Sári Fedák (born Sarolta Klára Mária Fedák; 27 September 1879, in

Beregszász Berehove (, ; , ) is a city in Zakarpattia Oblast, western Ukraine. It is situated near the border with Hungary. It is the cultural centre of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, and Hungarians constitute roughly half (a plurality) of its popula ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...

(now Berehove, Ukraine – 5 May 1955, in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

) was a Hungarian actress and singer, one of the most well-known

prima donna In opera or ''commedia dell'arte'', a prima donna (; Italian for 'first lady'; : ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the ''prime'' roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage pe ...

s of her time. According to American journalist and non-fiction writer

Richard Traubner Richard Traubner (November 24, 1946 – February 25, 2013) was an American journalist, author, operetta scholar and historian, and lecturer on theatre and (mostly musical) film. His best-known book, ''Operetta: A Theatrical History'', was first pu ...

, Fedák and Sári Petráss remain ''"the two best-remembered Hungarian female

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

stars of all time"''. Traubner, Richard (2003)
''Operetta: a theatrical history''
Routledge, pg. 331;

Life

She studied acting with

Szidi Rákosi Szidi Rákosi (born Szidónia Kremsner; 28 May 1852, Dabronc, Ötvös, Kingdom of Hungary – 20 October 1935, Budapest, Hungary) was a Hungarian actress and acting teacher. Her relatives included Béla Rákosi, Jenő Rákosi, Viktor Rákosi and I ...

until 1899, beginning her career the same year with the ''Magyar Színház'' theatre company. Beginning in 1900 she played in

Pozsony Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

(now

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

), and in several theatres in Budapest, including ''Népszínház'', ''Király Színház'', and ''

Vígszínház The Comedy Theatre of Budapest () is a theatre in Budapest. Starting in the late 19th century as an opposition to the conservative National Theatre (Budapest), National Theatre, it became a pioneer institution of Hungary, Hungarian drama, and one o ...

''. Following

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, she spoke out against the

Austro-Hungarian monarchy Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

. Later, during the era of the Hungarian Soviet Republic she agitated for joining the Red Army. After the fall of the Republic, Fedák fled to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, but was captured and held in prison at

Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; Lower_Austria.html" ;"title=".e. Lower Austria">.e. Lower Austria , ) is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administr ...

for a short time. As she supported the Republic, she could play in only Vienna from 1920-21. She made appearances in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1921 and 1925. In 1934, she toured several American cities.

Personal life

In 1922 she married writer

Ferenc Molnár Ferenc Molnár ( , ; born Ferenc Neumann; January 12, 1878April 1, 1952), often anglicized as Franz Molnar, was a Hungarians, Hungarian-born author, stage director, dramatist, and poet. He is widely regarded as Hungary's most celebrated and c ...

, after a six-year relationship. The couple divorced in 1925 or 1926, after "he had accused her of intimacy with 42 gentlemen, and she had replied in kind with a list of 142 ladies". May 1927 ''Time'' magazine article referencing Fedak
/ref> In 1923, she became a member of the Fővárosi Operettszínház theatre. Starting in 1940, she was the leading actress in the ''Új Magyar Színház'' theatre. In 1944, working at the ''Donausender'' radio station in Vienna, she rallied for Hungary to continue the fight in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

on the side of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

and was sentenced to eight months in prison after the war. She was also banned from playing in theatres for three years. She never appeared on stage again. After being released from prison, she moved to Nyáregyháza, retiring from active life. She died in 1955, aged 75, and was interred in

Farkasréti Cemetery Farkasréti Cemetery or Farkasrét Cemetery (, ) 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 cemetery). It compris ...

Selected filmography

* ''

Miss Iza ''Miss Iza'' (Hungarian: ''Iza néni'') is a 1933 Hungarian comedy film directed by Steve Sekely, Istvan Szekeley and starring Sári Fedák, Pál Jávor (actor), Pál Jávor and Ella Gombaszögi. It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in Budapest. The ...

'' (1933) * ''

Mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

'' (1937) * ''

On the Way Home ''On the Way Home'' is the diary of an American farm wife, Laura Ingalls Wilder, during her 1894 migration with her husband Almanzo Wilder and their seven-year-old daughter, Rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flower ...

'' (1940)

References

Sources

- Sári Fedák in the Hungarian Theatrical Lexicon (György, Székely. ''Magyar Színházművészeti Lexikon''. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1994; ), freely available on mek.oszk.hu (in Hungarian) * Tibor, Bános . ''Aki szelet vet''. Budapest:Magvető 1986.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fedak, Sari 1879 births 1955 deaths People from Berehove Hungarian silent film actresses 20th-century Hungarian actresses Burials at Farkasréti Cemetery