12 Unexpected Truths About Bela Lugosi

On October 20, 1882, a legendary actor was born. Bela Lugosi, once celebrated as the unrivaled master of horror, remains iconic even today. Decades after he first embodied the role of a vampire, his portrayal of Count Dracula is still considered the ultimate representation of the infamous character. But what do we know about the real person behind the terrifying mask?

1. Bela Lugosi was associated with the National Theater of Hungary.

Much to the frustration of historians, Bela Lugosi’s early life remains shrouded in mystery. (In a 1929 interview, he openly confessed that “for simplicity’s sake, I’ve always preferred to fabricate stories about my younger years.”) However, it is known that he was born Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó on October 20, 1882, in Lugoj, Hungary (now part of Romania). His theatrical career began around 1901 or 1902, and by 1903, he was regularly performing with touring theater groups, participating in operas, operettas, and plays. In 1913, Lugosi achieved a significant milestone when he was cast in 34 productions by Hungary’s most esteemed theater—the National Theater of Hungary in Budapest. Many of his roles were minor Shakespearean parts, including Rosencrantz in Hamlet and Sir Walter Herbert in Richard III.

2. Bela Lugosi served in World War I.

World War I, often called the war to end all wars, interrupted Lugosi’s theatrical ambitions. Despite being exempt from military service due to his association with the National Theater, he chose to join the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1914. For a year and a half, he served as a lieutenant in the 43rd Royal Hungarian Infantry, battling Russian forces. During his time in the Carpathian mountains, Lugosi sustained injuries three times. After recovering, he left the military in 1916 and happily returned to his career at the National Theater.

3. Bela Lugosi barely spoke English when he debuted on Broadway in 1922.

In December 1920, Lugosi arrived in the United States aboard a cargo ship. By 1922, he made his Broadway debut, captivating audiences with his presence. He played Fernando, a charming Latin lover, in the play The Red Poppy. At the time, Lugosi had almost no knowledge of English. Determined, he worked with a tutor to memorize his lines phonetically, delivering every syllable perfectly on stage despite not understanding their meaning.

4. Universal initially hesitated to cast Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula.

In 1927, Bela Lugosi landed the role that would define his career. A theatrical adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, which premiered in London in 1924, caught the attention of American producer Horace Liveright. He decided to bring the production to the U.S., and Lugosi was chosen to portray the iconic vampire. For Lugosi, the role was a departure from his usual romantic characters, but he embraced the challenge. His performance was a triumph, helping the Broadway production run for a full year before embarking on a two-year national tour.

Universal, impressed by the play’s success, decided to turn it into a film in 1930. However, Lugosi was not their initial choice for the role of Dracula. At the time, he was relatively unknown, and director Tod Browning was reluctant to cast him. Several established actors were considered before Lugosi, who had already captivated audiences on Broadway, was finally chosen to bring his chilling portrayal to the silver screen.

5. A significant portion of Bela Lugosi’s fan mail for Dracula came from female admirers.

The recent Twilight craze isn’t the first of its kind. Lugosi claimed that during his Broadway run as the Count, over 97 percent of his fan mail came from women. A 1932 Universal press release included his statement: “When I performed in Dracula, my audiences were predominantly female.” He also noted that many male attendees were only there because they’d been dragged along by their female partners.

6. Bela Lugosi declined the role of Frankenstein’s monster.

Universal’s 1931 release of Dracula became one of the year’s biggest successes, with some historians crediting it for saving the studio from financial ruin. The film’s triumph catapulted Lugosi to fame, but he soon missed out on another iconic role. Universal, encouraged by Dracula’s performance, decided to adapt Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Lugosi was initially considered for the monster, but he turned it down, as the role required heavy makeup and minimal dialogue. He believed the part was better suited for a “half-wit extra” rather than a serious actor. The role eventually went to Boris Karloff, who was relatively unknown at the time.

Lugosi did eventually portray the monster in the 1943 cult film Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. However, he reportedly disliked the guttural scream his character had to perform repeatedly. “That yell is the worst part. You feel ridiculous every time you do it!” Lugosi allegedly grumbled.

7. Bela Lugosi’s relationship with Boris Karloff was far friendlier than often portrayed.

Contrary to popular belief, the two horror legends were not bitter enemies. In fact, Karloff and Lugosi shared a mutual respect and possibly even a fondness for each other. They appeared together in five films, starting with 1934’s The Black Cat. Karloff once mentioned that Lugosi was initially wary of being upstaged on set, but once he realized Karloff wasn’t interested in such tactics, they became friends. Lugosi later told the press, “We laughed about my missed opportunity and his success with Frankenstein.”

However, Lugosi likely wasn’t thrilled that Karloff always received top billing in their shared films. He once confided, “If it weren’t for Boris Karloff, I could have dominated the horror genre.”

8. Bela Lugosi was a passionate soccer enthusiast.

In 1935, Lugosi was appointed Honorary President of the Los Angeles Soccer League. A dedicated fan, he often attended matches at Loyola Stadium, sometimes even kicking off the opening ball. He also financially supported Hungarian teams and helped fund the Los Angeles Magyar soccer club. When the team won a state championship in 1935, a newspaper joked that they were “returning to Dracula’s castle with the state cup.” [PDF]

9. Bela Lugosi was an avid stamp collector.

Lugosi’s fourth wife, Lillian Arch, revealed that he amassed a collection of over 150,000 stamps. During a 1944 visit to Boston, he announced plans to visit all 18 of the city’s stamp dealers. “Stamp collecting,” Lugosi explained, “is a hobby where you might lose up to 10 percent of your investment, but you can always sell your stamps with minimal loss. Sometimes, you might even profit.” Appropriately, his iconic Dracula image was featured on a commemorative stamp released by the post office in 1997.

10. Bela Lugosi almost missed out on Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein ... because the studio believed he was deceased!

The part of Count Dracula in this 1948 hit was almost handed to Ian Keith, who had been considered for the role in the 1931 Dracula film. Lugosi, ever the good sport, helped promote the horror-comedy by appearing on The Abbott and Costello Show. In one sketch, he humorously claimed to dine on rattlesnake burgers and eat “shrouded wheat” for breakfast.

11. A chiropractor stood in for Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space.

In his later years, Lugosi collaborated with Ed Wood, often dubbed the worst director of all time, on three low-budget sci-fi films. In 1953’s Glen or Glenda?, Lugosi portrayed a mysterious narrator who dispensed odd advice like, “Beware of the big, green dragon who sits on your doorstep.” He later starred in 1955’s Bride of the Monster, playing a deranged scientist who fights a notably unimpressive giant octopus.

Soon, Ed Wood developed several film ideas featuring Lugosi. In the spring of 1956, Wood filmed the actor walking through a suburban area, draped in a loose cloak. This marked Lugosi’s final appearance on camera. He passed away from a heart attack on August 16, 1956, at the age of 73.

Three years after Lugosi’s death, this footage was incorporated into what Wood considered his masterpiece, Plan 9 From Outer Space. The film tells the bizarre story of alien environmentalists who reanimate the dead into zombie assassins. Unable to use Lugosi, Wood hired a stand-in, chiropractor Tom Mason, who was noticeably taller. To mask the difference, Mason was told to hunch over and keep his face concealed under a cloak.

12. Bela Lugosi was buried in his Dracula cloak.

Despite his frustration with being typecast after Dracula, Lugosi requested to be buried in the Count’s iconic cape. He was laid to rest under a modest gravestone at Holy Cross Cemetery in California.

This story has been updated for 2020.