Bela Lugosi profile picture

Bela Lugosi

I AM Dracula.

About Me

I started acting when I was very young, my family was always needing money, so I worked to pay my family's bills. I performed in many different plays, but it was performing Shakespearean plays such as King Lear and Macbeth that caused me to persue the acting further.No sooner had I began making a name for myself in the theatre world, World War I broke out. I served as infantry lieutinant in the Astro-Haungarian Army and was wounded three times. In 1917 I married Ilona Szmick, but her parents disapproved of my political views, so we divorced. Two years after the divorce, I moved to Germany where I continued to become more and more well known to the theatre world, securing roles in such plays as "The Death Caravan" and "King Lear". It was in 1927, after moving to New York to perform my role in "Dracula", that I was seen my a movie producer who asked me to consider playing Dracula in their next film. I could not speak english fluently, but I was able to memorize the lines well enough to satisfy the director and the producer. "Dracula" was a big success, but it would haunt me for many years to come.In 1929 I had married Beatrice Weeks, but our marriage lasted only three days. The reason for divorce lies solely with Clara Bow. I began making films again in 1934, but due in part to the success of "Dracula", I was type-cast in several B-horror films. Much of the time, working with fellow "horror master" Boris Karloff. A few years later, I married Lillian Arch with whom I had a son, Bela Lugosi Jr. This would be my longest, yet most stressful marriage. For during this time, my career would decline even more, forcing me to take on several unpleasant projects in order to keep my family and I out of bankruptcy. After years of suffering from Chronic Sciatica and aggrivating a back injury, I went to the doctor and was prescribed morphine. I would slowly become addicted to the substance and was forced to drink burgundy to cover it up while on the set.It was twenty years before I admitted to my dependancy. And by that time I had not only become addicted to morphine, but also barbituates, demerol, and a few other substances. Thankfully I sought help for myself and was able to kick the habit. During the end of my career, I made several films with my friend Ed Wood, who cast me in very degrading roles. But being his good friend, I tried to offer my talents to his films as often as I could. I was no longer financially stable, so I was happy to get any work at all. In 1956, two years after divorcing Lillian, I married Hope Lininger. She had written me everyday during my rehabilitation and christened herself, "my most devoted and loyal fan".As I was reading the script for another of Ed Wood's films, "Final Curtain", I suffered a massive heart attack. At the request of my wife and son, I was buried in my Dracula cape.

My Interests

My interests are varied, ranging from sculpting to writing poetry. I also enjoy reading and listening to the music of my native land. Family has always been very important to me and has always come first in my life.

I'd like to meet:

I am rather a "lone wolf", not to say that I don't like people at all, but I do not necessarily need them. However I would like to meet my fans, the people that have followed my career and those who I have inspired in some way.
My Poll
Which was Bela Lugosi's greatest role?
Dracula
White Zombie
Murders in the Rue Morgue
Son of Frankenstein
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
Other:_______________
free ringtones | business advice | free quizzes
[results]

Music:

I enjoy listening to the gypsy music of my native Hungary. Though I also enjoy classical music from both my Hungary and America.

Movies:

I do not have time to spend hours watching films. And after working in the business so much, it holds very little appeal to me now. If I do watch a movie, it is usually something light, nothing serious or requiring much thought. I occasionally watch a comedy of some sort, animated films or something of that nature.

Television:

I don't watch much television at all. I may watch a program if it interests me, but I have better things to do than sit in front of the television.

Books:

I like to read literature and books written in my native tongue, Hungarian. Hungarian poetry, Shakespearean plays, and biographies are also something I read frequently.

Heroes:

One of my heroes would have to be my son, the only one that knew me as I wanted all others to know me. The doctors that cured me of my drug dependancy. And I must not neglect to mention my fans. The people that continue to keep my memory alive. The people that have allowed a new generation to appreciate and view my work.

My Blog

Home Movies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyN0mPfTnzQ ...
Posted by Bela Lugosi on Thu, 15 May 2008 05:34:00 PST

Selected Poetry

The two poems I have selected are both very dear to me. One I wrote while living in Germany, working in the Budapest Theatre. I had fallen in love with a very young girl by the name of Violetta Napier...
Posted by Bela Lugosi on Thu, 02 Aug 2007 04:28:00 PST

The Last Hurrah- Part 3

Part 3 In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, we report our interviews with the surviving cast members of Bela Lugosi's last stage tour of Dracula in Britain in 1951. Contrary to most published accounts, ...
Posted by Bela Lugosi on Thu, 02 Aug 2007 04:06:00 PST

The Last Hurrah- Part 2

Part 2 By Frank J. Dello Stritto & Andy Brooks {The interviews transcribed below were conducted by the authors in preparing their book, Vampire Over London  Bela Lugosi in Britain} Part 1 o...
Posted by Bela Lugosi on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 01:37:00 PST

The Last Hurrah - Part 1

DRACULA'S LAST HURRAH Interviews with the Cast & Company of Bela Lugosi's Last, Lost "Dracula" The interviews transcribed below were conducted by the authors in preparing their book, Vampire ...
Posted by Bela Lugosi on Tue, 10 Jul 2007 06:14:00 PST

Ed Wood Review

Ed Wood: Fact & Fiction A first hand account of who Edward D. Wood Jr. truly was. And the untruths created to slander him. Written by: Bela Lugosi     Ed Wood was always a very enthusi...
Posted by Bela Lugosi on Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:06:00 PST

Dracula is a Dope Addict!

**This is taken from an interview conducted in 1957 for a magazine article**    It was in 1935, I believe, that I began suffering from Chronic Sciatica. A disease that left me with sharp pa...
Posted by Bela Lugosi on Tue, 05 Dec 2006 06:43:00 PST

"Memories of Bela Lugosi: A Son Remembers"

Bela Lugosi is Dracula. My father, Bela Lugosi, created his signature portrayal of the sophisticated Count on the Broadway stage, which he later brought to Universal Studios in its classic 1931 horror...
Posted by Bela Lugosi on Fri, 13 Oct 2006 12:59:00 PST

Filmography

Filmography   Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)......................Ghoul ManThe Black Sleep (1956)...................................CasimirBride of the Monster (1955)................................
Posted by Bela Lugosi on Tue, 08 Aug 2006 01:35:00 PST

Experiencing "Dracula"

During my time working on "Dracula", I came to notice that many people did not trust my skills as an actor. I suppose I came across to many people as unfriendly or difficult. Being fairly new in ...
Posted by Bela Lugosi on Thu, 13 Jul 2006 08:03:00 PST