Géza von Bolváry (born Géza Gyula Mária Bolváry Zahn, ; 26 December 1897 – 10 August 1961) was a
Hungarian actor
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
,
screenwriter
A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
, and
film director
A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...
, who worked principally in Germany and Austria.
Biography
Géza von Bolváry was born 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 ...
. He attended the Imperial Military Academy in Budapest and subsequently served in the Hungarian army (Honved Hussars). After
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 ...
he left military service with the rank of Royal Hungarian ''
Rittmeister''. He then earned his living in the new Hungarian film industry. He began his career around 1920 as an actor in various
silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
s, but soon changed to the Star-Film company, where he was first active as a director and made his debut as director and screenwriter with ''A Kétarcú asszony''.
In 1922, the film concern
Emelka in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
hired him as a director for four years. Between 1926 and 1928 he worked for the firm
Felsom Film 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 ...
, after which he went to
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
for a year to work for
British International Pictures. After returning to Berlin, he worked until 1933 with Superfilm Berlin and then until 1935 with Boston Films, also in Berlin. From 1936 Bolváry worked for a number of production companies in
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. ...
, notably for Styria-Film, Terra-Film and
Wien-Film.
After
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 ...
Bolváry went to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
and up to 1949 made a number of films as director for
Cinopera. During this time Bolváry was also active as director of operettas at the
Volksoper in Vienna. In 1950 he settled in Munich and four years later was promoted chief of production of Starfilm. Between 1920 and 1958, when he made his last films, he directed about 100 films and also wrote scripts from time to time.
Personal life and death
Aged 63, he died of heart disease on 10 August 1961 in Altenbeuern (now
Neubeuern), near
Rosenheim in
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. He was married to the film actress
Helene von Bolváry from 1921 until her death in 1943.
Filmography
* ''A tisztesség nevében'' (1920; script only)
* ''Kétarcú asszony'' (1920; also wrote the script)
* ''Tavaszi szerelem'' (1921; also wrote the script)
* ''Meseország'' (1922)
* ''Egy fiúnak a fele'' (1922; also wrote the script)
* ''Mutterherz'' (1923)
* ''
The Way to the Light'' (1923)
* ''Wüstenrausch'' (1923)
* ''
Girls You Don't Marry'' (1924)
* ''
Reluctant Imposter'' (1925)
* ''
The Royal Grenadiers'' (1925)
* ''
Women Who Fall by the Wayside'' (1925)
* ''
The Love of the Bajadere'' (1925)
* ''
The Princess of the Riviera'' (1926)
* ''
The Heart of a German Mother'' (1926)
* ''
Fräulein Mama'' (1926)
* ''
The Prisoners of Shanghai'' (1927)
* ''
Ghost Train'' (1927)
* ''
Artists'' (1928)
* ''
Number 17'' (1928)
* ''
The Gallant Hussar
''The Gallant Hussar'' () is a 1928 German- British romance film directed by Géza von Bolváry and starring Ivor Novello, Evelyn Holt, and Paul Hörbiger. It was based on a story by the Hungarian writer Arthur Bárdos and Margarete-Maria ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Bright Eyes'' (1929)
* ''
The Vagabond Queen'' (1929)
* ''
The Wrecker'' (1929)
* ''
My Daughter's Tutor'' (1929)
* ''
Father and Son'' (1929)
* ''
Delicatessen
A delicatessen or deli is a grocery that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessens originated in Germany (contemporary spelling: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the mid-19th centur ...
'' (1930)
* ''
Two Hearts in Waltz Time'' (1930)
* ''
A Tango for You'' (1930)
* ''
The Song Is Ended'' (1930)
* ''
A Gentleman for Hire'' (1930)
* ''
The Merry Wives of Vienna'' (1931)
* ''
The Theft of the Mona Lisa
''The Theft of the Mona Lisa'' () is a 1931 German drama film directed by Géza von Bolváry and starring Trude von Molo, Willi Forst, and Gustaf Gründgens. It is based on Mona Lisa#Refuge, theft, and vandalism, a true story. It was shot at the ...
'' (1931)
* ' (1931)
* ' (1932)
* ''
I Do Not Want to Know Who You Are'' (1932)
* ''
A Man with Heart'' (1932)
* ''
What Women Dream'' (1933)
* ''Die Nacht der großen Liebe'' (1933)
* ''
The Castle in the South'' (1933)
* ''
Dream Castle'' (1933)
* ''
Scandal in Budapest'' (1933)
* ''Alles für die Frau'' (1933)
* ''Ich kenn' Dich nicht und liebe Dich'' (1934)
* ''
Farewell Waltz'' (1934)
* ''
Song of Farewell'' (1934)
* ''
Spring Parade'' (1934)
* ''
Winter Night's Dream'' (1935)
* ''
Stradivari'' (1935)
* ''
Stradivarius
A Stradivarius is one of the string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, and guitars, crafted by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), in Cremona, Italy, during the late 17th ...
'' (1935)
* ''Es flüstert die Liebe'' (1935)
* ' (1936)
* ''
The Castle in Flanders'' (1936)
* ''
Girls' Dormitory'' (1936)
* ''
Harvest
Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...
'' (1936)
* ''
Lumpaci the Vagabond'' (1936)
* ''
Premiere
A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work.
History
Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...
'' (1937)
* ''
The Irresistible Man'' (1937)
* ''
The Charm of La Boheme'' (1937)
* ' (1938)
* ''
Mirror of Life'' (1938)
* ''
Flower of the Tisza'' (1939)
* ''
Between River and Steppe'' (1939)
* ''
Maria Ilona'' (1939)
* ''
Opera Ball'' (1939)
* ''
Vienna Tales'' (1940)
* ''Traummusik'' (1940)
* ''
Roses in Tyrol'' (1940)
* ' (1941)
* ''
Destiny
Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...
'' (1942)
* ''Die heimliche Gräfin'' (1942)
* ''Der dunkle Tag'' (1943)
* ''
A Man with Principles?'' (1943)
* ''
Schrammeln'' (1944)
* ''
Die Fledermaus
' (, ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874.
Background
The original literary source for ' was ...
'' (1945/46)
* ''Die tolle Susanne'' (1945)
* ''
Who Is This That I Love?'' (1950)
* ''Ihre wunderbare Lüge'' (''Addio, Mimi'', 1950)
* ''
Wedding Night in Paradise'' (1950)
* ''
Dark Eyes'' (1951)
* ''
My Wife Is Being Stupid'' (1952)
* ''
Fritz and Friederike'' (1952)
* ''
Once I Will Return'' (1953)
* ''
The Daughter of the Regiment'' (1953)
* ''
My Leopold'' (1955)
* ''
Yes, Yes, Love in Tyrol'' (1955)
* ''
Black Forest Melody'' (1956)
* ''Das Donkosakenlied'' (1956)
* ''Was die Schwalbe sang'' (1956)
* ''Hoch droben auf dem Berg'' (1957)
* ' (1957)
* ''Es wird alles wieder gut'' (1957)
* ''
Two Hearts in May'' (1957)
* ''
It Happened Only Once'' (1958)
* ''Schwarzwälder Kirsch'' (1958)
* ' (1958)
* ''
A Song Goes Round the World'' (1958)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolvary, Geza von
1897 births
1961 deaths
Hungarian film directors
German-language film directors
Hungarian male screenwriters
Hungarian male silent film actors
20th-century Hungarian male actors
Hungarian expatriates in Austria
Hungarian expatriates in Germany
Hungarian nobility
Writers from Budapest
Male actors from Budapest
Silent film screenwriters
20th-century Hungarian screenwriters