germany, Lugosi left Europe by ship and arrived in New Orleans on October 27, 1920, and, after making his way north, underwent his primary alien inspection at Ellis Island, N.Y. on March 23, 1921. Veteran Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi, 73, best known for his many Dracula screen roles, died late yesterday in his apartment at 5620 Harold Way, apparently the victim of a heart attack. Lots of famous people were born over the years on Oct. 20. His immortal role as the count led him to play roles in 1934's The Black Cat and 1935's The Raven. It was expected to sell for up to $2 million, but has since been listed again by Bonhams in 2018. 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. [25], Despite his critically acclaimed performance on stage, Lugosi was not Universal Pictures' first choice for the role of Dracula when the company optioned the rights to the Deane play and began production in 1930. Lugosi went to 20th Century-Fox for The Gorilla (1939), which had him playing straight man (a butler) to Patsy Kelly and the Ritz Brothers. 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". Bela Lugosi. Known For: Starring in the iconic role of Count Dracula in the 1931 film Dracula. This was one of several projects proposed by Wood, including The Phantom Ghoul and Dr. Acula. He currently resides in Lugoj, Romania. Lugosi began acting on the Hungarian stage in 1902. Online estimates of Bela Lugosis net worth vary. He wasn't Universal Pictures' first choice, though. Ames was in turn replaced with David Manners, who would instead come to play John Harker. Bela Lugosi Net Worth Net Worth List He was the youngest of four children. It's worthy of its own movie the love story of two tragically underestimated and maligned men. The young Bela was born just the year before. October 20, 2014. Who is Bela Lugosi . 58. The right of publicity in some states endures for 50, 70, 75 or 100 years past the death of the celebrity. The story features Lugosi and John Carradine in a mad tale of love, suspicion, and rabies in the jungle. Having spent a year acting in silent films in Germany's Weimar Republic, Lugosi traveled to America on a merchant ship in 1920, landing in New Orleans before heading north to New York City. 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. 1941. Lughorrort age 18. Dracula (1931) $3,500 : 50 Million Frenchmen (1931) $1,000 : Chandu the Magician (1932) $2,500 : White Zombie (1932) . He'd hoped, like his contemporary, Boris Karloff, to win the hearts and minds of not just fans but critics, too. But at the last minute, Lugosi's heavily-accented dialogue was edited out after the film was completed, along with the idea of the Monster being blind, leaving his performance featuring groping, outstretched arms and moving lips seeming enigmatic (and funny) to audiences. Also Ed Wood did not meet Lugosi in a funeral parlor, but rather through his roommate Alex Gordon. [23] The Horace Liveright production was successful, running in New York City for 261 performances before touring the United States to much fanfare and critical acclaim throughout 1928 and 1929.