biography
Born Turhan Selahettin Schultavy on March 30, 1922, in Vienna, Austria (some sources cite 1919 and 1920 as his year of birth), Turhan Bey
was born the son of a Turkish diplomat. Following his parents' divorce, Bey and his mother relocated to the U.S. in the late 1930s,
finally settling in California. Soon afterward, he began training as an actor. In late 1939 while acting in a stage play,
Bey was spotted by a talent agent and landed a contract with Warner Bros. at age 18. The studio quickly cast him in the mystery
Shadows on the Stairs (1941; with Paul Cavanagh and Heather Angel). Warner Bros. released Bey after he completed filming on
Footsteps in the Dark (1941; with Errol Flynn and Brenda Marshall). He then moved on to Universal in 1941 where his exotic
looks got him cast in a number of adventure films, such as Burma Convoy (1941; with Charles Bickford and
Evelyn Ankers) and Raiders of the Desert (1941; with Richard Arlen
and Maria Montez). After several more adventure films and crime dramas, Bey was cast in the big-budget Technicolor
swashbuckler Arabian Nights (1942; with Jon Hall and
Maria Montez). Universal put Bey in both lead roles and small supporting roles, which suited the young actor as he could practice his craft in different genre and avoid being typecast; he acted in everything from the adventure pictures he made with Maria Montez to Universal's Mummy franchise entry The Mummy's Tomb (1942; with Lon Chaney Jr. and Dick Foran). In addition to feature films, Universal cast Bey in serials including the twelve-chapter Junior G-Men of the Air (1942; with Lionel Atwill and Huntz Hall) and the thirteen-chapter Adventures of Smilin' Jack (1943; with Marjorie Lord and Sidney Toler). During his contract days at Universal, he was romantically linked to Merle Oberon, Ava Gardner, and Lana Turner, among other actresses. In later years, he would look back on his years at the studio and say they were the best of his life. |
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the films of turhan beyBurma Convoy (1941) 
From the low-budget Universal adventure Burma Convoy. LEFT: With Evelyn Ankers, Keye Luke, and C. Montague Shaw. RIGHT: Bey romances Evelyn AnkersThe Mummy's Tomb (1942)
Lon Chaney Jr. portrays the title character opposite Bey as Mehemet Bey in Universal's The Mummy's TombBackground to Danger (1943)
With George Raft in the Warner Bros. wartime thriller Background to DangerThe Mad Ghoul (1943)Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944)
From Universal's escapist adventure Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves with Maria MontezDragon Seed (1944)
With Katharine Hepburn in the MGM historical drama Dragon SeedFrisco Sal (1945)  
From the Universal western Frisco Sal. LEFT: With Andy Devine. CENTER: Bey as Dude Forante. RIGHT: With Alan CurtisNight in Paradise (1946)
From the Universal comedy costume flick Night in Paradise with Merle OberonOut of the Blue (1947)
With Virginia Mayo in the Eagle-Lion comedy Out of the BlueParole, Inc. (1948)
Lobby card from the Eagle-Lion film noir thriller Parole, Inc.Prisoners of the Casbah (1953) 
From Columbia's low-budget adventure flick Prisoners of the Casbah. LEFT: With Gloria Grahame and Cesar Romero. RIGHT: Bey swashbuckling in his last film before a 40-year break from actinglater yearsThe swashbuckling, escapist films in which Bey had been starring fell out of favor following the end of World War II. In 1946, Bey was drafted into the army for an 18-month hitch, which shot his career momentum. Upon detaching from military service, Universal sold the remainder of his contract to Eagle-Lion, where he starred in Out of the Blue (1947; with George Brent and Virginia Mayo) and The Amazing Mr. X (1948; with Lynn Bari, Richard Carlson, and Cathy O'Donnell). Following the release of Columbia's Song of India (1949; with Sabu and Gail Russell), Bey waited four years to act in another film, the adventure Prisoners of the Casbah (1953; with Gloria Grahame and Cesar Romero) before retiring from acting. Later in 1953 Bey returned to Austria and produced the film Stolen Identity (1953; with Francis Lederer). He remained in his native country for a number of years and grew into a respected photographer. After his return to the U.S in 1990., Bey took another stab at acting, with great success, beginning with a guest appearance on the television series SeaQuest DSV in September 1993. Bey continued to act in films and on television through the late 1990s. After a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, Turhan Bey died in Austria on September 30, 2012, at the age of 90. Never married and having no children, the actor left no immediate surviving family. |
filmographyFILM
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