Iván Darvas (born ''Szilárd Darvas''; 14 June 1925 in Behynce ( hu, Beje, german: Behintz; now part of

Tornaľa Tornaľa (formerly ''Šafárikovo'', hu, Tornalja) is a town and municipality in Revúca District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia, with a population of approximately 7,000. History The first written record of the settlement dates from ...

Revúca District Revúca District (''okres Revúca'') is a district in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. District had been established in 1996. Forests make 60% of the district area. Revúca District consist of 42 municipalities, from which three ha ...

Banská Bystrica Region The Banská Bystrica Region ( sk, Banskobystrický kraj, ; hu, Besztercebányai kerület, ) is one of the eight regions of Slovakia. It is the largest region by area, and has a lower population density than any other region. The Banská Bystric ...

) – 3 June 2007 in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

) was a Hungarian actor.

Early life

Born as Szilárd Darvas, his father was János Darvas, and his mother, Antonina Evdokimova, was

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

. He spent his childhood in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, where his father worked as a journalist. He went to a German-language school, so he spoke Hungarian,

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

well. At home they spoke Hungarian, which he thought, was a secret language they understood only. He came to Hungary in 1939. In 1945 he worked as a military interpreter for the soviet military. In 1946 Darvas was employed in Actors' Theatre (Művész Szinház) by

Zoltán Várkonyi Zoltán Várkonyi (13 May 1912 – 10 April 1979) was a Hungarian actor and film director. In 1961, he was a member of the jury at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival. Four years later, he was a member of the jury at the 4th Moscow Intern ...

, and he worked there until 1949.

Career

Darvas changed his given name, Szilárd to Iván in the Actors' Theatre, to differentiate himself from Szilárd Darvas, a well known poet and comedian of the era. He played in the Madách Theatre between 1949 and 1956. In the revolution of 1956 he organized a revolutionary committee to free his brother from prison. For this, when the revolution was crushed he was sentenced to 22 months in prison. From 1959 to 1963 he had to work as an unskilled laborer. In 1963 Darvas was allowed to play on stage again. From 1963 he spent some time in the

Miskolc Miskolc ( , , ; Czech language, Czech and sk, Miškovec; german: Mischkolz; yi, script=Latn, Mishkoltz; ro, Mișcolț) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 (1 Jan 2014) Miskolc is the ...

National Theatre and the Attila József Theatre. In 1965 he offered a contract in Vígszinház by Zoltán Várkonyi and he stayed there until 1989. In 1990 Darvas became a freelance actor. In 1972 he married Irén Morocza; they had two children. He was also a member of parliament from 1990 to 1994, in the Free Liberals' Alliance. He carefully recreated stage characters' inner worlds and struggles. He used subtle irony and intellectual wit. He acted in numerous significant Hungarian films. One of his best appearances was in the movie ''

Liliomfi ''Liliomfi'' is a 1954 Hungarian romantic comedy film directed by Károly Makk. It was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Iván Darvas - Liliomfi * Marianne Krencsey - Mariska * Margit Dajka - Camilla * Samu Balázs - Szilvay ...

'' in 1954. The international audience could see him in these movies: ''

Drama of the Lark ''Drama of the Lark'' ( hu, Pacsirta) is a 1963 Hungarian drama film directed by László Ranódy. It was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival where Antal Páger won the award for Best Actor. It is based on the novel ''Pacsirta'' (trans ...

'' (1963), ''

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

'' (1971), ''

Mary, Mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

'' (1999), ''

Jakob the Liar ''Jakob the Liar'' is a 1999 American war comedy-drama film directed by Peter Kassovitz, produced by Steven Haft, Marsha Garces Williams and written by Kassovitz and Didier Decoin. The film is based on the book of the same name by Jurek Becker ...

'' (1999), ''

Beresina, or the Last Days of Switzerland ''Beresina, or the Last Days of Switzerland'' (german: Beresina oder Die letzten Tage der Schweiz) is a 1999 satiric comedy film by Swiss director Daniel Schmid. It chronicles the story of Irina, a Russian call girl arriving in Switzerland, who ...

'' (1999).

Awards

Kossuth Prize The Kossuth Prize ( hu, Kossuth-díj) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1948 (on occasion of the centenary of the March 15th revolution, the ...

(1978), * Jászai Mari-prize (1955, 1967), * Significant artist award (1969), * Excellent artist award (1975). * Erzsébet Prize (1989)

Main roles

Raskolnikov Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Родион Романович Раскольников, Rodión Románovich Raskólʹnikov, rədʲɪˈon rɐˈmanəvʲɪtɕ rɐˈskolʲnʲɪkəf) is the fictional protago ...

(

Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

–Ackland: Crime and Punishment) * Tuzenbach, Versinyin (

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

: Three Sisters) * Baron ( Gorky: The Lower Depths) * Popriscsin (

Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

–Lunean–Coggio–Czimer J.: Madman's diary) * Larry Slade (

O'Neill The O'Neill dynasty (Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin, that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically the most prominent family of the Northern ...

: Eljő a jeges) *

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

(Wasserman–Leigh:

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay ''I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes ...

) * Firs (

: The Cherry Orchard) * Martin Dysart ( Shaffer: Equus) * Doublebass player ( Süsskind: The Double Bass) * Ir. Gerskovics A.: D. I.

Diary of a madman(1979)

Selected filmography

* ''

The Pendragon Legend ''The Pendragon Legend'' (Hungarian: A Pendragon-legenda) is a 1934 novel by the Hungarian writer Antal Szerb. It was published by Pushkin Press. The book is a philosophical thriller/comedy/murder-mystery/ghost story set first in London and the ...

'' (1974)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Darvas, Ivan 1925 births 2007 deaths People from Tornaľa Hungarians in Slovakia Hungarian male film actors Hungarian male stage actors Slovak expatriates in the Czech Republic Hungarian expatriates in the Czech Republic Hungarian people of Russian descent