József Sándor Éles
(15 June 1936 – 10 September 2002), sometimes credited simply as Sándor Éles, was a Hungarian actor. He was best known latterly for TV and film work.
Born in
Tatabánya
Tatabánya (; german: Totiserkolonie; sk, Banská Stará) is a City with county rights, city with county rights of 64,305 inhabitants in northwestern Hungary, in the Central Transdanubian region. It is the capital of Komárom-Esztergom County.
L ...
, 60 km from
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 ...
,
Éles was
orphaned during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and emigrated to Britain during the
Hungarian Revolution of 1956. He began his acting career on stage, and went on to appear in a host of television roles, the majority on ITV. These included the
ITC series ''
Danger Man'', ''
The Baron
Baron is a title of nobility.
Baron, The Baron or Barons may also refer to:
Places
* Barons, Alberta, Canada
* Baron, Gard, France
* Baron, Gironde, France
* Baron, Oise, France
* Baron, Saône-et-Loire, France
* Baron-sur-Odon, France
* Bar ...
'', ''
The Saint
The Saint may refer to:
Fiction
* Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations:
** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...
'', ''
Timeslip
''Timeslip'' is a British children's science fiction television series made by ATV for the ITV network and broadcast between 1970 and 1971. It was first broadcast on Friday evenings at around 5:10-5:15pm in the ATV region with the other ITV re ...
'' and ''
Jason King''.
He appeared as a storyteller on the BBC children's programme ''
Jackanory
''Jackanory'' is a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the first story was the fairy-t ...
'' in
ten episodes between 1970 and 1972, and he also made appearances in ''
The Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...
'', ''
The Professionals
A professional is someone who is skilled in a profession.
Professional or professionals may also refer to:
* Professional sports
Music
*The Professionals (band), a British punk rock band formed in 1979
* ''The Professionals'' (The Professionals ...
'', ''
Strange Report'' and ''
Upstairs, Downstairs Upstairs Downstairs may refer to:
Television
*Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971 TV series), a British TV series broadcast on ITV from 1971 to 1975
*Upstairs Downstairs (2010 TV series), ''Upstairs Downstairs'' ...
''. Often cast in generic 'foreigner' roles (diplomats, waiters, desk clerks), he most often played
Frenchmen. Éles became a British citizen on 10 January 1977.
One of his most memorable film roles was as the mysterious Paul in the
Brian Clemens thriller ''
And Soon the Darkness'' (1970). He also had major roles in the
Hammer Horror movies ''
Countess Dracula'' (1971) and ''
The Evil of Frankenstein'' (1964) as well as appearing for four years in the 1980s as the scheming restaurant manager, Paul Ross, in the British TV
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
Crossroads
Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to:
* Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet
Film and television Films
* ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa
* ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
''.
In 1996, Éles returned to his cultural roots, appearing as the narrator in the
Bartók opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
, ''
Bluebeard's Castle''. The concert performances, given by the
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under
Bernard Haitink, were recorded for CD.
Éles died in
Kilburn, London on 10 September 2002, aged 66, apparently from a heart attack.
''Obituaries in the Performing Arts''
/ref>
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eles, Sandor
1936 births
2002 deaths
British male film actors
British male television actors
British male stage actors
Hungarian male film actors
Hungarian emigrants to England
Male actors from Budapest
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom