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Bela Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó, better known by his stage name Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian‑American actor whose career spanned more than five decades, from his stage debut in 1902 to his death in 1956. Born on 20 October 1882 in Lugos, then part of the Kingdom of Hungary (today Lugoj, Romania), he grew up the youngest of four children in a Catholic household and left school at twelve to work a series of manual jobs before joining the theatre. He adopted the surname “Lugosi” in 1903 to honour his hometown and quickly became a prolific stage performer, appearing in over 170 productions throughout Hungary and later at the National Theatre of Hungary between 1913 and 1919. After the failed Hungarian Soviet Republic, his socialist activities forced him into exile; he crossed Europe, worked in German silent films, and eventually arrived in the United States via New Orleans in 1920. In America he continued on the New York stage, and in 1927 he starred as Count Dracula in a Broadway adaptation that toured the country, a role that would define his legacy. Universal Pictures cast him as Dracula in the 1931 film directed by Tod Browning, a performance that cemented his image as the quintessential vampire and opened the door to a long series of horror roles, often alongside Boris Karloff in titles such as The Black Cat (1934) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). Despite his iconic status, Lugosi struggled against typecasting, battled chronic sciatica, and became dependent on morphine and methadone, which contributed to a decline in offer quality after the late 1940s. He worked on low‑budget productions, including collaborations with Ed Wood, and made his final screen appearance in the posthumously released Plan 9 from Outer Space. He married five times, fathered a single son, Bela G. Lugosi, and died of a heart attack on 16 August 1956 in Los Angeles, his legacy living on in popular culture, music, and horror cinema.
Biography, Career & Filmography
Learn more about Bela Lugosi, including a detailed biography, career timeline, personal life insights, and complete filmography. Discover how Bela Lugosi rose to fame, their major roles, industry impact, and personal milestones in the world of film.
Given Name: Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó
Born: Lugos, Kingdom of Hungary (now Lugoj, Romania)
Citizenship: Hungarian, American
Birthday: October 20, 1882
Occupations: actor
Years Active: 1902-1956
Children: 1
Spouses: Ilona Szmick, Ilona von Montagh, Beatrice Woodruff Weeks, Lillian Arch, Hope Lininger
External Links and Streaming Options
Explore more about on trusted external platforms like Metacritic, TMDb, Wikipedia or IMDb. Find additional details, reviews, and related content to deepen your understanding.
Movies Featuring Bela Lugosi
The Body Snatcher
The Trail of Dracula
Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film
The Many Faces of Dracula
The American Nightmare
Heroes of Horror
The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
The Tell Tale Heart
Bela Lugosi: The Fallen Vampire
Hollywood Heaven: Tragic Lives, Tragic Deaths
Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman
Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook
Death Scenes 2
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
Lugosi: The Dark Prince
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
The Horror of It All
Going Hollywood: The ’30s
Lugosi: The Forgotten King
Amazon Women on the Moon
Dracula Unearthed
A Brief History of Porn Cinema with Bela Lugosi
Amazon Women on the Moon
The Return of Chandu
The Our Gang Story
Chandu the Magician
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
The Wolf Man
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
The Ghost of Frankenstein
The Thirteenth Chair
The Mystery of the Mary Celeste
Women of All Nations
Spooks Run Wild
Scared to Death
Drácula
The Best Man Wins
The Head of Janus
Hollywood on Parade No. A-8
The Saint’s Double Trouble
Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr.
Chandu on the Magic Island
Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
Oh, for a Man!
King of Jazz
Renegades
Black Friday
The World of Abbott and Costello
He Who Gets Slapped
Daughter of the Night
Island of Lost Souls
The Devil Bat
Monsters We’ve Known and Loved
White Zombie
Broadminded
Bride of the Monster
The Black Sleep
International House
Gift of Gab
100 Years of Horror: The Count and Company
The Movie Orgy
50 Million Frenchmen
Ghosts on the Loose
The Return of the Vampire
The Gorilla
Son of Frankenstein
Black Dragons
Dracula
Shadow of Chinatown
One Body Too Many
SOS Coast Guard
The Silent Command
The Corpse Vanishes
Intimate Interviews: Bela Lugosi
Lugosi: Hollywood’s Dracula
Postal Inspector
Mark of the Vampire
The Phantom Creeps
Return of the Ape Man
The Son of Frankenstein
Shadow of Chinatown
Night Monster
Viennese Nights
The Ape Man
Murder by Television
The Mysterious Mr. Wong
The Black Cat
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein
The Raven
The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute
The Midnight Girl
Glen or Glenda
Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl
Mother Riley Meets the Vampire
Wild Company
Such Men Are Dangerous
Voodoo Man
The Human Monster
The Devil’s in Love
The Black Camel
Zombies on Broadway
The Black Cat
Universal Horror
The Whispering Shadow
The Phantom Creeps
The Horror Show
Ninotchka
Invisible Ghost
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of ‘The Wolf Man’
The Death Kiss
Night of Terror
Career Timeline
Track the complete movie timeline of Bela Lugosi, including all film releases, career breakthroughs, and notable roles. Follow their journey from early performances to recent blockbusters and upcoming projects.
2007
Bela Lugosi: The Fallen Vampire
Himself (archive footage)
Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman
Self (archive footage)
2000
The Many Faces of Dracula
Dracula (archive footage)
The American Nightmare
Self
Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
Self (archive footage)
1999
Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl
Self (archive footage)
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of ‘The Wolf Man’
Self (archive footage)
1994
The Our Gang Story
Self (archive footage)
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
Self (archive footage)
1987
Amazon Women on the Moon
Pete Jones (segment "Reckless Youth") (archive footage)
Amazon Women on the Moon
Pete Jones (segment "Reckless Youth") (archive footage)
1983
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Dracula in 'Screen Snapshots A-8' (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Horror of It All
Dracula / Joseph / Legendre (archive footage)
1965
The World of Abbott and Costello
Count Dracula (archive footage)
The Son of Frankenstein
The Hunchback (archive footage)
1943
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
The Frankenstein Monster
Ghosts on the Loose
Emil
The Return of the Vampire
Armand Tesla
The Ape Man
Dr. James Brewster
1942
The Ghost of Frankenstein
Ygor
Black Dragons
Dr. Melcher/ Monsieur Colomb
The Corpse Vanishes
Dr. Lorenz
Night Monster
Rolf
1941
The Wolf Man
Bela
Spooks Run Wild
Nardo
The Black Cat
Eduardo Vidos
Invisible Ghost
Dr. Charles Kessler
1939
The Gorilla
Peters - the Butler
Son of Frankenstein
Ygor
The Human Monster
Dr. Feodor Orloff / Prof. John Dearborn
The Phantom Creeps
Dr. Alex Zorka / Dr. Zane
Ninotchka
Commissar Razinin
1936
Shadow of Chinatown
Victor Poten
Postal Inspector
Gregory Benez
Shadow of Chinatown
Victor Poten
1935
The Mystery of the Mary Celeste
Anton Lorenzen
The Best Man Wins
Doc Boehm
Chandu on the Magic Island
Frank Chandler (Chandu)
Mark of the Vampire
Count Mora
Murder by Television
Arthur Perry
The Mysterious Mr. Wong
Mr. Fu Wong aka Lysee
The Raven
Dr. Richard Vollin
1934
The Return of Chandu
Frank Chandler (Chandu)
Gift of Gab
Himself
The Black Cat
Dr. Vitus Werdegast
1933
Hollywood on Parade No. A-8
Dracula
International House
General Petronovich
The Devil’s in Love
Military Prosecutor
The Whispering Shadow
Professor Adam Anton Strang
Night of Terror
Degar
1932
Chandu the Magician
Roxor
Murders in the Rue Morgue
Dr. Mirakle
Island of Lost Souls
The Sayer of the Law
White Zombie
Legendre
The Death Kiss
Joseph Steiner
1931
Women of All Nations
Prince Hassan
Drácula
Count Dracula (archive footage) (uncredited)
Broadminded
Pancho Arango
50 Million Frenchmen
Orizon - Magician
Intimate Interviews: Bela Lugosi
Himself
The Black Camel
Tarneverro
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