
Biography
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (Hungarian: [ˈbeːlɒ ˈfɛrɛnt͡s ˈdɛʒøː ˈblɒʃkoː]; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; Hungarian: [ˈluɡoʃi]), was a Hungarian and American 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.Lugosi began acting on the Hungarian stage in 1902. After playing in 172 different productions in his native Hungary, Lugosi moved on to appearing in Hungarian silent films in 1917. 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. 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.
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. He later starred in the 1931 film version of Dracula directed by Tod Browning and produced by Universal Pictures. Through the 1930s, he occupied an important niche in horror films, but his notoriety as "Dracula" and ominous thick Hungarian accent greatly limited the roles offered to him, and he unsuccessfully tried for years to avoid the typecasting.
He co-starred in a number of films with Boris Karloff, who was able to demand top billing. To his frustration, Lugosi, a charter member of the American Screen Actors Guild, was increasingly restricted to mad scientist roles because of his inability to speak English more clearly. He was kept employed by the studios principally so that they could put his name on the posters. 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.
By this time, Lugosi had been receiving regular medication for sciatic neuritis, and he became addicted to doctor-prescribed morphine and methadone. 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).Lugosi married five times and had one son, Bela G. Lugosi (with his fourth wife, Lillian).
Filmography
All 139
Movies 137
Self 25
Narrator 2
TV Shows 2
Voice 1

A Brief History of Porn Cinema with Bela Lugosi (2023)

Manson & Dracula: Closer Than We Think (2022)

Dreams Within a Dream: The Classic Cinema of Edgar Allan Poe (2019)

A Good Game: Karloff and Lugosi at Universal (2019)

The Trail of Dracula (2013)

Extraordinary Tales (2013)

Dracula: The Vampire and the Voivode (2011)

Bela Lugosi: The Fallen Vampire (2007)

Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman (2007)

Terror in the Pharaoh's Tomb (2007)

Lugosi: The Dark Prince (2006)

Terror in the Tropics (2006)

The Tell Tale Heart (2005)

Ed Wood: Making Bela (2004)

The Revamping of Dracula (2004)

Hollywood Ghosts & Gravesites (2003)

The Our Gang Story (2001)

Heroes of Horror (2001)

Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed (2000)

Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl (1999)

Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' (1999)

Universal Horror (1998)

Lugosi: Hollywood's Dracula (1997)

The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1996)

Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons (1995)

Ed Wood: Look Back in Angora (1994)

Death Scenes 2 (1992)

Dracula in the Movies (1992)

Monsters & Maniacs (1988)

Mondo Lugosi (1987)

Lugosi: The Forgotten King (1985)

Terror in the Aisles (1984)

Going Hollywood: The '30s (1984)

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (1983)

The Horror of It All (1983)

Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! (1982)

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1975)

Madhouse (1974)

The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute (1974)

The Movie Orgy (1968)

The World of Abbott and Costello (1965)

Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)

The Black Sleep (1956)

Lock Up Your Daughters (1956)

Bride of the Monster (1955)

Glen or Glenda (1953)

Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952)

Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (1952)

The Phantom Creeps (1949)

Suspense (1949)

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

Scared to Death (1947)

Genius at Work (1946)

The Body Snatcher (1945)

Zombies on Broadway (1945)

One Body Too Many (1944)

Return of the Ape Man (1944)

Voodoo Man (1944)

The Return of the Vampire (1943)

Ghosts on the Loose (1943)

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

The Ape Man (1943)

Bowery at Midnight (1942)

Night Monster (1942)

The Corpse Vanishes (1942)

The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

Black Dragons (1942)

The Wolf Man (1941)

Spooks Run Wild (1941)

The Black Cat (1941)

Invisible Ghost (1941)

The Devil Bat (1940)

You'll Find Out (1940)

Black Friday (1940)

The Saint's Double Trouble (1940)

Ninotchka (1939)

The Dark Eyes of London (1939)

The Gorilla (1939)

Son of Frankenstein (1939)

The Phantom Creeps (1939)

SOS Coast Guard (1937)

Shadow of Chinatown (1936)

Shadow of Chinatown (1936)

Postal Inspector (1936)

The Invisible Ray (1936)

Murder by Television (1935)

The Raven (1935)

The Mystery of the Mary Celeste (1935)

Mark of the Vampire (1935)

The Mysterious Mr. Wong (1935)

The Best Man Wins (1935)

Chandu on the Magic Island (1935)

The Return of Chandu (1934)

Gift of Gab (1934)

The Black Cat (1934)

Screen Snapshots No. 11 (1934)

The Devil's in Love (1933)

International House (1933)

Night of Terror (1933)

The Whispering Shadow (1933)

Hollywood on Parade No. A-8 (1933)

Island of Lost Souls (1932)

The Death Kiss (1932)

Chandu the Magician (1932)

White Zombie (1932)

Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)

Voice of Hollywood (Series 2, No. 3) (1931)

Intimate Interviews: Bela Lugosi (1931)

Broadminded (1931)

The Black Camel (1931)

Women of All Nations (1931)

Drácula (1931)

50 Million Frenchmen (1931)

Dracula (1931)

Oh, for a Man! (1930)

Viennese Nights (1930)

Renegades (1930)

Wild Company (1930)

King of Jazz (1930)

Such Men Are Dangerous (1930)

The Thirteenth Chair (1929)

The Last Performance (1929)

Prisoners (1929)

The Veiled Woman (1929)

Daughters Who Pay (1925)

The Midnight Girl (1925)

The Rejected Woman (1924)

The Silent Command (1923)

Die Teufelsanbeter (1920)

Caravan of Death (1920)

Die Frau im Delphin, oder 30 Tage auf dem Meeresgrund (1920)

Daughter of the Night 2 (1920)

Deerslayer (1920)

The Head of Janus (1920)

Daughter of the Night (1920)

Sklaven fremden Willens (1920)

Küzdelem a Létért (1918)

The Royal Life (1918)

Rivals
Ratings
Gallery





Information
Known forActing
GenderMale
Birthday1882-10-20
Deathday1956-08-16 (73 years old)
Birth nameBlaskó Béla Ferenc Dezső
Place of birthLugoj, Romania
Relationshipshttp://www.wikidata.org/.well-known/genid/91a5c9101813a737034d9649c5da1cea (1955-08-24 - 1956-08-16), Lillian Arch (1933-01-01 - 1953-01-01), http://www.wikidata.org/.well-known/genid/1bb222211c59c770da779d7e3fe50d52 (1917-01-01 - 1920-01-01), Ilona von Montagh (1921-09-01 - 1925-02-13), http://www.wikidata.org/.well-known/genid/94f3b3fb989d08e47094c8290e308f6b (1929-07-01 - 1929-12-01)
ChildrenBela G. Lugosi
CitizenshipsUnited States of America, Hungary
Also known asBéla Ferenc Dezsõ Blaskó, Olt Arisztid, Mr. Blasko, Albert Lugesi, Belo Lugosi, Arisztid Olt, Бела Лугоші, Бела Луґоші
Awardsstar on Hollywood Walk of Fame
This article uses material from Wikipedia.