Híres Magyarok

b. 1/29/1926, Budapest, Hungary  d. 9/10/1990, San Diego, CA Conductor He is a graduate of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where he studied under Kodaly, Bartok, and Dohnanyi, among others. In 1954, he became permanent conductor of the Hungarian National Philharmonia Concert Organization.  In May 1956, he was awarded a prize at the International Conductor’s […]

(1900 – 1989) Writer He was highly successful in Hungary from the 1930s, published over books of novels and essays, survived Nazi occupation and had to flee in 1948. After a short stop in Italy, he emigrated to San Diego, California where he lived in obscurity, and committed suicide in 1989. Marai was an author of […]

(Vilmos Fried, 1879 – 1952) Producer, Founder of Fox Studios Fox Film Corporation was one of the most powerful and creative studios of the silent era. At the peak of his power, Fox owned over 500 movie houses in the US (he bought control of the giant Loew’s, Inc.) and the Gaumont Theatres chain in Great […]

b. 12/16/1882 Kecskemét, Hungary, d. 3/6/1967, Budapest Composer Along with Bartók and Ligeti, Zoltán Kodály is one of the three major figures in Hungarian music of the last century. Kodály’s many compositions show a strong affinity with the folk traditions of his country and include ballad operas, orchestral works, chamber music, choral works, songs, folk song […]

(Sári Gabor, 1918 – 2016 ) Though officially an actress, Zsa Zsa Gabor is more famous as a whimsical celebrity sex symbol (the former Miss Hungary married nine times). Her credits include Queen of Outer Space, Moulin Rouge and a small role  in the Orson Welles classic Touch of Evil. Eva Gabor (1920 – 1995) […]

(1930 – 2016) Oscar Winner Cinematographer Zsigmond’s evocative look and “altering eye” found outlets in such masterpieces as Deliverance, The Rose, Maverick, The Crossing Guard  and The Ghost and the Darkness. His Academy Award came in 1977 for his powerful achievements on Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The following year found Zsigmond’s dark […]

(Gy?z? Vásárhelyi, 1906 – 1997) father of Op Art He pioneered the visually disturbing effects that were later called Op Art. His paintings were characterized by their repeated geometric forms and interacting vibrant colors which created a visually disorientating effect of movement. Forms from nature were transposed into purely abstract elements in his paintings. During the […]

(Bernard Schwartz, 1925 – 2010) Actor and Artist He started his career at the movies in 1949. Tony has been called by critics, “The World’s Favorite Movie Actor.” Star of 106 films, including “The Defiant Ones,” in 1958 (Oscar Nomination!), “Some Like it Hot” with Marilyn Monroe in 1959, “Spartacus,”. He also played the title role […]

(2/1/1928, Budapest, Hungary. – 2/11/2008)  US Congressman Lantos was elected to his eleventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives from California in November 2000. He was first elected to Congress in November 1980 Lantos was 16 years old when Nazi Germany occupied his native country. As a teenager, he was a member of the […]

b. 10/21/1912, Budapest, Hungary, d. 9/5/1997, Antibes, France Conductor Born György Stein, Solti studied piano and composition with Ernst von Dohnányi, Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. For almost twenty-five years, he concentrated entirely on conducting operas. In 1969 he took over as director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra […]