BELA LUGOSI BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Bela Lugoisi was born, October 20, 1882, Lugos, Hungary (now Lugoj,) Romania as Be'la Ferenc Dezso Blasko.  He was the youngest of four children. After seeing a touring repertory company as they passed through town, he became fascinated by acting. At the young age of twelve years old, he ran away to pursue acting.  However, he was unable to find work, but with the help of one of his older sisters she got his some small roles in provincial theatre.
 
He studied at the Budapest Academy of Theatrical Arts and made his stage debut in 1901.  Formal training was the way most actors during this time gained any experience.  In school he studied acting theory and method very seriously.  He changed his name for the stage, choosing Lugosi, as it meant, "one from the town of Lugos".

Bela Lugosi was averaging thirty to forty roles per year, many of which were operettas.  As a young man he had already developed quite a fine singing voice.  In 1911, Lugosi went to work in the theatre in the capital city of Budapest, and gained much popularity.  Made his film debut in," The Leopard" 1917.

Between 1913 and 1919, he was a member of the National Theatre.  While living in Budapest, he performed in various Hungarian Films, under the stage name Arisztid Olt.  In 1919, political commotion in his own country of Budapest forced him to move to Germany for work in film, and finally in 1921 he immigrated to the United States.
 
The first US film he made in Hollywood was, "The Silent Command" 1923.  He had not yet grasped  the American language so well yet and learned all his lines phonetically. In 1924, Lugosi signed on to direct a drama titled, "The Right to Dream", but was unable to communicate with his cast and crew and so was fired.  He sued the producers, but was found by the court to be unable to helm a theatrical production and was ordered to pay fines close to 70 dollars.  but in 1927 he was able to land another role in the Broadway production of "Bram Stoker's".  This production was a success and he remained employed with the show for three years. 
 
In 1931, Lugois redeemed himself with the Universal Pictures film, "Adaptation of Dracula".  This was his big stage success. The success of Universal's "Frankenstein"  in the same year inaugurated the studio as the top producer of horror films. 

Lugosi's also starred in a modification of Edgar Allan Poe's, "Murders in the Rue Morgue" 1932, "White Zombie" 1932, "Island of Lost Souls" 1933, and "Mark of the Vampire" 1935. He co-starred with Boris Karloff, famous for his role in, "Frankenstein'.  Together they worked on  several films, including, "The Black Cat" 1934, "The Raven" 1935, and "The Invisible Ray" 1936.  Lugosi did not only appear in horror films, he did work on Paramount Pictures all-star comedy, "International House" 1933 and "Ninotchka" 1939.

Lugosi is most known for his role of Dracula, however, many find his role portraying the broken necked Ygor in, "Son Of Frankenstein" 1939 to be one of his most finest performances.  He did a repeat of this character in, "The Ghost of Frankenstein" 1942, but by this time his stardom was already beginning to fade.

Lugosi did continue to work on several other vampire films, before returning to the role of Dracula for the last time in, "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" in 1948.  He was also the victim of numerous financial problems and in 1955 he willingly committed himself to the state hospital in Norwalk, California, as a drug addict, but was released later that year.  He then returned to working in film with Ed Wood, Jr., regarded by many as the most comprehensively incapable director in film history. Their collaboration, "Bride of the Monster" 1956, and "Plan 9 from Outer Space" 1958 which are now considered cult favorites.

He died August 16, 1956, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. a peaceful death and was buried in full 'Dracula' costume.  He was famed for his stage and screen appearances as Dracula, and made a living by portraying mad scientists and demented souls who stirred no pity or compassion in audiences.
 
 

Filmography

2000  Biography Extra: Bela Lugosi: Hollywood's Dark Prince
 
1985  Into The Night
 
1959  Plan 9 From Outer Space
 
1956  The Black Sleep
 
1955  Bride Of The Monster
 
1953  Glen Or Glenda
 
1952  Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla
 
1952  My Son, The Vampire
 
1948  Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein
 
1947  Scared To Death
 
1946  Genius At Work
 
1945  Zombies On Broadway
 
1945  The Body Snatcher
 
1944  The Return Of The Vampire
 
1944  Voodoo Man
 
1944  One Body Too Many
 
1944  Return Of The Ape Man
 
1943  The Ape Man
 
1943  Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man
 
1943  Ghosts On The Loose
 
1942  Night Monster
 
1942  The Corpse Vanishes
 
1942  Black Dragons
 
1942  Bowery At Midnight
 
1942  The Ghost Of Frankenstein
 
1941  The Wolf Man
 
1941  The Devil Bat
 
1941  The Black Cat
 
1941  Spooks Run Wild
 
1941  The Invisible Ghost
 
1940  The Saint's Double Trouble
 
1940  You'll Find Out
 
1940  Black Friday
 
1939  The Human Monster
 
1939  Son Of Frankenstein
 
1939  Ninotchka
 
1939  The Gorilla
 
1936  Postal Inspector
 
1936  The Invisible Ray
 
1935  The Raven
 
1935  Mark Of The Vampire
 
1935  The Best Man Wins
 
1935  Murder By Television
 
1935  The Mysterious Mr. Wong
 
1935  Phantom Ship
 
1934  The Black Cat
 
1934  Gift Of Gab
 
1933  Night Of Terror
 
1933  Island Of Lost Souls
 
1933  International House
 
1933  The Devil's In Love
 
1933  The Death Kiss
 
1932  White Zombie
 
1932  Murders In The Rue Morgue
 
1932  Chandu The Magician
 
1931  Broadminded
 
1931  The Black Camel
 
1931  Women Of All Nations
 
1931  Dracula
 
1931  Fifty Million Frenchmen
 
1930  The Thirteenth Chair
 
1930  Such Men Are Dangerous
 
1930  Renegades
 
1930  Viennese Nights
 
1930  Oh, For A Man!
 
1930  Wild Company
 
1929  Prisoners
 
1929  Biography: Bela Lugosi: Hollywood's Dark Prince
 
1929  Mysteries and Scandals: Bela Lugosi
 
1929  Hollywood Babylon: Episode