Bela Lugosi: The man behind the myth
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Bela Lugosi
Photo Source: Wikipedia
If you are a fan of old horror movies, you must be familiar with the legendary Bela Lugosi. You know, the man who gave us chills and thrills as Count Dracula. I must admit, all other portrayals of the fanged count come across as rather mellow and soft once you have caught a glimpse of Lugosi's evil creepiness. Well, this is going to be a list of interesting facts about Lugosi. Here goes:
* Apparently he was laid to rest in his Dracula cape. Rather fitting and sad at the same time. It was fitting because the vampire with the widow's peak was what made him famous and it was sad because he never could live down the white-fanged image after that.
* His actual name was Be'la Ferenc Dezso Blasko. Sure, we refer to him as Lugosi but do you know where it comes from? Seems like it was inspired by his hometown, Lugos. A nice nostalgic touch, don't you think? Something about linking back to your roots.
* How's this for a big bag of strangeness? Bela Lugosi's heirs were involved in an intellectual property case against Universal studios. From what I read so far, they wanted to determine how the Bela Lugosi personality was used. Or something to this effect. I gathered that it was about how Lugosi as Dracula was sold or used by the studios years after his death. Looks like Universal won in the end.
* I seem to be digging up sad facts about Lugosi. One site pointed out how Bela Lugosi's fame is not celebrated as much as it should be in his homeland. By this I mean no commemorative figures and statues etc. Turns out this is because of underlying tensions between Hungarians (Lugosi's ethnicity) and Romanians (main ethnicity of his country).
* This seems tame by modern standards. He was married quite a few times and in one instance, the marriage lasted a mere 3 days! Nothing shocks us now though, not after the short-lived Britney fiasco in Vegas.
* Many sources note how Lugosi might have indulged in a bit of drinking or drugs once his acting career took a really bad turn. As he started to lose himself in these states, apparently he began to wear the Dracula outfit in inappropriate situations. Think public appearances that does not involve a fancy dress code.
* Bela Lugosi is said to be buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in California. The words on his epitaph reads as follows - “Beloved father”.
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