October 20th, Happy 142nd Birthday Mr. Blasko!
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó was a Hungarian-American actor who appeared in many horror films from 1931–1956.
So, you may not be familiar with him....until you know his stage name: Bela Lugosi.
He was born on October 20, 1882 in Lugoj, Romania.
Lugosi was a striking figure, 6' tall with blue eyes, matinee idol looks, and a mysterious foreign accent, he could easily command a room by his mere presence.
Lugosi arrived in America via vessel, arriving at the port of New Orleans, eventually making his way to New York, where he began a career on stage. It was there that he played a character that would become his signature, Count Dracula.
When Universal studios decided to embark on making a film based on the Stoker novel, Lugosi was not even a name they considered for Dracula. Bela was very persistent, and after going through their list of actors, Universal reluctantly gave him the role.
The success of Dracula was such, that Lugosi was now billed as Bela (Dracula) Lugosi. You can see evidence of this in publicity photos, lobby cards and posters for Murders In The Rue Morgue and White Zombie (the first film made on the topic of zombies).
Bela played Dracula one other time, in the '48 Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein....but he did play a vampire, as close to Dracula as possible, without being sued by Universal in '35 MGM's Mark of the Vampire (as Count Mora) and in '43 Columbia's Return of the Vampire (as Armand Tesla).
Lugosi had performed Dracula, countless times on stage before the '31 film, and many more times throughout his career in many revivals.
Late in life, he gave an interview in which he said: "Dracula will never end. I don't know if it is a blessing or a curse." When Lugosi died in '56, his wife and son had him buried in his Dracula cape and costume.
Besides Dracula, check out some of his other work:
Dr. Mirakle in Murders In The Rue Morgue.
Murder Legendre in White Zombie.
The Sayer of the Law in Island of Lost Souls.
Roxor in Chandu the Magician.
Dr. Vitus Werdegast in The Black Cat.
Dr. Richard Vollin in The Raven.
Count Mora in Mark of the Vampire.
Ygor in Son of Frankenstein and Ghost of Frankenstein.
Dr. Alex Zorka in The Phantom Creeps (serial)
The Frankenstein monster in Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man.
Armand Tesla in The Return of the Vampire.
And many more....
Lugosi loved America. He became a US citizen at his first opportunity. He sold war bonds and appeared at Red Cross blood drives. He was a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild.
A few final notes:
Bela Lugosi loved to work. He always gave 100% to every role he played, regardless of the quality of the film....and there were quite a few terrible films....but he gave his best, every time.
Was Bela Lugosi perfect? Far from it. He was married several times. Early in his career he developed severe sciatica. He got addicted to the prescribed medication morphine....but he did something no other actor had ever done before. He stepped forward and admitted himself to a hospital for recovery and came out a cured man. Today, we see more people who are addicted, asking for and receiving help.
I anticipate that there will be comments made in referencing the film Ed Wood, about Lugosi.
I have no idea why Tim Burton chose to portray Bela Lugosi as a profane spouting angry old man, living the last days of his life doing what he loved. Lugosi was not a crude man, speaking in curse words at every turn. The 'rivalry' between him and Boris Karloff is the work of studio publicity, but it was not a contentious one. They were different. Lugosi was Hungarian. Karloff was British. Lugosi liked soccer. Karloff liked cricket. They respected each other. This BS in the film Ed Wood has been debunked by Bela Lugosi Jr. and Karloff''s daughter Sara, and other actors who worked with them.
Lugosi said that 'Dracula will never end.'
When asked to do an imitation of Dracula, what happens? 99% of the time you will hear an attempt to duplicate the accent of the great Hungarian actor.
That my friends, is a legacy.
So, you may not be familiar with him....until you know his stage name: Bela Lugosi.
He was born on October 20, 1882 in Lugoj, Romania.
Lugosi was a striking figure, 6' tall with blue eyes, matinee idol looks, and a mysterious foreign accent, he could easily command a room by his mere presence.
Lugosi arrived in America via vessel, arriving at the port of New Orleans, eventually making his way to New York, where he began a career on stage. It was there that he played a character that would become his signature, Count Dracula.
When Universal studios decided to embark on making a film based on the Stoker novel, Lugosi was not even a name they considered for Dracula. Bela was very persistent, and after going through their list of actors, Universal reluctantly gave him the role.
The success of Dracula was such, that Lugosi was now billed as Bela (Dracula) Lugosi. You can see evidence of this in publicity photos, lobby cards and posters for Murders In The Rue Morgue and White Zombie (the first film made on the topic of zombies).
Bela played Dracula one other time, in the '48 Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein....but he did play a vampire, as close to Dracula as possible, without being sued by Universal in '35 MGM's Mark of the Vampire (as Count Mora) and in '43 Columbia's Return of the Vampire (as Armand Tesla).
Lugosi had performed Dracula, countless times on stage before the '31 film, and many more times throughout his career in many revivals.
Late in life, he gave an interview in which he said: "Dracula will never end. I don't know if it is a blessing or a curse." When Lugosi died in '56, his wife and son had him buried in his Dracula cape and costume.
Besides Dracula, check out some of his other work:
Dr. Mirakle in Murders In The Rue Morgue.
Murder Legendre in White Zombie.
The Sayer of the Law in Island of Lost Souls.
Roxor in Chandu the Magician.
Dr. Vitus Werdegast in The Black Cat.
Dr. Richard Vollin in The Raven.
Count Mora in Mark of the Vampire.
Ygor in Son of Frankenstein and Ghost of Frankenstein.
Dr. Alex Zorka in The Phantom Creeps (serial)
The Frankenstein monster in Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man.
Armand Tesla in The Return of the Vampire.
And many more....
Lugosi loved America. He became a US citizen at his first opportunity. He sold war bonds and appeared at Red Cross blood drives. He was a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild.
A few final notes:
Bela Lugosi loved to work. He always gave 100% to every role he played, regardless of the quality of the film....and there were quite a few terrible films....but he gave his best, every time.
Was Bela Lugosi perfect? Far from it. He was married several times. Early in his career he developed severe sciatica. He got addicted to the prescribed medication morphine....but he did something no other actor had ever done before. He stepped forward and admitted himself to a hospital for recovery and came out a cured man. Today, we see more people who are addicted, asking for and receiving help.
I anticipate that there will be comments made in referencing the film Ed Wood, about Lugosi.
I have no idea why Tim Burton chose to portray Bela Lugosi as a profane spouting angry old man, living the last days of his life doing what he loved. Lugosi was not a crude man, speaking in curse words at every turn. The 'rivalry' between him and Boris Karloff is the work of studio publicity, but it was not a contentious one. They were different. Lugosi was Hungarian. Karloff was British. Lugosi liked soccer. Karloff liked cricket. They respected each other. This BS in the film Ed Wood has been debunked by Bela Lugosi Jr. and Karloff''s daughter Sara, and other actors who worked with them.
Lugosi said that 'Dracula will never end.'
When asked to do an imitation of Dracula, what happens? 99% of the time you will hear an attempt to duplicate the accent of the great Hungarian actor.
That my friends, is a legacy.
