Steven Geray: Movies & Box Office

Steven Geray, born István Gyergyai on 10 November 1904 in Ungvár (then Austria‑Hungary, now Uzhhorod, Ukraine), was educated at the University of Budapest before launching a theatrical career at the Hungarian National Theatre. After four years on his native stage he ventured abroad, making his London debut in 1934 under the anglicized name Steven Geray in the production Happy Week‑End!. He quickly transitioned to English‑language cinema, appearing in the 1935 film Dance Band alongside his first wife, Magda Kun. Geray’s sharp political satire—most famously his impersonations of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini at the Folies Bergère—provoked the ire of the Axis powers, leading to violent reprisals and ultimately forcing him to flee Europe for the United States in 1941.

In Hollywood, Geray became a prolific character actor, appearing in more than one hundred films and numerous television episodes. He earned a reputation as a reliable presence in film noir, delivering memorable supporting turns in classics such as Spellbound (1945), Gilda (1946), The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), In a Lonely Place (1950), and The House on Telegraph Hill (1951). His versatility also landed him roles in prestigious A‑pictures like All About Eve (1950) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s he made frequent guest appearances on popular TV series, including Perry Mason, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, and The Danny Thomas Show. Geray’s personal life saw three marriages—first to Magda Kun (who died in 1945), later to Barbara Crispina Godallt, and finally to Roanne Ollafay Threet—yet he left no recorded children. He died in Los Angeles on 26 December 1973, his ashes entrusted to his surviving wife, closing the chapter on a career that bridged European stage traditions and classic Hollywood cinema.