Bela Lugosi
Bela Lugosi was born Be'la Ferenc Dezso Blasko, on
20 October 1882 in Lugos, Hungary. He is probably
best know for his performance in the title role
of the film Dracula in 1931. His fame from this role
is rivaled by his fame as an opioid addict and
his long list of performances in bad movies.
In Hungary, Lugosi was quite successful as an actor--both on the stage and in film. Tall and handsome, he was something of a matinee idol there. His political activities (Lugosi was basically a socialist) eventually led to his moving to the United States.
In the US, Lugosi made progress in his acting career on
the stage. It eventually led to his casting in the title
role of the Broadway production of Dracula. He
played this role for three years.
In the 1940s, Lugosi became addicted to morphine. Eventually, he managed to switch to methadone, because it could be bought without a prescription at that time. With medical help, he eventually kicked his habit and did not die an addict.
There is a tendency to blame Lugosi's problems on his drug
use. This is not fair. Lugosi made bad decisions before and
after his addicted period. His biggest problem was that he
never got rid of his Hungarian accent. This was primarily
due to laziness on his part.
Another big problem was his willingness to take any role that came along. This was true from the moment he came to Hollywood. Maybe it stemmed from insecurity over being able to make ends meet. But given his personality, it seems more likely that it was due to his arrogance which, in the end, was what destroyed him.
Even though I am a supporter of junkies everywhere, I would much rather watch a Karlof movie. He is just a much better actor.
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