The name Dracula cannot be mentioned to fans of Hollywood horror without conjuring up images of an eerily charming man in a black cape and piercing eyes. This is the Count Dracula made famous by Bela Lugosi.
Bela Lugosi was born Bela Blasko on Oct. 20, 1882, in what was then Lugos, Hungary. The youngest of four, Lugosi had dreams of a stage career from a very young age.
Lugosi's first big break came in 1910, when he played the role of Romeo in Szeged, Hungary. He continued to appear in a number of roles at Hungarian theatres, including two major theatres in Budapest.
Acting under the pseudonym Arisztid Olt, Lugosi began his film career in 1917, starring in a number of Hungarian and German films, including A Leopard, Leoni Leo, and A Naszdal.
After various roles in Hungarian theatre and films, Lugosi arrived in America in 1921, playing various roles on stage and in film. 1923's The Silent Command was Lugosi's first American film. In this 1923 silent film, Bela plays a foreign spy who plans to blow up the Panama Canal. Midnight Girl, released in 1925, is the only silent film currently available featuring Lugosi.
Before accepting the lead role in Todd Browning's 1931 screen adaptation of Dracula, Lugosi played lead in the stage version in 1927 on Broadway and followed with a two-year tour. The film version of Dracula was unarguably Lugosi's most famous role. Lugosi's heavy accent, white tie and tails, and black opera cape would from that point on personify the Dracula image.
White Zombie, one of Lugosi's most popular films, was released in 1932. In this classic, Lugosi plays a zombie-maker. As in Dracula, Lugosi's ability to portray a dark, evil character shines, carrying this low-budget flick into the realm of classic horror history.
The 1933 adaptation of H. G. Wells' Island of Dr. Moreau, titled Island of Lost Souls, stars Lugosi as Dr. Moreau, the mad scientist experimenting on a secluded island with turning animals into humans. As it is with all mad scientists, his plans soon go awry, and his subjects turn on their creator. Lugosi's part is more of a supporting role, but a very important one.
Lugosi shared the screen for the first time with another of the great classic horror actors, Boris Karloff, in 1934's The Black Cat. Lugosi plays the role of Dr. Vitus Werdegast, whose wife Karloff's character, Hjalmar Poelzig, seduces. When Mrs. Werdegast dies, Lugosi's character exacts a very cruel revenge. This film was inspired by the Edgar Allen Poe story of the same name, although Karloff's character is based on real-life occultist Aleister Crowley.
Another Lugosi film based on the Poe poem, The Raven, was released in 1935. Once again sharing the screen with Boris Karloff, Lugosi this time around plays Dr. Vollin, a sadistic scientist. Lugosi's performance is notably one of his best, showing his theatrical expertise and larger-than-life characterization.
Lon Chaney, Jr., another of the horror monster masters, first appeared with Lugosi in 1941's The Wolf Man. Lugosi plays Bela the Gypsy. He initially wanted to play the part of the Wolf Man, which of course was played by Chaney, Jr. Lugosi instead plays the very brief role of the werewolf who turns Larry Talbot into the Wolf Man.
Lugosi teamed up with Lon Chaney, Jr., in future films, including 1943's Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. Lugosi plays The Monster in this film, a role that he had turned down for 1931's Frankenstein, due to its lack of lines. The Monster spoke in this movie, but unfortunately a Monster with a Hungarian accent didn't go over very well with the audience. All of Lugosi's dialogue was cut from the movie, causing a lot of confusion in the story line.
Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney, Jr., team up once again, along with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the 1948 comedy classic Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Lugosi resurrects his role as Dracula, and Chaney is once again the Wolf Man. Glenn Strange portrays The Monster this time around. This is the last film portraying the classic Universal Monsters, and is a hilarious must-see for fans of Universal Monsters and Abbott and Costello.
In his 70's, and unfairly tossed aside by cruel Hollywood, Lugosi met up with Edward D. Wood, Jr., labeled "the worst director of all time." 1953's Glen or Glenda marked Lugosi's all-time low. Lugosi went on to appear in another Ed Wood film, Bride of the Monster, in 1955.
1955 also was the year Lugosi committed himself to the California State Hospital in a much-publicized effort to kick his drug addiction. After a career mingled with drug, money, and marital problems, Lugosi was determined to straighten out his life. Unlike his portrayal in the 1994 Tim Burton-directed Ed Wood, Lugosi was not totally dependent on Wood toward the end of his life.
Plan 9 From Outer Space, a 1959 Ed Wood film, was to be Lugosi's final film. Ironically, Lugosi was never even in the film. He died shortly after shooting began. Wood used a few minutes of stock footage shot shortly before Lugosi's death. A friend of Wood (who was actually a chiropractor!) stood in for Lugosi. He was taller than Lugosi, but was cast due to having large ears. Wood had the actor keep his face covered with Lugosi's trademark black cape throughout the shoot. Plan 9 from Outer Space has received the title "Worst Movie Ever Made."
Bela Lugosi died on Aug. 16, 1956. He was buried in his Dracula cape at Holy Cross Cemetery, in California, with a modest headstone reading "Bela Lugosi, Beloved Father, 1882-1956."