Victor Varconi

Victor Varconi (born Mihály Várkonyi; March 31, 1891 – June 6, 1976) was a Hungarian actor who initially found success in his home country, Germany and Austria in silent films, before resettling in the United States. There, he continued to feature in films throughout the sound era and also performed in British and Italian films. He was the first known Hungarian actor to make a movie in the United States. Varconi was educated at a commercial school in Hungary and worked as a solicitor for an insurance company before developing an interest in acting. His acting career began at the Actor Art High School in Budapest, from where he then moved on to perform with the National Theatre in Budapest. Introduced to the world of cinema while working with a Hungarian film company and U.F.A. in Berlin, Varconi went on to work under Cecil B. DeMille's contract and played Pontius Pilate in DeMille's 1927 production of The King of Kings. In the same year, he played Amos Hart in the first film version of Chicago. Despite diminishing popularity with the advent of sound films, Varconi continued to work in smaller roles, often portraying Hispanic characters, and also ventured into stage work in New York City, and radio.