Katalin Karády (8 December 1910 – 8 February 1990) was a Hungarian actress and singer. A leading actress in Hungarian movies made between 1939–1945, she is best known outside Hungary as an awardee of the

Righteous among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to sav ...

honour for rescuing a number of

Hungarian Jews The history of the Jews in Hungary dates back to at least the Kingdom of Hungary, with some records even predating the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895 CE by over 600 years. Written sources prove that Jewish communities lived i ...

Biography

Early years

Katalin Karády was born as Katalin Kanczler, on 8 December 1910 in Budapest. She spent her childhood in the

Kőbánya Kőbánya (literally: Quarry, ) is the 10th district of Budapest () and one of the largest by territory. It is located in southeast Pest, easily accessible from the downtown by Metro 3, whose terminus is named '' Kőbánya-Kispest''. It has ...

district with seven siblings in great poverty. Her parents were Rozália Lőrinc and Ferenc Kanczler, a shoemaker, whom Katalin remembered as an aggressive person. Helped by a charity organization, she spent five years in Switzerland and the Netherlands. After returning home, she studied in a Women's Marketing school, already famed for her beauty. With the language knowledge from previous years, her simple clothing and vigorous demand for cleanliness, she already stood out from her classmates. After her father's death in 1930, she married Rezső Varga, a customs official, 30 years older than herself, but they divorced after a few months. She started acting in 1936, taking classes from Ernő Tarnay, and Artúr Bárdos. After gaining the attention of journalist Zoltán Egyed in a bar in

Buda Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...

(who also proposed the name Karády) she was introduced to

Ilona Aczél Ilona AczélHázasságkötése után Cs. Aczél Ilona néven szerepelt (7 November 1884, Királyhelmec, Kingdom of Hungary (now modern-day Kráľovský Chlmec, Slovakia) – 5 March 1940, Budapest) was a Hungarian actress at the National Theatr ...

, a former actress, in whose acting school she learned the basics of the profession in the following three years, including singing. Karády's first performance was during the 1930s, in Dániel Jób's theatres: between 1931 and 1941, she appeared in the Pesti Színház and

Vígszínház The Comedy Theater of Budapest ( hu, Vígszínház) is a theater in Budapest. Starting in the turn of the 19th and 20th century as an opposition to the conservative National Theater, it became a pioneer institution of Hungarian drama, and one of ...

in various roles.

Becoming a star

Her first movie role, ''Halálos Tavasz'' (Deadly Spring) gave her instant fame as a diva and sex-symbol, supported by her unusual, humming voice, and "

femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

" character. In the next nine years, she appeared in 20 movies. Zoltán Egyed became her manager, and successfully created a Hollywood-like image around her, as a result, thousands of fans tried to mimic her clothing, hairstyle and behavior throughout the country. Karády's personal life was a constant topic of gossip, bringing conflicting rumors about her being

man-eater A man-eater is an animal that preys on humans as a pattern of hunting behavior. This does not include the scavenging of corpses, a single attack born of opportunity or desperate hunger, or the incidental eating of a human that the animal has kil ...

, or a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

. The theories were stirred up even more when she had an intimate relationship with Regent

Miklós Horthy Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya ( hu, Vitéz nagybányai Horthy Miklós; ; English: Nicholas Horthy; german: Nikolaus Horthy Ritter von Nagybánya; 18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957), was a Hungarian admiral and dictator who served as the Regent o ...

's secret service chief,

István Ujszászy István () is a Hungarian language equivalent of the name Stephen or Stefan. It may refer to: People with the given name Nobles, palatines and judges royal * Stephen I of Hungary (c. 975–1038), last grand prince of the Hungarians and first ki ...

, who also proposed to her, and bought her a villa.

Downfall

After the

German invasion of Hungary Operation Margarethe (''Unternehmen Margarethe'') was the occupation of Hungary by German Nazi troops during World War II that was ordered by Adolf Hitler. Course of events Hungarian Prime Minister Miklós Kállay, who had been in office from ...

, authorities put pressure on Karády by banning her songs from the

National Radio RNZ National ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa Ā-Motu), formerly Radio New Zealand National, and known until 2007 as the National Programme or National Radio, is a publicly funded non-commercial New Zealand English-language radio network operat ...

, her new film ''Machita'' from theatres, and stopping the ongoing production of ''Gazdátlan asszony'' (Orphan woman) (later the crew finished the movie with

Erzsi Simor Erzsi Simor (Born Erzsébet Mária Terézia Porteller; 1913–1977) was a Hungarian film actress. Selected filmography * '' Segítség, örököltem!'' (1937) * '' The Perfect Man'' (1939) * '' The Relative of His Excellency'' (1941) * '' Dr. ...

). In 1944 she was arrested with allegations that she spied for the Allied Forces. Karády was in prison for three months, during which time she was tortured, and nearly beaten to death. She was rescued by friends of Major General Ujszászy, in dire condition both physically and emotionally. Despite mishaps, she carried on with life in the war-torn capital, even rescuing numerous families at the bank of the Danube waiting to be shot by

Arrow Cross A cross whose arms end in arrowheads is called a "cross barby" or "cross barbée" in the traditional terminology of heraldry. In Christian use, the ends of this cross resemble the barbs of fish hooks, or fish spears. This alludes to the Ichth ...

guards, in exchange for personal belongings and gold which she had saved from her robbed apartment. She took a number of children home to care for them until the fighting stopped. In the summer of 1945 came news from Moscow that General Ujszászy was dead, though later evidence showed that at that time he was still alive. Suffering from a nervous breakdown, she lay in bed for the following nine months.

Later years

After the war, Karády became increasingly disregarded. Between 1945–48 she appeared in the Operettszínház in a few leading roles, the restarting Hungarian film production did not count on her (besides two movies, ''Forró mezők'' being her last). Being a popular star of the Horthy era, there was no place for her under the new communist rule. In 1949, all of her films were banned along with her theater appearances. She was taken by the authorities, was brutally beaten and abused, her teeth got knocked out etc. Only being able to work at small venues in the countryside, often with a drunk audience, she left the country in 1951 permanently. First she lived in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

, Austria, then moved to Switzerland, and after a year to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. In 1953, she lived in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Brazil, opening a fashion shop. In 1968, finally receiving a visa after Ted and Robert Kennedy intervened, she moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, opening a hat salon. Performing rarely for friends only, she lived in retirement, refusing to appear in the media. Receiving a governmental invitation at her 70th birthday to return to Hungary, she only sent a hat, baffling officials. She died on 8 February 1990. On 19 February her body was transferred to Hungary; a memorial service was held in Budapest at the

St. Stephen's Basilica St. Stephen's Basilica ( hu, Szent István-bazilika ) is a Roman Catholic basilica in Budapest, Hungary. It is named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c 975–1038), whose right hand is housed in the reliquary. It was the sixth l ...

, after which she was buried in

Farkasréti Cemetery Farkasréti Cemetery or Farkasrét Cemetery ( hu, Farkasréti temető) is one of the most famous cemeteries in Budapest. It opened in 1894 and is noted for its extensive views of the city (several people wanted it more to be a resort area than a c ...

Legacy

* In her home country, Karády became forgotten during the communist era and rested unknown to younger generations through the 1960s and 1970s. She was rediscovered in the early 1980s, especially due to the album ''Sohase mondd'' (1982 – Never Say) by singer/actress

Judit Hernádi Judit Hernádi (born 11 April 1956) is a Hungarian actress. Selected filmography * '' The Fortress'' (1979) * ''Mephisto'' (1981) * '' Another Way'' (1982) * ''The Last Manuscript'' (1987) * ''Samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano ...

, that paid hommage to Karády's singing style and attitude. * The 2001 film ''Hamvadó cigarettavég'' by

Péter Bacsó Péter Bacsó (6 January 1928 – 11 March 2009) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. After high school graduation Bacsó wanted to become an actor and later a theatre director, but ultimately decided to try filmmaking. His first ...

is dedicated to her memory. In 2004, for her courageous acts during World War II, she received the posthumous Righteous medal from the

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

Institute.Katalin Karády
- her activity to save Jews' lives during the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

, at

website * Asteroid 287787 Karády, discovered by Hungarian astronomers

Krisztián Sárneczky Krisztián Sárneczky (born 6 November 1974 in Budapest) is a Hungarian people, Hungarian teacher of geography and prolific discoverer of minor planets and supernovae, researching at Konkoly Observatory in Budapest, Hungary. He is a board member o ...

and

Brigitta Sipőcz Brigitta Sipőcz is a Hungarian astronomer and discoverer of minor planets. Sipőcz works as a researcher at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. At the time she was searching for the transit of M dwarfs. The Minor Planet Ce ...

Piszkéstető Station The Piszkéstető Station or Piszkéstető Mountain Station is an astronomical observatory in Mátraszentimre in Mátra Mountains, about northeast of Hungary's capital Budapest. It is a station of Konkoly Observatory, first built in 1958. It ha ...

in 2003, was named in her memory. The official was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function ...

on 29 August 2015 ().

Stage roles

Szabolcs Fényes Szabolcs Fényes (April 30, 1912 in Nagyvárad – October 12, 1986 in Budapest) was a Hungarian composer of film scores. Selected filmography * ''Romance of Ida'' (1934) * ''Emmy'' (1934) * ''Premiere'' (1937) * '' Istvan Bors'' (1939) * ''M ...

: Maya....Maya *

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

- Zoe Atkins: Az asszony és az ördög (Woman and Satan)....Lady Elizabeth * János Bókay: First Love....Gabi *

Edward Sheldon Edward Brewster Sheldon (Chicago, Illinois, February 4, 1886 – April 1, 1946, New York City) was an American dramatist. His plays include ''Salvation Nell'' (1908) and ''Romance'' (1913), which was made into a motion picture with Greta Garbo. ...

: Romance....Rita *

Mikhail Artsybashev Mikhail Petrovich Artsybashev (russian: Михаи́л Петро́вич Арцыба́шев, pl, Michał Arcybaszew; November 5, 1878 – March 3, 1927) was a Ukrainian writer and playwright, and a major proponent of the literary style known ...

: Jealousy....Jelena * Fényes: The Queen's Kiss....Izabella * Viktor Jacobi: Sybill....Sybill * Rudolf Halász: Black Lily....Zia * Ferenc Fendrik: Vera and her Family....Vera * Pál Ábrahám: Ball in the Savoy....La Tangolita

Filmography

* ''Halálos tavasz'' (1939) – (Deadly Spring) * ''Erzsébet királyné'' (1940) – (Queen Elizabeth) * ''Hazajáró lélek'' (1940) – (Homecoming soul) * ''Egy tál lencse'' (1941) – (A dish of lentils) * ''Ne kérdezd, ki voltam'' (1941) – (Do not ask who I was) * ''Kísértés'' (1941) – (Temptation) * ''A szűz és a gödölye'' (1941) – (A virgin and a kid) * ''Szíriusz (1942)'' – (Sirius) * ''Tábori levelezőlap'' (short) (1942) – (Camp Postcard) * ''Halálos csók'' (1942) – (Deadly kiss) * ''Csalódás'' (1942) – (Disappointment) * ''Alkalom'' (1942) – (Occasion) * ''Valahol Oroszországban'' (short) (1942) – (Somewhere in Russia) * ''Külvárosi őrszoba'' (1942) – (Suburban guard room) * ''Egy szív megáll'' (1942) – (A heart stopped) * ''Ópiumkeringő'' (1942) – (Opiumwaltz) * ''Makrancos hölgy'' (1943) – (The Taming of the Shrew) * ''Valamit visz a víz'' (1943) – (Something in the water) * ''Szováthy Éva'' (1943) – (Éva Szováthy) * ''Boldog idők'' (1943) – (Happy Times) * ''Machita'' (1943–44) – (Machita) * ''Hangod elkísér'' (short) (1944) – (Your voice accompanied me) * ''Betlehemi királyok'' (short) (1947) – (Kings of Bethlehem) * ''Forró mezők'' (1948) – (Hot fields)

Songs

* Hamvadó cigarettavég (Smoldering Cigarette-end) * Valahol Oroszországban (Somewhere in Russia) * Hiába menekülsz (Scape Vain) * Ugye gondolsz néha rám? (Do you think of me sometimes, don't you?) * Ezt a nagy szerelmet tőled kaptam én (This grate love I become of you) * Ne kérdezd, ki voltam! (Don't ask me who I was) * Szeretlek én (I love you) * Tudom, hogy vársz (I know you expect me) * Mindig az a perc (Always that minute) * Ez lett a vesztünk

Discography

* 1979 Karády Katalin (LP) * 1982 Karády Katalin: Tudok egy dalt (LP) * 1986 Karády Katalin: Te vagy a fény (LP) * 1990 Karády Katalin: Nincs vége még (CD/MK)

Filmmusic

1979 in the movie ''Szabadíts meg a gonosztól'' (songs "Tudom, hogy vársz", "Mindig az a perc" and "Hamvadó cigarettavég")

Records for archive films

* 1980 Bizalom (just her song) * 1987 A Jávor

References

* László Kelecsényi. ''Karády Katalin'' Budapest:Magyar Filmtud. Int. és Filmarchívum, 1983

External links

Biography on szineszkonyvtar.hu

Katalin Karády on Port.hu
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Karady, Katalin 1910 births 1990 deaths 20th-century Hungarian actresses Actresses from Budapest Female anti-fascists Burials at Farkasréti Cemetery Hungarian women in business Hungarian expatriates in Austria Hungarian expatriates in Belgium Hungarian expatriates in Brazil Hungarian expatriates in Switzerland Hungarian expatriates in the United States 20th-century Hungarian women singers Hungarian film actresses Hungarian pop singers Hungarian Righteous Among the Nations People from Pest, Hungary Hungarian torture victims Women in World War II