Bela Lugosi
Bela Lugosi
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Questions
What was Bela Lugosi’s real name?
He was born Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó on October 20, 1882, in Lugos, Kingdom of Hungary (now Lugoj, Romania). He took the stage name Lugosi in 1903 to honor his birthplace.
What role made him famous?
Count Dracula. He starred in the 1927 Broadway production and then immortalized the role in Universal’s 1931 film directed by Tod Browning.
How much did he get paid for the 1931 Dracula movie?
Reportedly just $3,500 for seven weeks of work, a low salary that reportedly helped him secure the part.
How many times did he play Dracula?
Lugosi claimed he performed the Dracula stage play approximately 1,000 times during his lifetime.
Did he act before coming to America?
Yes. He began on the Hungarian stage in 1902 and appeared in over 170 productions before moving into film.
Did he serve in the military?
He served as a lieutenant in the Austro-Hungarian Army from 1914 to 1916 during World War I and was awarded the Wound Medal.
Why did he keep getting cast in horror movies?
His thick Hungarian accent greatly limited the roles offered to him, so he stayed trapped in horror through the 1930s and 1940s in films like The Black Cat (1934) and The Raven (1935).
What was his relationship with Boris Karloff like?
Reports are contradictory. Karloff reportedly said Lugosi was initially mistrustful before they cooperated, and the two appeared together in five Universal films plus two RKO pictures, with Lugosi usually getting second billing.
Is it true you can barely see him as the Frankenstein monster?
Yes. He was cast as the Monster in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), but his heavily accented dialogue was edited out after filming, leaving only his outstretched arms and moving lips on screen.
What caused his career decline?
Severe sciatica from his WWI injuries led to morphine and methadone dependence, and combined with worsening alcoholism this became apparent to producers after 1948’s Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
How did he end up working with Ed Wood?
Ed Wood reportedly found Lugosi living in obscurity and near poverty, and cast him in Glen or Glenda (1953) and Bride of the Monster (1955). Wood later used test footage of Lugosi in his Dracula cape in Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957).
Did Frank Sinatra really help him?
Reportedly, yes. When Lugosi was hospitalized for drug addiction treatment, Frank Sinatra reportedly visited him and donated $1,000.
Was he really buried in his Dracula cape?
Yes. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City wearing his full Dracula costume, cape, and ring. Contrary to popular belief he never requested it; his son and widow decided it was what he would have wanted.
When and how did he die?
He died of a heart attack on August 16, 1956, at age 73 in his Los Angeles apartment. The medical examiner reported he died peacefully in his sleep.
What is his lasting legacy?
He received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 1960, inspired the 1979 gothic rock anthem "Bela Lugosi’s Dead" by Bauhaus, and Martin Landau won the 1994 Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing him in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood.