Lugosi began acting on the Hungarian stage in 1902, appearing in more than 170 productions. Beginning in 1917, he performed in Hungarian silent films. During World War I, he served as an infantry officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army from 1914 to 1916. Afterthe failed Hungarian Communist Revolution of 1919, Lugosi was forced to emigrate to Germany due to his Socialist party activities. He acted in several films inWeimar Germany, before arriving inNew 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 ofBram Stoker'snovel, moving with the play to the West Coast in 1928 and settling down in Hollywood.[2] He later starred in the 1931 film version ofDracula directed byTod Browning and produced byUniversal Pictures. Through the 1930s, he occupied an important niche in horror films, but his notoriety as Dracula and thick Hungarian accent greatly limited the roles offered to him, and he unsuccessfully tried for years to avoidtypecasting.
He co-starred in a number of films with fellow horror iconBoris Karloff, includingThe Black Cat (1934),The Raven (1935), andSon of Frankenstein (1939).
By this time, Lugosi had been receiving regular medication forsciatic neuritis, and he became addicted to doctor-prescribedmorphine andmethadone. This drug dependence (and his gradually worsening alcoholism) was becoming apparent to producers, and after 1948'sAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Lugosi experienced a career decline and mostly appeared in low-budget films, some of which were directed byEd Wood. His collaborations with Wood include a brief appearance inPlan 9 from Outer Space, released posthumously in 1957.[3]
Lugosi married five times and had one son,Bela G. Lugosi (with his fourth wife, Lillian).[3]
Lugosi, the youngest of four children,[4] was born Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó in 1882 in Lugos, Kingdom of Hungary (nowLugoj, Romania) to Hungarian father István Blaskó, a baker who later became a banker,[5] and Serbian mother Paula de Vojnić (Serbian: Паула де Војнић).[6] He was raised in aCatholic family.[7]
The house in Lugoj where Béla Lugosi was born, located on Bucegi Street, no. 6
At the age of 12, Lugosi dropped out of school and left home to work at a succession of manual labor jobs.[4] His father died during his absence. He began his stage acting career in 1902.[8] His earliest known performances are from provincial theatres in the 1903–04 season, playing small roles in several plays andoperettas.[8] He took the last name "Lugosi" in 1903 to honor his birthplace,[4][9] and went on to perform inShakespearean plays. After moving toBudapest in 1911, he played dozens of roles with the National Theatre of Hungary between 1913 and 1919. Although Lugosi would later claim that he "became the leading actor of Hungary's Royal National Theatre", many of his roles there were small or supporting parts, which led him to enter the Hungarian film industry.[10]
Bela Lugosi wearing an Austro-Hungarian uniform on theRussian Front (circa 1914)
DuringWorld War I, he served as aninfantry officer in theAustro-Hungarian Army Imperial and Royal 43rd Infantry Regiment[11] from 1914 to 1916, with the rank oflieutenant. He was awarded theWound Medal for wounds he sustained while serving on theRussian front.[4] Returning to civilian life, Lugosi became an actor in Hungarian silent films, appearing in many of them under the stage name "Arisztid Olt".
Due to his activism in the actors' union in Hungary during therevolution of 1919 and his active participation in theHungarian Soviet Republic,[12] he was forced to flee his homeland when the government changed hands, initially accompanied by his first wife Ilona Szmik.[13][4] They escaped toVienna before settling inBerlin (in the Langestrasse), where he began acting in German silent films. During these moves, Ilona lost her unborn child,[14] after which she left Lugosi and returned home to her parents, where she filed for divorce and soon after remarried.[4]
Lugosi eventually travelled toNew Orleans, Louisiana, in December 1920 working as a crewman aboard amerchant ship, then made his way north to New York City, where he again took up acting in (and sometimes directing) stage plays in 1921–1922, then worked in the New York silent film industry from 1923 to 1926. In 1921, he met and married his second wife, Ilona von Montagh, a young Hungarian emigree and stage actress whom he had worked with years before in Europe. They only lived together for a few weeks, but their divorce was not finalized until October 1925.[15]
He later moved to California in 1928 to tour in theDracula stage play, and his Hollywood film career took off. Lugosi claimed he performed the Dracula play around 1,000 times during his lifetime. He eventually became a U.S. citizen in 1931, soon after the release of his film version ofDracula.[13][4]
Bela Lugosi in 1920Lugosi in Shadowland Magazine, 1923
Lugosi's first film appearance was in the 1917 Hungarian silent filmLeoni Leo.[2] When appearing inHungarian silent films, he mostly used the stage nameArisztid Olt.[16] Lugosi made at least 10 films in Hungary between 1917 and 1918 before leaving for Germany. Following the collapse ofBéla Kun'sHungarian Soviet Republic in 1919,leftists andtrade unionists became vulnerable, some being imprisoned or executed in public. Lugosi was proscribed from acting due to his participation in the formation of an actors'union. Exiled inWeimar-era Germany, he co-starred in at least 14 German silent films in 1920, among themHypnose: Sklaven fremden Willens (1920),Der Januskopf (1920), and an adaptation of theKarl May novelCaravan of Death (1920).
In October 1920, Lugosi left Germany for the United States and entered the country atNew Orleans in December. He made his way to New York and was inspected by immigration officers atEllis Island in March 1921.[17] He declared his intention to become aUS citizen in 1928; on June 26, 1931, he wasnaturalized.[18]
On his arrival in America, the 6-foot-1-inch (1.85 m),[16] 180-pound (82 kg) Lugosi worked for some time as a laborer, and then entered the theater in New York City's Hungarian immigrant colony. With fellow expatriate Hungarian actors, he formed a smallstock company that toured Eastern cities, playing for immigrant audiences. Lugosi acted in several Hungarian language plays before starring in his first EnglishBroadway play,The Red Poppy in 1922.[19] Three more parts came in 1925–26, including a five-month run in the comedy-fantasyThe Devil in the Cheese.[20] In 1925, he played an Arab Sheik inArabesque which premiered inBuffalo, New York at the Teck Theatre before moving to Broadway.[21]
His first American film role was in the silent melodramaThe Silent Command (1923), which was filmed in New York. Four other silent roles followed,villains and continental types, all in productions made in the New York area.[22] A rumor circulated for decades among film historians that Lugosi played an uncredited bit part as a clown in the first film produced byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer,He Who Gets Slapped (1924) starringLon Chaney, but this has been heavily disputed. The rumor originated from the discovery of a publicity still from this film found posthumously in Lugosi's scrapbook, which showed an unidentified clown in heavy makeup standing nearLon Chaney in one scene. It was thought to be evidence that Lugosi appeared in the film, but historians agree that is very unlikely, as Lugosi was in Chicago (appearing in a play calledThe Werewolf) and New York at the time that film was in production in Hollywood.[23]
Lugosi was approached in the summer of 1927 to star in aBroadway theatre production ofDracula, which had been adapted byHamilton Deane andJohn L. Balderston fromBram Stoker's 1897novel.[24] TheHorace Liveright production was successful, running in New York City for 261 performances before touring the United States to much fanfare and critical acclaim throughout 1928 and 1929. In 1928, Lugosi decided to stay in California when the play ended its first West Coast run. His performance had piqued the interest ofFox Film, and he was cast in the Hollywood studio's silent filmThe Veiled Woman (1929). He also appeared in the filmPrisoners (also 1929), believedlost, which was released in both a silent and partialtalkie version.[25]
In 1929, with no other film roles in sight, he returned to the stage as Dracula for a short West Coast tour of the play. Lugosi remained in California where he resumed his film work under contract with Fox, appearing in early talkies often as aheavy or an "exoticsheik". He also continued to lobby for his prized role in the film version ofDracula.[26]
Despite his critically acclaimed performance on stage, Lugosi was notUniversal Pictures' first choice for the role of Dracula when the company optioned the rights to the Deane play and began production in 1930.[a] Different prominent actors, such asPaul Muni,Chester Morris,Ian Keith,John Wray,Joseph Schildkraut,Arthur Edmund Carewe,William Courtenay,John Carradine, andConrad Veidt were considered.Lew Ayres was eventually hired to playJonathan Harker, only to be replaced byRobert Ames after being cast in a different role in a different Universal Pictures film. Ames was in turn replaced with David Manners.[27] Lugosi had played the role on Broadway,[28] and was considered before directorTod Browning cast him in the role. To his good fortune, Lugosi happened to be inLos Angeles with a touring company of the play when the film was being cast. Against the tide of studio opinion, Lugosi lobbied hard and ultimately won the executives over, thanks in part to his acceptance of a paltry salary of $3,500 for seven weeks of work.[13][29]
Through his association withDracula (in which he appeared with minimal makeup, using his natural, heavily accented voice), Lugosi found himselftypecast as ahorror villain in films such asMurders in the Rue Morgue (1932),The Black Cat (1934) andThe Raven (1935) for Universal, and the independentWhite Zombie (1932).
Regardless of controversy, five films at Universal –The Black Cat (1934),The Raven (1935),The Invisible Ray (1936),Son of Frankenstein (1939),Black Friday (1940), plus minor cameo performances inGift of Gab (1934) and two atRKO Pictures,You'll Find Out (1940) andThe Body Snatcher (1945) – paired Lugosi withBoris Karloff. Despite the relative size of their roles, Lugosi inevitably received second billing, below Karloff. There are contradictory reports of Lugosi's attitude toward Karloff, with some claiming that he was openly resentful of Karloff's long-term success and ability to gain good roles beyond the horror arena, while others indicated the two actors were amicable. In interviews, Karloff stated that Lugosi was initially mistrustful of him, but they were eventually able to work together amicably. Others have commented that Karloff's on-set demand to break from filming for mid-afternoon tea annoyed Lugosi.[31] Lugosi played a few heroic leads, as in Universal'sThe Black Cat where Karloff played the villain;The Invisible Ray; and a romantic role in producerSol Lesser's adventure serialThe Return of Chandu (1934), but his typecasting problem appears to have been too entrenched to be alleviated by those films.
Lugosi addressed his plea to be cast in non-horror roles directly to casting directors through his listing in the 1937Players Directory, published by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In it, he called it "an error" for directors to believe he was only suited for horror films.[32]
Lugosi developed severe, chronicsciatica, ostensibly aggravated by injuries received during his military service. He was initially treated with benign pain remedies such asasparagus juice, but was eventually prescribedopiates. His chronic pain and increased dependence on opiates, particularlymorphine andmethadone, led to the dwindling of Lugosi's screen offers. The problem first manifested itself in 1937, when Lugosi was forced to withdraw from a leading role in a serial production,The Secret of Treasure Island,[33] due to constant back pain.
Historian John McElwee reports, in his 2013 bookShowmen, Sell It Hot!, that Bela Lugosi's popularity received a much-needed boost in August 1938, when California theater owner Emil Umann revivedDracula andFrankenstein as a special double feature. The combination was so successful that Umann scheduled extra shows to accommodate the capacity crowds, and invited Lugosi to appear in person, which thrilled new audiences that had never seen Lugosi's classic performance. Lugosi later said of Umann, "I owe it all to that little man at the Regina Theatre. I was dead, and he brought me back to life."[34] Universal took notice of the tremendous business and launched its own national re-release of the same two horror favorites. The studio then rehired Lugosi to star in new films, re-energizing his career just as his fourth wife had given birth to a son.[35]
Universal cast Lugosi inSon of Frankenstein (1939), appearing in the character role of Ygor, a mad blacksmith with a broken neck, in heavy makeup and beard. Lugosi was third-billed with his name above the title alongsideBasil Rathbone as Dr. Frankenstein's son and Boris Karloff reprising his role asFrankenstein's monster. RegardingSon of Frankenstein, the film's directorRowland V. Lee said his crew let Lugosi "work on the characterization; the interpretation he gave us was imaginative and totally unexpected ... when we finished shooting, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he stole the show. Karloff's monster was weak by comparison."[36]
Also in 1939, Lugosi made a rare appearance in an A-list motion picture as a stern Sovietcommissar in theMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer romantic comedyNinotchka, starringGreta Garbo and directed byErnst Lubitsch. Lugosi was quite effective in this small but prestigious character part and he even received top billing among the film's supporting cast, all of whom had significantly larger roles. It could have been a turning point for the actor, but within the year he was back on Hollywood'sPoverty Row, playing leads forSam Katzman atMonogram Pictures. At Universal, Lugosi was usually cast for his name value; he often received star billing for what amounted to a supporting part.
He was cast asFrankenstein's monster for Universal'sFrankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943). At the end of the previous film in the series,The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Lugosi's voice had been dubbed over that ofLon Chaney Jr. since Ygor's brain was now in the Monster's skull.[38] But at the last minute, Lugosi's heavily accented dialogue was edited out after the film was completed, along with the idea of the Monster being blind, leaving his performance featuring groping, outstretched arms and moving lips seeming enigmatic (and funny) to audiences.
Lugosi kept busy during the 1940s as a screen menace. In addition to his nine Monogram features, he worked in three features forRKO and one for Columbia (The Return of the Vampire, 1943). He also accepted the lead in an experimental and economical feature,Scared to Death, shot in the semi-professional 16mm film format and blown up to 35mm for theatrical release. The film was completed April 1946[39] and released June 1947. It is noteworthy as being Lugosi's only color film.
Lugosi played Dracula for a second and final time on film inAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), which was his last "A" movie. For the remainder of his life, he appeared in obscure, forgettable, low-budget B features. From 1947 to 1950, he performed insummer stock, often in productions ofDracula orArsenic and Old Lace, and during the rest of the year, made personal appearances in a touring "spook show", and on early commercial television.
In 1951, while inEngland to play a six-month tour ofDracula, Lugosi co-starred in alowbrow film comedy,Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (also known asVampire Over London andMy Son, the Vampire), released the following year. Following his return to the United States, he was interviewed for television, and reflected wistfully on his typecasting in horror parts: "Now I am theboogie man". In the same interview, he expressed a desire to play more comedy, as he had in theMother Rileyfarce. Independent producerJack Broder took Lugosi at his word, casting him in a jungle-themed comedy,Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952), starring nightclub comediansDuke Mitchell andJerry Lewislook-alikeSammy Petrillo, whose act closely resembled that ofDean Martin and Jerry Lewis (Martin and Lewis).Hal B. Wallis, Martin and Lewis's producer, unsuccessfully sued Broder.
Lugosi enjoyed a lively career on stage, with plenty of personal appearances. As film offers declined, he became increasingly dependent on live venues to support his family. Lugosi took over the role of Jonathan Brewster from Boris Karloff forArsenic and Old Lace. Lugosi had also expressed interest in playing Elwood P. Dowd inHarvey. He made frequent personal live appearances to promote his horror image or accompanying films.[30][43]
TheVincent Price film,House of Wax premiered in Los Angeles at the Paramount Theatre on April 16, 1953. The film played at midnight with a number of celebrities in the audience that night (Judy Garland,Ginger Rogers,Rock Hudson,Broderick Crawford,Gracie Allen,Eddie Cantor,Shelley Winters, and others). ProducerAlex Gordon, knowing Lugosi was in dire need of cash, arranged for the actor to stand outside the theater wearing a cape and dark glasses, holding a man costumed as a gorilla on a leash. He later allowed himself to be photographed drinking a glass of milk at aRed Cross booth there. When Lugosi playfully attempted to bite the "nurse" in attendance, she overreacted and spilled a glass of milk all over his shirt and cape. Afterward, Lugosi was interviewed by a reporter who botched the interview by asking the prearranged questions out of order, thoroughly confusing the aging star. Embarrassed, Lugosi left abruptly, without attending the screening.[44]
Late in his life, Bela Lugosi again received star billing in films when the ambitious but financially limited filmmakerEd Wood, a fan of Lugosi, found him living in obscurity and near-poverty and offered him roles in his films, such as an anonymous narrator inGlen or Glenda (1953) and amad scientist inBride of the Monster (1955). Duringpost-production of the latter, Lugosi decided to seek treatment for hisdrug addiction, and the film's premiere was arranged to raise money for Lugosi's hospital expenses. However, the premiere raised a paltry amount of money. According toKitty Kelley's biography ofFrank Sinatra, when the entertainer heard of Lugosi's problems, he visited Lugosi at the hospital and gave him a $1,000 check. Sinatra later recalled Lugosi's amazement at his visit and generosity, since the two men had never met before.[45]
During an impromptu interview upon his release from the treatment center in 1955, Lugosi stated that he was about to begin work on a new Ed Wood film calledThe Ghoul Goes West. This was one of several projects proposed by Wood, includingThe Phantom Ghoul andDr. Acula. With Lugosi in his Dracula cape, Wood shot impromptu test footage with no particular storyline in mind, in front ofTor Johnson's home, at a suburban graveyard, and in front of Lugosi's apartment building on Carlton Way. This footage was used in Wood'sPlan 9 from Outer Space (1957),[46] which was filmed in 1956 shortly after Lugosi's death. Wood hiredTom Mason, his wife'schiropractor, to double for Lugosi in additional shots.[47] Mason was noticeably taller and thinner than Lugosi, and had the lower half of his face covered with his cape in every shot, as Lugosi sometimes did inAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
Following his treatment, Lugosi made one final film, in late 1955,The Black Sleep, for Bel-Air Pictures, which was released in the summer of 1956 throughUnited Artists with a promotional campaign that included several personal appearances by Lugosi and his co-stars, as well asMaila Nurmi (TV's horror host "Vampira"). To Lugosi's disappointment, his role in this film was that of amute butler with no dialogue. Lugosi was intoxicated and very ill during the film's promotional campaign and had to return to L.A. earlier than planned. He was never able to see the finished film. Tor Johnson said in interviews that Lugosi kept screaming that he wanted to die the night they shared a hotel room together.[48]
In 1959, a British film calledLock Up Your Daughters, composed of clips from Lugosi's Monogram pictures from the 1940s, was theatrically released in the U.K. The film is considered lost, but a March 16, 1959 critical review in theKinematograph Weekly mentioned that the movie contained new Lugosi footage, which intrigued historians, since Lugosi died in 1956. In 1950, Lugosi appeared on a one-hour TV program calledMurder and Bela Lugosi (broadcast by WPIX-TV on September 18, 1950) in which he was interviewed and provided commentary on his horror films. Historian Gary Rhodes believes that footage from this program was used in the 1959 film.[49][50]
Lugosi was married five times. In June 1917, Lugosi married 19-year-old Ilona Szmik (1898–1991) in Hungary.[51] The couple divorced after Lugosi was forced to flee his homeland and move to Germany for political reasons. He risked execution if he stayed, but Ilona did not wish to leave her parents. The divorce became final on July 17, 1920, and was uncontested as Lugosi could not appear for the proceedings.[3] (Szmik then married wealthy Hungarian architect Imre Francsek in December 1920, moved with him to Iran in 1930, had two children, and died in 1991.)[52]
After living briefly in Germany, Lugosi left Europe by ship and arrived inNew Orleans on October 27, 1920. He underwent his primary alien inspection at Ellis Island, N.Y. on March 23, 1921.
In September 1921, he married Hungarian actress Ilona von Montagh in New York City. She filed for divorce on November 11, 1924, charging him with adultery and complaining that he wanted her to abandon her acting career to keep house for him.[53] The divorce was finalized in October 1925. In 1935, Lugosi learned that von Montagh and a female friend had been arrested for shoplifting in New York City, which was the last he heard of her.[54]
Lugosi took his place in Hollywood society and scandal when he married wealthySan Francisco resident Beatrice Woodruff Weeks (1897–1931), widow ofarchitect Charles Peter Weeks, on July 27, 1929 inRedwood City, California. Weeks subsequently filed for divorce on November 4, 1929, accusing Lugosi of infidelity, citing actressClara Bow as the "other woman", and claimed Lugosi tried to take her checkbook and the key to her safe deposit box away from her. Lugosi complained of her excessive drinking and dancing with other men at social gatherings. The divorce became official on December 9, 1929. 17 months later, Weeks died at age 34 from alcoholism in Panama, with Lugosi not receiving any money from her estate.
On June 26, 1931, Lugosi became a naturalized United States citizen.[51]
In 1933, the 51-year-old Lugosi married 22-year-old Lillian Arch (1911–1981), the daughter of Hungarian immigrants living in Hollywood. Lillian's father was against her marriage to Lugosi, as the actor was experiencing financial difficulties at the time. The couple eloped to Las Vegas in January 1933.[55] They were married for 20 years and had a son,Bela G. Lugosi, in 1938. Lugosi eventually had four grandchildren (named Greg, Jeff, Tim, and Lynne) and seven great-grandchildren,[56] although he did not live long enough to meet any of them.[57]
Lugosi and his family vacationed on their lakeshore property inLake Elsinore, California (then called Elsinore), on several lots between 1944 and 1953. Lillian's parents lived on one of their properties and Lugosi frequented the health spa there. Bela Lugosi Jr. was boarded at the Elsinore Naval and Military School in Lake Elsinore, and lived with Lillian's parents while she and Bela were touring.
After almost separating in 1944, Lillian and Bela divorced on July 17, 1953,[58] at least partially because of Bela's excessive drinking[2] and his jealousy over Lillian's decision to take a full-time job as an assistant to actorBrian Donlevy on Donlevy's radio and television seriesDangerous Assignment. Lillian obtained custody of their son Bela Jr.[59] One night after Lillian left him, Lugosi called the police and threatened to commit suicide. When the police showed up at his apartment, he denied making the call.[60] Lillian married Brian Donlevy in 1966 (by which time he had also become an alcoholic) and she died in 1981.[61]
In 1955, Lugosi married Hope Lininger, his fifth wife; she was 37 years his junior and had been a fan. While he was in the hospital for his drug addiction, she had written letters to him, which she would sign "A dash of Hope". Although they discussed divorce, they were married until Lugosi's death in 1956.[62]
At age 73, Lugosi died of aheart attack on August 16, 1956, in the bedroom of hisLos Angeles apartment while taking a nap. His wife discovered him when she came home from work that evening. According to the medical examiner, he died peacefully in his sleep around 6:45 p.m[2][1] The rumor that Lugosi was clutching the script forThe Final Curtain, a plannedEd Wood project, at the time of his death is not true.[63]
Lugosi was buried wearing a Dracula cape, his full costume, and his Dracula ring in theHoly Cross Cemetery inCulver City, California. Contrary to popular belief, Lugosi never requested to be buried in his cloak;Bela G. Lugosi confirmed on numerous occasions that he and his mother, Lillian, made the decision but believed that it is what his father would have wanted.[64]
The funeral was held on Saturday, August 18 at the Utter-McKinley funeral home in Hollywood. Attendees in addition to immediate family included his former wife Lillian,Forrest J. Ackerman,Ed Wood (pall bearer),Tor Johnson,Conrad Brooks, Richard Sheffield, Norma McCarty, Loretta King,Paul Marco, and George Becwar. Bela's fourth wife Lillian paid for the cemetery plot and stone (which was inscribed "Beloved Father"), while Hope Lugosi paid for the coffin and the funeral service. Lugosi's will left several inexpensive pieces of real estate in Elsinore and only $1,000 cash to his son, but since the will had been written before Lugosi's fifth marriage, Bela Jr. had to share the thousand dollars evenly with Hope Lugosi.
Hope later gave most of Lugosi's personal belongings and memorabilia to Bela's young neighborhood friend Richard Sheffield, who gave Lugosi's duplicate Dracula cape to Bela Jr. and sold some other items to Forrest J. Ackerman. Hope told Sheffield she had searched the apartment for several days looking for $3,000 she suspected Lugosi had hidden there, but she never found it. Years later, Sheffield said "Lugosi had probably spent it all on alcohol." Hope later moved to Hawaii, where she worked for many years as a caregiver in a leper colony.[65][66] Hope died in Hawaii in 1997, at age 78, having never remarried. Before her death, she gave several interviews to the fan press.[67]
California Supreme Court decision on personality rights
The memorial plaque on the house in Lugoj where Béla Lugosi was born, located on Bucegi Street, no. 6
The cape Lugosi wore inDracula (1931) was in the possession of his son until it was put up for auction in 2011. It was expected to sell for up to $2 million,[69] but was since listed again by Bonhams in 2018.[70] In 2019, theAcademy Museum of Motion Pictures announced acquisition of the cape via partial donation from the Lugosi family,[71] and stated that the cape would be on display beginning in 2020.[72]
In 1979, the song "Bela Lugosi's Dead" was released by UK post-punk bandBauhaus. It has since been noted as a pioneering song in thegothic rock genre. On the song's topic, the band's bassistDavid J remarked "There was a season of old horror films on TV and I was telling Daniel about how much I loved them. The one that had been on the night before wasDracula. I was saying how Bela Lugosi was the quintessential Dracula, the elegant depiction of the character."[75]
An episode ofSledge Hammer! titled "Last of the Red Hot Vampires" was a homage to Lugosi; at the end of the episode, it was dedicated to "Mr. Blasko".[76]
Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff are referenced inCurtis Stigers' song "Sleeping with the Lights On", from the 1991 albumCurtis Stigers.
Péter Müller's 1998 theatrical playLugosi – the Shadow of the Vampire (Hungarian:Lugosi – a vámpír árnyéka) is based on Lugosi's life, focusing on his struggles with becoming typecast as Dracula and his worsening drug addiction.[78] In the Hungarian production, directed byIstván Szabó, Lugosi was played byIvan Darvas.[79][80]
In 2001,BBC Radio 4 broadcastThere Are Such Things bySteven McNicoll and Mark McDonnell. Focusing on Lugosi and his well-documented struggle to escape from the role that had typecast him, the play went on to receive the Hamilton Deane Award for best dramatic presentation from the Dracula Society in 2002.[81]
The Ellis Island Immigration Museum in New York City features a live 30-minute play that focuses on Lugosi's illegal entry into the country via New Orleans and his arrival at Ellis Island months later to enter the country legally.[84]
In 2013, the Hungarian electronic music bandŽagar recorded a song entitled "Mr. Lugosi", which contains a recording of Bela Lugosi's voice. The song was a part of theLight Leaks record.[85]
Legoshi, the main character of the Japanese manga/animeBeastars, was named in honor of Bela Lugosi.[86]
In 2020,Legendary Comics published an adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897Dracula novel, which used thelikeness of Lugosi.[87]
^A persistent rumor asserts that directorTod Browning's long-time collaboratorLon Chaney was Universal's first choice for the role, and that Lugosi was chosen only due to Chaney's death from cancer shortly before production. While there is no question that Chaney would be anyone's first choice, Chaney had been under long-term contract toMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer since 1925, and had negotiated a lucrative new contract just before his death.[citation needed] Chaney and Browning had worked together on several projects (including four of Chaney's final five releases), but Browning was only a last-minute choice to direct the movie version ofDracula after the death of directorPaul Leni, who had originally been slated to direct.
^California's descendibility statute for rights of publicity, Civil Code Section 990, was enacted in 1988, and Lugosi's estate now licenses the commercial use of his name and image. The right of publicity in some states endures for 50, 70, 75 or 100 years past the death of the celebrity.[68]
^abcdBela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers,ISBN0977379817 (hardcover)
^abcArthur Lennig, The Immortal Count, University Press of Kentucky, 2003, p. 21;ISBN978-0813122731.
^abcdefgMilano, Roy (2006). Osborn, Jennifer (ed.).Monsters: A Celebration of the Classics from Universal Studios. New York: Del Ray Books, imprint of Random House, Inc. p. 38.ISBN0345486854. Referenced information is from an essay in the book written by his son Bela G. Lugosi.
^Rhodes, Gary (1997). Lugosi: His Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers.ISBN0786402571.
^"United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCJB-Z61 : accessed May 20, 2018), Bela Lugosi, Los Angeles (Districts 0001-0250), Los Angeles, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 47, sheet 9A, line 4, family 193, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 133; FHL microfilm 2,339,868.
^abcLugosi: The Man Behind the Cape by Robert Cremer (1976)ISBN0809281376 (hardcover)
^Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers. pg. 58. ISBN 0977379817 (hardcover)
^Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers. pg. 61. ISBN 0977379817 (hardcover)
^abMank, Gregory W. (2009).Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff : the expanded story of a haunting collaboration, with a complete filmography of their films together. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., Publishers. pp. 22–23.ISBN978-0786434800.OCLC607553826.
^Passenger list of the S.S.Graf Tisza Istvan, port of New Orleans, December 4, 1920, with later notation.
^Ancestry.com.Selected U.S. Naturalization Records – Original Documents, 1790–1974 (World Archives Project) [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, US: The Generations Network, Inc., 2009.
^Skal, David (2004).Hollywood Gothic. New York City: Faber and Faber Inc. p. 124.ISBN978-0571211586.
^abKaffenberger, Bill; Rhodes, Gary (2015).Bela Lugosi In Person. BearManor Media.ISBN978-1593938055.
^Mank, Gregory William (2009).Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff : the expanded story of a haunting collaboration, with a complete filmography of their films together. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., Publishers. pp. 237–238.ISBN978-0786434800.
^Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers. pg. 103. ISBN 0977379817 (hardcover)
^Weaver, Tom (2004).Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Flashbacks: Conversations with 24 Actors, Writers, Producers and Directors from the Golden Age. McFarland. p. 160.ISBN0786420707.
^The Complete Actors' Television Credits, 1948–1988, James Robert Parrish and Vincent Terrace[ISBN missing][page needed]
^Kaffenberger, Bill; Rhodes, Gary (2012).No Traveler Returns: The Lost Years of Bela Lugosi. BearManor Media.ISBN978-1593932855.
^Gary Don Rhodes (1997).Lugosi. His Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 198.ISBN978-0786402571.
^Review of "Lock Up Your Daughters".Kinematograph Weekly. March 16, 1959
^abArthur Lennig,The Immortal Count, University Press of Kentucky, 2003, p. 68;ISBN978-0813122731.
^Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers. pg. 59. ISBN 0977379817 (hardcover)
^Arthur Lennig,The Immortal Count, University Press of Kentucky, 2003,ISBN978-0813122731.
^Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers. Pg 61.ISBN0977379817
^Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers. pg. 71. ISBN 0977379817 (hardcover)
^"Nancy Marie Lugosi, Obituary". La Cañada Flintridge Outlook Valley Sun. Outlook Newspapers. 3 September 1938. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
^No Traveler Returns: The Lost Years of Bela Lugosi, Bill Kaffenberger and Gary D. Rhodes (2012). Last chapter. BearManor Media, ISBN 1593932855
^Rhodes, Gary Don (1997).Lugosi: His Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers. McFarland. p. 36.ISBN0786402571.
^Bela G. Lugosi states this in "The Road to Dracula", a documentary supplement in the DVD "Dracula -(1931)" [Universal Studios Classic Monster Collection, Universal DVD #903 249 9.11]
^Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers,ISBN0977379817 pp. 258–264.
^Arthur Lennig, The Immortal Count, University Press of Kentucky, 2003ISBN978-0813122731.
^Arthur Lennig,The Immortal Count, University Press of Kentucky, 2003ISBN978-0813122731.
^"Lugosi v. Universal Pictures, 603 P.2d 425 (Cal. 1979)".FindLaw.Archived from the original on March 9, 2007. RetrievedFebruary 14, 2007.In this decision preceding (and precipitating) the Legislature's enactment of Section 990, the California Supreme Court held that rights of publicity were not descendible in California. Bela Lugosi's heirs, Hope Lininger Lugosi and Bela George Lugosi, sued to enjoin and recover profits from Universal Pictures for licensing Lugosi's name and image on merchandise reprising Lugosi's title role in the 1931 filmDracula. TheCalifornia Supreme Court faced the question whether Bela Lugosi's film contracts with Universal included a grant of merchandising rights in his portrayal of Count Dracula, and the descendibility of any such rights. Adopting the opinion of Justice Roth for the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, the court held that the right to exploit one's name and likeness is personal to the artist and must be exercised, if at all, by him during his lifetime. Lugosi, 603 P.2d at 431.
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