Paul Lukas | |
|---|---|
 Lukas in 1950 | |
| Born | Pál Lukács (1894-05-26)26 May 1894 |
| Died | 15 August 1971(1971-08-15) (aged 77) Tangier, Morocco |
| Resting place | Cementerio deBenalmádena,Andalusia, Spain |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1916–1970 |
| Spouses | |
Paul Lukas (bornPál Lukács; 26 May 1894 – 15 August 1971) was a Hungarian actor. He won theAcademy Award for Best Actor, and the firstGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, for his performance in the filmWatch on the Rhine (1943), reprising therole he created on theBroadway stage.
Lukas was born Pál Lukács inBudapest into a Hungarian-Jewish family,[1][2] the son of Adolf Munkácsi and Mária Schneckendorf. He was later adopted by Mária (née Zilahy) and János Lukács, an advertising executive.[3][4]
Lukas made his stage debut in Budapest in 1916, and his film debut in 1917. At first, he played elegant, smooth womanizers, but increasingly, he became typecast as a villain. He had a successful stage and film career in Hungary, Germany, and Austria, where he worked withMax Reinhardt. He arrived in Hollywood in 1927, and became anaturalized citizen of the United States in 1937. In 1935, he built a home near the newRacquet Club of Palm Springs, California.[5]
Lukas was busy in the 1930s, appearing in such films as themelodramaRockabye, the crime caperGrumpy,Alfred Hitchcock'sThe Lady Vanishes, the comedyLadies in Love, and the dramaDodsworth. He followedWilliam Powell andBasil Rathbone, portraying the series detectivePhilo Vance, a cosmopolitan New Yorker, once inThe Casino Murder Case (1935).
His major film success wasWatch on the Rhine (1943), where he played a man working against theNazis, a role he originated in theBroadway premiere of theplay of the same name in 1941.[6] His portrayal of Kurt Mueller, a German émigré with an American wife, played byBette Davis, was universally lauded by critics.Brooks Atkinson of theNew York Times, wrote: "As the enemy of fascism, Mr. Lukas' haggard, loving, resourceful determination becomes heroic by virtue of his sincerity and his superior abilities as an actor."[7] He won theAcademy Award for Best Actor for the role. He also received theNew York Film Critics Award for his performance.[7]
In 1943, Lukas guest-starred as the lead character in an episode of the radio programSuspense, "Mr. Markham, Antique Dealer",[8] as well as the character of a blind composer in the episode "A World of Darkness".[9] On 2 April 1944, he starred in "The Steadfast Heart" onSilver Theater.[10]In the 1940s, Lukas was a charter member of theMotion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, a conservative lobbying group opposed to possibleCommunist influence in Hollywood.
Lukas also starred as Professor Aronnax inWalt Disney's film version ofJules Verne's20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).
Lukas's film career continued into the 1960s, with nine films, includingFun in Acapulco withElvis Presley in 1963 andLord Jim withPeter O'Toole in 1965. His final film,The Challenge, was released in 1970.
The remainder of his career moved from Hollywood to the stage, and to television. His only singing role was as Cosmo Constantine in the original 1950 Broadway stage version ofIrving Berlin'sCall Me Madam, oppositeEthel Merman for over 600 performances (although he is heard singing a song in the 1933 filmLittle Women).[11]
Lukas died 15 August 1971, inTangier, Morocco,[12] reportedly while searching for a place to spend his retirement years. He is buried in Spain.
Lukas was honored with a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame, at 6821 Hollywood Boulevard, on February 8, 1960.[13]
