biography
Born Bela Ferenc Dezso Blasko on October 20, 1882, in Lugos, Hungary (now Romania), Bela Lugosi ran away from home at the tender age of 12, supporting himself
through a succession of menial jobs. Early on he developed a taste for the theatre, and his ambition and natural talent made him a popular actor in his native
country. Lugosi was into his 30s when he volunteered to serve his country during World War I. After his tenure in the service, he returned to acting and appeared
in several Hungarian silent films, often billed as "Arisztid Olt." By 1920 he fled Hungary and landed in Germany, where he acted several films. His residence in
Germany was brief, and in late 1921 or early 1922 Lugosi had arrived in the U.S. to stay. His poor command of the English language notwithstanding, talent and skill
got him cast in the Broadway production of The Red Poppy just a year or so after arriving in the US.
Lugosi's first U.S. film role came in the drama The Silent Command (1923; with Edmund Lowe). While he acted in several other films in the 1920s, his big
breakthrough role came in 1927, when he was cast in the title role of the Broadway production Dracula. The play was a sensation, and Hollywood producers
began to take notice. Relocating to Hollywood in 1928, Lugosi made several films in the the fading days of silent films, and in 1930 director Tod Browning asked
him to reprise his role as the title character in Universal's Dracula.Despite the sensation that Lugosi caused in his portrayal in Dracula, the part began to work against him. The actor didn't see himself as a horror icon, but he was quickly typecast in the genre. Nevertheless, Lugosi gave his all in his performances in horror; some of his best work can be seen in White Zombie (1932; with Madge Bellamy), The Raven (1935; with Boris Karloff), Son of Frankenstein (1939; with Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, and Lionel Atwill, and Black Friday (1940; with Boris Karloff, Anne Gwynne, and James Craig). He also acted in several serials for poverty-row studios, including Victory's Shadows of Chinatown (1936; with Bruce Bennett), Republic's SOS Coast Guard (1937; with Ralph Byrd), and Universal's The Phantom Creeps (1939; with Edward Van Sloan). In the 1940s, Lugosi's output was largely produced by Monogram and PRC, such as the horror/comedy Spooks Run Wild (1941; with Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, and Dave O'Brien) and Voodoo Man (1944; with John Carradine, George Zucco, and Wanda McKay). |
the films of bela lugosiDracula (1931)    
Images from Dracula. LEFT: With Helen Chandler as Mina and Dwight Frye as Renfield. CENTER A: With Helen Chandler. CENTER B and CENTER C: Lugosi as Dracula. RIGHT: Count Dracula prepares to bite Lucy (Frances Dade)Island of Lost Souls (1933)
From Island of Lost Souls, one of Lugosi's best filmsMark of the Vampire (1935) 
Scenes from Mark of the Vampire with Carroll BorlandSon of Frankenstein (1939)
Lugosi as Ygor and Boris Karloff as the Monster in Universal's stylish horror flick Son of FrankensteinYou'll Find Out (1940)
With Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff in the RKO comedy You'll Find OutThe Devil Bat (1940)
With Dave O'Brien in PRC's first horror film, The Devil BatSpooks Run Wild (1941)
From Monogram's horror/comedy flick Spooks Run Wild with Dave O'Brien and Dorothy ShortNight Monster (1942)
From Night Monster, possibly the best of Lugosi's later Universal horror filmsThe Ape Man (1943)
Lobby card from The Ape Man, a comedy/horror film produced by MonogramVoodoo Man (1944)
From Monogram's horror flick Voodoo Man with Louise Currie, Wanda McKay, John Carradine, George Zucco, Ellen Hall, and Terry WalkerScared to Death (1947) Lobby card from Scared to Death, Lugosi's only color feature film. Also pictured are Gladys Blake, Angelo Rossitto, and Nat PendletonAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) 
LEFT: Dracula (Lugosi) rouses the Frankenstein Monster (Glenn Strange) in the comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. RIGHT: With Lou Costello and Glenn Strangelater yearsAfter the release of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in 1948, roles simply vanished for Bela Lugosi. He didn't make another film until 1952, with the releases of Mother Riley Meets the Vampire and Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla. Lugosi then befriended low-budget director Edward D. Wood Jr. and acted in two of his technically inept but fun low-budget film efforts, Glen or Glenda? (1953) and Bride of the Monster (1955; with Tor Johnson). Lugosi's final film, discounting Plan Nine From Outer Space, is The Black Sleep (1956; with Basil Rathbone and Lon Chaney Jr.), an entertaining horror film with a larger budget that Wood's productions. For more information about Lugosi's personal and professional relationship with Ed Wood, check out Rudolph Grey's Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood.Married several times, Lugosi's longest marriage was to Lillian Arch, whom he married in 1933. She bore him a son, Bela Lugosi Jr., in 1938. But with employment and personal problems, the marriage dissolved in 1953. A long-time sciatica sufferer (perhaps the main reason for his drug dependency), Lugosi entered rehabilitation in 1955 to beat his addiction to morphine and was one of the first celebrities to discuss his chemical dependency with the press. Later in 1955, just a year before his death, he married a fan, Hope Lininger. Lugosi suffered a fatal heart attack at age 73, on August 16, 1956. He was survived by his wife, Hope, and his son. Lugosi's ex-wife Lillian took a job as assistant to actor Brian Donlevy in the early 1950s, and they married in 1966. Donlevy died in 1972, and Lillian Lugosi Donlevy passed away in 1981 at age 70. |
filmographyFILM
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