Róbert Alföldi (born 22 November 1967) is a Hungarian actor, director and television host. He was the director of the

Hungarian National Theater The National Theatre, located in Budapest originally opened in 1837. Since then, it has occupied several locations, including the original building at Kerepesi Street, the ''People's Theatre'' at Blaha Lujza Square, as well as Hevesi Sándor Squ ...

for five years from 1 July 2008 until 2013. He is best known for his numerous controversial theatrical adaptations as a director and for his television appearance in ''

X-Faktor ''X-Faktor'' is the Hungarian version of ''The X Factor'', a show originating from the United Kingdom. It is a television music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions. The show premiered in 2010 and it contin ...

''. His art was rewarded with several national prizes and professional recognitions. In 2014 the Hungarian edition of '' Forbes'' named him at number 1 in its ''List of The 100 Most Valuable Hungarian Celebrities''.

Family background

Alföldi was born in Kalocsa and spent his childhood in

Dunapataj Dunapataj is a village in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary. It lies north from Kalocsa. It is the administrative headquarters of the local museum. Lake Szelidi, a holiday resort and nature reserve with unique wildlife is away. The Calvinist Churc ...

and Ordas. His mother is Magdolna Farkas-Cseke a financial leader, his father is Albert Alföldi, a politician of the

MSZP The Hungarian Socialist Party ( hu, Magyar Szocialista Párt), commonly known by its acronym MSZP, is a centre-left social-democratic and pro-European political party in Hungary. It was founded on 7 October, 1989 as a post-communist evolution a ...

party and parliamentarian between 1994–1998. He met his father at the age of 28, he and his brother Szabolcs having been raised entirely by his mother and grandmother. He has two half sisters and one half brother: Angéla, Alíz and Albert.

Education

In the primary school he studied at a musical school piano and violin as well, but at his early years he have decided to become an actor. He continued his studies in Szentes at the Horváth Mihály High School's drama department. After finishing the high school he passed his entrance exam right away, and he continued his studies at the Faculty of Teathre, Film and Television in Budapest. He had as class leaders Istvan Horvai and Dezso Kapas, that are highly recognized acting teachers of this domain.

Career

He had his first performance as an actor in his fourth university year in 1991. He performed the role of

Raskolnikov Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Родион Романович Раскольников, Rodión Románovich Raskólʹnikov, rədʲɪˈon rɐˈmanəvʲɪtɕ rɐˈskolʲnʲɪkəf) is the fictional protago ...

from Dostoyevsky's '' Crime and Punishment''. In 1992 he became an actor of the biggest theatre company at

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 ...

where he starred as Romeo ( Shakespeare: ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

''),

Ivan Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (russian: Братья Карамазовы, ''Brat'ya Karamazovy'', ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing '' ...

( Dostoyevsky: '' The Brothers Karamazov''), Arthur (

Sławomir Mrożek Sławomir Mrożek (29 June 1930 – 15 August 2013) was a Polish dramatist, writer and cartoonist. Mrożek joined the Polish United Workers' Party during the reign of Stalinism in the People's Republic of Poland, and made a living as a politica ...

: ''Tango''),

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

(

Moisés Kaufman Moisés Kaufman (born November 21, 1963) is a Venezuelan theater director, filmmaker, playwright, founder of Tectonic Theater Project, based in New York City, and co-founder of Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre. He was awarded the 2016 National ...

: '' Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde''). His first work as a director was a great success, making his own interpretation of Tristan and Isolde. Since then he is directing in the best theatres all around Hungary. In 2000 he became a

freelancer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

, so he quit from

as a permanent member of the cast. Until 2006 he was a freelancer and in this period due to his appearance on television he became well-known at the national level. Between 1998 and 2002 he worked at

RTL Klub RTL (formerly: RTL Klub) is a Hungarian free-to-air television channel owned by RTL Group. The channel began broadcasting three days after its main rival TV2, one of Hungary's first commercial TV channels. History Since its start, RTL Klub ...

and hosted morning talk show ''Jó reggelt'', which gained national fame for him as a television personality. Later, he starred in late-night talk show ''Heti Hetes'', talent show ''Társulat'' and was a mentor in the fourth and fifth season of ''

''.
Between 1 March 2006 and 28 February 2008 he was the director of the Bárka Theatre and from 2008 to 2013 the director of the

Personal life

Alföldi is openly gay and the supporter of Budapest Pride.

Main theater roles

He has had a total of 51 theatre roles and has directed 56 different performances. * Kengyelfutó (Born Miklós: ''Betlehemes'') * Valer ( Molière: '' Tartuffe'') * Soldier (Barta: ''Love'') * Figaro ( Beaumarchais: ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...

'', 1989) *

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

( William Shakespeare: ''

'', 1989) * Macbeth ( Shakespeare: ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'', 1990) *

Rodion Raskolnikov Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Родион Романович Раскольников, Rodión Románovich Raskólʹnikov, rədʲɪˈon rɐˈmanəvʲɪtɕ rɐˈskolʲnʲɪkəf) is the fictional protag ...

( Dostoyevsky: '' Crime and Punishment'') * Puck ( Shakespeare: ''

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 ...

'') * Callimaco ( Machiavelli: '' The Mandrake'') * Ivan ( Dostoyevsky:'' The Brothers Karamazov'') * Romeo ( William Shakespeare: ''

'') * Cornwall ( William Shakespeare: '' King Lear'') * Richard III ( William Shakespeare: ''Richard III'', 2018)

Main directed performances

* Shakespeare: '' The Merchant of Venice'' (1998) *

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...

: '' The Robbers'' (1998) * Shakespeare: '' The Tempest'' (1999) * Beaumarchais: ''

'' (2000) * Shakespeare: '' Hamlet'' (2001) (2001) * Shakespeare: ''

'' (2001) * Shakespeare: ''

'' (2001) *

: '' The Maid of Orleans'' (2002)

Awards

* Latinovits Zoltán prize * Roboz Imre prize * Jászai Mari Award * Hegedüs Gyula Memory Ring * Pro Future Prize * Radio Actor Prize * Ajtay Andor Memory Prize * Ruttkai Éva Memory Ring * Piatra Neamt First Prize * Súgó Csiga Prize * Déri János Prize * Pro Cultura Urbis Prize * Culture Prize-by the Romanian Society of Culture from Budapest * POSZT prize * Hevesi Sándor Prize↑ The prizes of Robert Alfoldi. (Alföldi Róbert díjai). Port.hu. (Published: 3 February 2012)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfoldi, Robert Living people Hungarian theatre directors 1967 births People from Kalocsa Hungarian LGBT actors Hungarian LGBT entertainers Gay actors