The grave of Lajos Biro, Hampstead Cemetery, London

Lajos Bíró (; born Lajos Blau; 22 August 1880 – 9 September 1948) was a Hungarian novelist, playwright, and screenwriter who wrote many films from the early 1920s through the late 1940s.

Life

He was born in Nagyvárad,

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(now

Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the western par ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

) and eventually moved to the United Kingdom where he worked as a scenario chief for

London Film Productions London Films Productions is a British film and television production company founded in 1932 by Alexander Korda and from 1936 based at Denham Film Studios in Buckinghamshire, near London. The company's productions included ''The Private Life o ...

run by Alexander Korda, collaborating on many screenplays with

Arthur Wimperis Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more w ...

. He died in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 9 September 1948 of a heart attack. He is buried in the northern section of Hampstead Cemetery in north London. In 1929, he was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Original Writing for '' The Last Command'', but lost to

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A successful journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplay ...

for ''

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwo ...

'', the only other nomination in this category.

Novels

*''A Serpolette'' (The Serpolette, 1914) *''A bazini zsidók'' (The Jews of Bazin; 1921).

Plays

* ''Szinmü négy felvon (Hotel Imperial)'' (1917) * ''Gods and Kings'', six one-act plays (English translation 1945)Saturday Review of Literature – Volume 28, Part 2 – Page 92 1945 – The New Yorker GODS AND KINGS by Lajos Biro "Six witty and sportive one-act plays, all of which are among the best issued in recent years." —Herald Tribune Books "Unified by wit, skill, and a querying philosophical irony. All the plays ..

Partial filmography

*''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547 ...

'' (1920) *''

A Vanished World ''A Vanished World'' (German: ''Eine versunkene Welt'') is a 1922 Austrian silent adventure film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Alberto Capozzi, Victor Varconi, María Corda and Olga Lewinsky. It was based on the novel ''Serpoletto'' by ...

'' (1922) * ''

The House of Molitor ''The House of Molitor'' (German: ''Das Haus Molitor'') is a 1922 Austrian silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion vis ...

'' (1922) *''

Tragedy in the House of Habsburg ''Tragedy in the House of Habsburg'' (german: Tragödie im Hause Habsburg) is a 1924 German silent historical film directed by Alexander Korda and starring María Corda, Kálmán Zátony and Emil Fenyvessy. The film recounts the events of the ...

'' (1924) *'' Forbidden Paradise'' (1924) (play) *''

Eve's Secret ''Eve's Secret'' is a 1925 American silent romantic comedy film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released by Paramount Pictures. It is based on a Broadway play, ''Moon-Flower'', by Zoë Akins, adapted from a Hungarian play by Lajos Bíró. O ...

'' (1925) * '' A Modern Dubarry'' (1927) * ''

The Heart Thief ''The Heart Thief'' is a 1927 American silent romantic drama film directed by Nils Olaf Chrisander and starring Joseph Schildkraut, Lya De Putti, and Robert Edeson.Bock & Bergfelder, p. 83 Cast * Joseph Schildkraut as Paul Kurt * Lya De Pu ...

'' (1927) * '' Hotel Imperial'' (1927) (play) *'' The Way of All Flesh'' (1927) *'' The Last Command'' (1928) (story) *''

Yellow Lily ''Yellow Lily'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Billie Dove, Clive Brook and Gustav von Seyffertitz. The film closely followed the formula of Korda's first American film '' The Stolen Bride''. Cas ...

'' (1928) *''

Night Watch Night Watch or Nightwatch may refer to: Books * ''The Night Watch'', a 1977 memoir by Central Intelligence Agency officer David Atlee Phillips Novels * ''Night Watch'', a 1972 novel by American screenwriter Lucille Fletcher * ''Night Watch'', a 1 ...

'' (1928) *'' The Haunted House'' (1928) *''

Women Everywhere ''Women Everywhere'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code musical adventure film directed by Alexander Korda and starring J. Harold Murray, Fifi D'Orsay, and George Grossmith, Jr. It is set amongst the French Foreign Legion in North Africa. The film' ...

'' (1930) *''

Michael and Mary ''Michael and Mary'' is a 1931 British drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Elizabeth Allan, Edna Best, Frank Lawton, and Herbert Marshall. This was the first of the Edna Best and Herbert Marshall co-starring talkies. It was based ...

'' (1931) *'' Service for Ladies'' (1932) *''

The Golden Anchor ''The Golden Anchor'' (german: Zum goldenen Anker) is a 1932 German-French drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Albert Bassermann, Ursula Grabley, and Mathias Wieman. It is the German-language version of '' Marius'' (1931), based o ...

'' (1932) * '' The Faithful Heart'' (1932) *'' Strange Evidence'' (1933) *'' The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933) *''

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

'' (1934) (play) *'' The Private Life of Don Juan'' (1934) *'' The Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1934) *''

Sanders of the River ''Sanders of the River'' is a 1935 British film directed by the Hungarian-British director, Zoltán Korda, based on the stories of Edgar Wallace. It is set in Colonial Nigeria. The lead Nigerian characters were played by African Americans Paul Ro ...

'' (1935) *'' The Ghost Goes West'' (1935) *''

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...

'' (1936) *'' The Man Who Could Work Miracles'' (1936) *'' Dark Journey'' (1937) *''

Knight Without Armour ''Knight Without Armour'' (styled as ''Knight Without Armor'' in some releases) is a 1937 British historical drama film starring Marlene Dietrich and Robert Donat. It was directed by Jacques Feyder and produced by Alexander Korda from a screenpl ...

'' (1937) *'' The Divorce of Lady X'' (1938) *'' The Drum'' (1938) *'' The Four Feathers'' (1939) *'' The Thief of Bagdad'' (1940) *''

Five Graves to Cairo ''Five Graves to Cairo'' is a 1943 war film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Franchot Tone and Anne Baxter. Set in World War II, it is one of a number of films based on Lajos Bíró's 1917 play ''Hotel Imperial: Színmű négy felvonásban ...

'' (1943) (play) *'' A Royal Scandal'' (1945) (play) *''

An Ideal Husband ''An Ideal Husband'' is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. It was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London in 1895 and ran for ...

'' (1947)

Notes

References

External links

* * * * 1880 births 1948 deaths Hungarian male novelists People from Oradea Austro-Hungarian writers 20th-century Hungarian novelists 20th-century Hungarian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Hungarian male writers Hungarian male dramatists and playwrights Male screenwriters 20th-century Hungarian screenwriters {{screen-writer-stub