Famous Hungarian Actors

Known for his 2’9” frame, Mihaly “Michu” Meszaros initially gained fame in the Hungarian National Circus and later as part of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He is best remembered for his portrayal of an alien, wearing a full-body costume, in the NBC series ALF.

Renowned character actor S. Z. Sakall lost all of his 3 sisters in Nazi concentration camps. A talented stage actor in both Austria and Germany, he later gained international fame with his roles in movies such as Casablanca and Ball of Fire. He earned the nickname Cuddles for his affable appearance.

While actor Paul Lukas initially ruled the Hungarian stage and worked in several productions of Austrian filmmaker and theater director Max Reinhardt, he later moved to the US. He is best remembered for his Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Kurt Muller in the film Watch on the Rhine.

Though Hungarian geologist Laszlo Toth moved to Australia to pursue his career, his lack of English skills had him working at a soap factory. He later made headlines for damaging Michelangelo's Pietà at the Vatican with a hammer, screaming that he was Christ. He was sent to an asylum later but wasn’t charged.

Best known for his performance as Saul Ausländer in the Academy Award-winning movie Son of Saul, Hungarian actor Geza Rohrig grew up in foster care and was initially interested in music. He is also a talented poet, who has dealt with themes such as the Holocaust in his works.

Hungarian filmmaker Kornél Mundruczó is best known for his award-winning film White God. He is married to screenwriter Kata Wéber, who often collaborates with him, and their miscarriage inspired his film Pieces of a Woman, which earned actor Vanessa Kirby an Academy Award nomination.

Typecast in gentle and soft-spoken characters in films such as Gilda and Spellbound, Hungarian-American actor Steven Geray initially gained fame in the Hungarian stage circle, before performing in London and then moving to the US. Some believe he was forced to leave Europe after being hounded for impersonating Hitler and Mussolini.

Hungarian-born actor Bill Nagy was raised in Canada and later settled in Britain, where he had most of his acting projects. A regular in the London stage circuit, he performed in West End shows and later bagged minor roles in many movies. He was initially a ballroom dancer.

Renowned Hungarian sculptor Amerigo Tot was also a talented actor. Best known to international audiences for his role in The Godfather Part II, he spent most of his life in Rome, a city he had fled to during the rise of the Nazis. His ceramic works usually showcased abstract and mythological figures.

Born to popular Hungarian actor Oscar Beregi Sr., Oscar Beregi is best known to audiences for his recurrent appearances in various roles in The Twilight Zone. He initially managed a restaurant in Chile and later worked as a salesman in the US. He was also a breeder of Hungarian sheep dogs.

Hungarian-American actor Janos Prohaska is best known to audiences for his roles as monsters or animals in series such as Star Trek and Gilligan's Island. He also appeared regularly on The Andy Williams Show, as The Cookie Bear. He and his stuntman son, Robert, died in a plane crash while filming a series.

Hungarian actor Sandor Eles lost both his parents during World War II and moved to Britain during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Initially a stage actor, he later mostly played spies, foreigners, and Nazi officers in films. He also appeared in the soap Crossroads and penned a children’s book.

Though born to renowned engineer Hanns Hörbiger, Paul Horbiger studied drama after serving in World War I. He was accused of high treason against Hitler while attempting to rescue Jews during World War II and escaped death narrowly. He was typecast in role of working men in films such as The Third Man.

Hungarian filmmaker Gábor Bódy was a significant member of the Béla Balázs Stúdió in his early days. He later gained fame with movies such as American Torso and Narcissus and Psyche. Though his death was termed a suicide, his wife claimed he had been murdered, leading to a mystery that remains unsolved.

While he initially wished to be an artist and was a talented painter, Zoltán Huszárik later ended up being one of Hungary’s leading filmmakers. Known for films such as Sinbad and Elégia, he was especially fond of experimental short films. He is also known as the father of actor Kata Huszárik.