A Caped Crusader

October 20th is Bela Lugosi’s birthday. To celebrate, I’ve listed some interesting facts about the fascinating actor.

The Young Lugosi:
Bela was born Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó on October 20th, 1882 in Lugos, Hungary which is now Lugoj in Romania.

Bela chose Lugosi as his stage name to honour his place of birth.

Lugosi left home when he was 12 years old and did odd jobs before debuting on the Hungarian stage in 1902.

Lugosi played small roles in plays and operettas, performed in Shakespeare plays and also acted in silent films. Critics called him “the Laurence Olivier of Hungary”.

Lugosi eventually emigrated to the United States where he became famous for his portrayals of the vampire Count Dracula on both stage and screen.

Lugosi and Politics:
Lugosi fought in World War I in the 43rd Hungarian Infantry. Lugosi was wounded while serving at the Russian Front and awarded the Wound Medal.

Lugosi was a proud unionist and was interested in helping actors and theatre workers fight for better wages and conditions. Lugosi helped found the Free Organisation of Theatrical Employees. This organisation eventually expanded into the National Trade Union of Actors, one of the first film actors’ unions in the world.

Due to his union activities, Lugosi was forced to flee Hungary. He eventually made his way to America. Lugosi arrived in New Orleans as a crewman on a merchant ship. He then made his way to Ellis Island and became a naturalized U.S. citizen a few years later.

In America, Lugosi continued to fight for the rights of actors. Lugosi and fellow horror actor Boris Karloff, fought to improve working conditions and safety standards on film sets. They were both union organisers and charter members of the Screen Actors Guild.

Happy 140th Birthday Bela!

I hope these brief facts about a very complex person have inspired you to read more about Bela Lugosi. Here are some links:

Bela Lugosi Biography by Bela Lugosi Jr
Béla Lugosi: actor, union leader, anti-fascist
Anti-Fascist Role Models: Bela Lugosi
Dracula Goes to War – Bela Lugosi, WW1 and the Making of a Macabre Hollywood Legend
How Frankenstein and Dracula created a union
The Monsters Organize!

Advertisement