The Twilight Zone Lili Darvas Billy Mumy 1961

Lili Darvas (born Lili Sára Darvas; April 10, 1902 – July 22, 1974) was a Hungarian actress noted for her stage work in Europe and the United States and, later in her career, in films and on television.Wolfgang Saxon
"Lili Darvas, Actress of Stage and Film, Dies at 72"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', July 23, 1974.Irving Drutman
"Lili Darvas—A Movie Star Is Born at 70"
''

'', March 18, 1973. She was nominated for the

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play The Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actresses for quality supporting roles in a Broadway play. The ...

in 1971 for her performance in '' Les Blancs''. She received critical acclaim for her performance in the 1971 film ''

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 ...

'', for which she was given a

special award Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

at the Cannes Film Festival and a runner-up mention by the

National Society of Film Critics The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2014, ...

. Her additional film appearances include ''

Meet Me in Las Vegas ''Meet Me in Las Vegas'' (1956) is an MGM musical comedy produced by Joe Pasternak, directed by Roy Rowland (film director), Roy Rowland, filmed in Eastman Color and CinemaScope, and starring Dan Dailey and Cyd Charisse. The screenplay is by Iso ...

'' (1956) and the 1960 remake of '' Cimarron''.

Life and career

Darvas was born 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 ...

in 1902, the daughter of Berta (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Freiberger) and Alexander Darvas. She studied at the Budapest Lyceum, and had her professional acting debut when she was 20. In 1925 she married the playwright Franz Molnar, and became a member of

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he i ...

's theater group, learning German and joining the

Theater in der Josefstadt The Theater in der Josefstadt is a theater in Vienna in the eighth district of Josefstadt. It was founded in 1788 and is the oldest still performing theater in Vienna. It is often referred to colloquially as simply ''Die Josefstadt''. Following ...

, from 1925 until the Anschluss in 1938, when they were forced to flee. Her peers during this time included

Luise Rainer Luise Rainer ( , ; 12 January 1910 – 30 December 2014) was a German-American-British film actress. She was the first thespian to win multiple Academy Awards and the first to win back-to-back; at the time of her death, thirteen days shy of her ...

and

Lotte Lenya Lotte Lenya (born Karoline Wilhelmine Charlotte Blamauer; 18 October 1898 – 27 November 1981) was an Austrian-American singer, diseuse, and actress, long based in the United States. In the German-speaking and classical music world, she is best ...

. She was the first "Olympic" as the daughter "Vivie" in George Bernard Shaw's ''

Mrs. Warren's Profession ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'' is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893, and first performed in London in 1902. The play is about a former prostitute, now a madam (brothel proprietor), who attempts to come to terms with her disapproving ...

'' or Genia Hofreiter in

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

's ''The Vast Domain''. Her husband accompanied her on her tours to Berlin, Vienna and Salzburg. In 1926 she played in Molnar's '' Játék a kastélyban'' and ''Riviera''. The former piece was performed on all the major European stages in the same year performed on Broadway. In 1927 she played Titania in Reinhardt's production of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

''.Darvas Playbill biography
accessed 12/6/2016 In New York theater directors and publishers bombarded the couple with offers and invitations. They were even received by President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

at the White House, and Molnár's 50th birthday was celebrated lavishly. Darvas received American citizenship in 1944. Because of the subsequent long periods of separation and Darvas' travelling, the couple separated amicably, but remained married and friends until Molnár's death in 1952. She played Granny Bayles in ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'' episode "

Long Distance Call "Long Distance Call" is episode 58 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It originally aired on March 31, 1961, on CBS. In the episode, a 5-year-old boy named Billy communicates with his dead grandmother using a toy t ...

" (Season 2 - Episode 22) in 1961. In 1970 she was in

Károly Makk Károly Makk (December 22, 1925 – August 30, 2017) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. Five of his films were nominated for the ''Palme d'Or'' at the Cannes Film Festival; however, he won lesser awards at Cannes and elsewhere. He wa ...

's Hungarian film ''

'' (Szerelem).

References

External links

* * *
Lili Darvas papers, 1913-1974
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darvas, Lili 1902 births 1974 deaths 20th-century Hungarian actresses Actresses from Budapest Hungarian Jews Hungarian emigrants to the United States People with acquired American citizenship