Katalin Karády (8 December 1910 – 8 February 1990) was a Hungarian actress and singer. A leading actress in Hungarian movies made between 1939–1945, she is best known outside Hungary as an awardee of the

Righteous among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

honour for rescuing a number of

Hungarian Jews The history of the Jews in Hungary dates back to at least the Kingdom of Hungary, with some records even predating the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895 CE by over 600 years. Written sources prove that Jewish communities lived ...

Biography

Early years

Katalin Karády was born as Katalin Kanczler, on 8 December 1910 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 ...

. She spent her childhood in the

Kőbánya Kőbánya (, , ) is the 10th district of Budapest () and one of the largest by territory. It is located in southeast Pest (city), Pest, easily accessible from the downtown by Budapest Metro, Metro 3, whose Terminal station, terminus is named ' ...

district with seven siblings in great poverty. Her parents were Rozália Lőrinc and Ferenc Kanczler, a shoemaker, whom Katalin remembered as an aggressive person. Helped by a charity organization, she spent five years in Switzerland and the Netherlands. After returning home, she studied in a Women's Marketing school, already famed for her beauty. With the language knowledge from previous years, her simple clothing and vigorous demand for cleanliness, she already stood out from her classmates. After her father's death in 1930, she married Rezső Varga, a customs official, 30 years older than herself, but they divorced after a few months. She started acting in 1936, taking classes from Ernő Tarnay, and Artúr Bárdos. After gaining the attention of journalist Zoltán Egyed in a bar in

Buda Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...

(who also proposed the name Karády) she was introduced to

Ilona Aczél Ilona AczélHázasságkötése után Cs. Aczél Ilona néven szerepelt (7 November 1884, Királyhelmec, Kingdom of Hungary (now modern-day Kráľovský Chlmec, Slovakia) – 5 March 1940, Budapest) was a Hungarian actress at the National Theatre ...

, a former actress, in whose acting school she learned the basics of the profession in the following three years, including singing. Karády's first performance was during the 1930s, in Dániel Jób's theatres: between 1931 and 1941, she appeared in the Pesti 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 ...

in various roles.

Becoming a star

Her first movie role, ''Halálos Tavasz'' (Deadly Spring) gave her instant fame as a diva and sex-symbol, supported by her unusual, humming voice, and "

femme fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...

" character. In the next nine years, she appeared in 20 movies. Zoltán Egyed became her manager, and successfully created a Hollywood-like image around her, as a result, thousands of fans tried to mimic her clothing, hairstyle and behavior throughout the country. Karády's personal life was a constant topic of gossip, bringing conflicting rumors about her being a nymphomaniac, or a

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

. The theories were stirred up even more when she had an intimate relationship with Regent

Miklós Horthy Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya (18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957) was a Hungarian admiral and statesman who was the Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946), Kingdom of Hungary Hungary between the World Wars, during the ...

's secret service chief, István Ujszászy, who also proposed to her, and bought her a villa.

Downfall

After the German invasion of Hungary, authorities put pressure on Karády by banning her songs from the

National Radio RNZ National (), formerly Radio New Zealand National, and known until 2007 as the National Programme or National Radio, is a publicly funded non-commercial New Zealand English-language radio network operated by Radio New Zealand. It specialises ...

, her new film ''Machita'' from theatres, and stopping the ongoing production of ''Gazdátlan asszony'' (Orphan woman) (later the crew finished the movie with

Erzsi Simor } Erzsi Simor (Born Erzsébet Mária Terézia Porteller; 1913–1977) was a Hungary, Hungarian film actress. Filmography References External links

* 1913 births 1977 deaths Hungarian film actresses Actresses from Budapest 20th-centur ...

). In 1944 she was arrested with allegations that she spied for the Allied Forces. Karády was in prison for three months, during which time she was tortured, and nearly beaten to death. She was rescued by friends of Major General Ujszászy, in dire condition both physically and emotionally. Despite mishaps, she carried on with life in the war-torn capital, even rescuing numerous families at the bank of the Danube waiting to be shot by Arrow Cross guards, in exchange for personal belongings and gold which she had saved from her robbed apartment. She took a number of children home to care for them until the fighting stopped. In the summer of 1945 came news from Moscow that General Ujszászy was dead, though later evidence showed that at that time he was still alive. Suffering from a nervous breakdown, she lay in bed for the following nine months.

Later years

After the war, Karády became increasingly disregarded. Between 1945–48, she appeared in the Operettszínház in a few leading roles. Hungary's post-war film industry did not count on her (besides two movies, ''Forró mezők'' being her last). Being a popular star of the Horthy era, there was no place for her under the new communist rule. In 1949, all of her films were banned along with her theater appearances. Being able to work at only small venues in the countryside, often with a drunk audience, she left the country in 1951 permanently. First she lived in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, then moved to Switzerland, and after a year to

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. In 1953, she lived in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, opening a fashion shop. In 1968, finally receiving a visa after Ted and Robert Kennedy intervened, she moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, opening a hat salon. Performing rarely and for friends only, she lived in retirement, refusing to appear in the media. Receiving a governmental invitation at her 70th birthday to return to Hungary, she only sent a hat, baffling officials. She died on 8 February 1990. On 19 February her body was transferred to Hungary, where a memorial service was held in Budapest at the

St. Stephen's Basilica St. Stephen's Basilica ( ) is a Roman Catholic basilica in Budapest, Hungary. It is named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c. 975–1038), whose right hand is housed in the reliquary. Since the renaming of the primatial see, it ...

, after which she was buried 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 ...

Legacy

* In her home country, Karády became forgotten during the communist era and was unknown to younger generations through the 1960s and 1970s. She was rediscovered in the early 1980s, especially due to the album ''Sohase mondd'' (1982 – Never Say) by singer/actress

Judit Hernádi Judit Hernádi (born 11 April 1956) is a Hungarian actress. Selected filmography * '' The Fortress'' (1979) * '' Mephisto'' (1981) * '' Another Way'' (1982) * '' The Last Manuscript'' (1987) * ''Samba Samba () is a broad term for many o ...

, that paid hommage to Karády's singing style and attitude. * The 2001 film ''Hamvadó cigarettavég'' by

Péter Bacsó Péter Bacsó (6 January 1928 – 11 March 2009) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. After high school graduation Bacsó wanted to become an actor and later a theatre director, but ultimately decided to try filmmaking. His first ...

is dedicated to her memory. In 2004, for her courageous acts during World War II, she received the posthumous Righteous medal from the

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

Institute.Katalin Karády
- her activity to save Jews' lives during the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, at

website * Asteroid 287787 Karády, discovered by Hungarian astronomers

Krisztián Sárneczky Krisztián Sárneczky (born 6 November 1974 in Budapest) is a Hungarian people, Hungarian teacher of geography and prolific discoverer of minor planets and supernovae, researching at Konkoly Observatory in Budapest, Hungary. He is a board member ...

and

Brigitta Sipőcz Brigitta Sipőcz is a Hungarian astronomer and discoverer of minor planets. Sipőcz works as a researcher at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. At the time she was searching for the transit of M dwarfs. The Minor Planet Ce ...

Piszkéstető Station The Piszkéstető Station or Piszkéstető Mountain Station is an astronomical observatory in Mátraszentimre in Mátra Mountains, about northeast of Hungary's capital Budapest. It is a station of Konkoly Observatory, first built in 1958. It ha ...

in 2003, was named in her memory. The official was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Funct ...

on 29 August 2015 ().

Stage roles

Szabolcs Fényes Szabolcs Fényes (30 April 1912 in Nagyvárad – 12 October 1986 in Budapest) was a Hungarian composer of film scores. He was married to the actress Rózsi Csikós. Selected filmography * ''Romance of Ida'' (1934) * ''Emmy'' (1934) * ''Hel ...

: Maya....Maya *

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

- Zoe Atkins: Az asszony és az ördög (Woman and Satan)....Lady Elizabeth *

János Bókay * János Bókai Sr. (''né Bock,'' 1822–1884) doctor * János Bókay Jr. (''né Bókai,'' 1858–1937) doctor {{disambig ...

: First Love....Gabi *

Edward Sheldon Edward Brewster Sheldon (February 4, 1886, in Chicago, Illinois – April 1, 1946, in New York City) was an American dramatist. His plays include ''Salvation Nell'' (1908) and '' Romance'' (1913), which was made into a motion picture with Greta ...

: Romance....Rita *

Mikhail Artsybashev Mikhail Petrovich Artsybashev (; ; ; November 5, 1878 – March 3, 1927) was a Russian writer and playwright, and a major proponent of the literary style known as naturalism. He was the great-grandson of Tadeusz Kościuszko and father of Boris A ...

: Jealousy....Jelena * Fényes: The Queen's Kiss....Izabella * Viktor Jacobi: Sybill....Sybill * Rudolf Halász: Black Lily....Zia * Ferenc Fendrik: Vera and her Family....Vera *

Pál Ábrahám Paul Abraham (; 2 November 1892 – 6 May 1960) was a Jewish-Hungarian composer of operettas, who scored major successes in the German-speaking world. His specialty – and own innovation – was the insertion of jazz interludes into operett ...

: Ball in the Savoy....La Tangolita

Filmography

* ''

Deadly Spring ''Deadly Spring'' (Hungarian: ''Halálos tavasz'') is a 1939 Hungarian drama film directed by László Kalmár and starring Pál Jávor, Katalin Karády and Éva Szörényi.Virginás p.35 It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in Budapest. The film' ...

'' (1939) * ''

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

'' (1940) * ''

Haunting Spirit ''Haunting Spirit'' (Hungarian: ''Hazajáró lélek'') is a 1940 Hungarian drama film directed by Lajos Zilahy and starring Katalin Karády, Antal Páger (actor), Antal Páger and Gyula Csortos.Rîpeanu p.140 It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in B ...

'' (1940) * ''

A Bowl of Lentils ''A Bowl of Lentils'' (Hungarian: ''Egy tál lencse'') is a 1941 Hungarian musical comedy film directed by Zoltán Farkas and starring Katalin Karády, Pál Jávor and Gyula Csortos. Rîpeanu p.114 It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in Budapes ...

'' (1941) * ''

Don't Ask Who I Was ''Don't Ask Who I Was'' (Hungarian: ''Ne kérdezd ki voltam'') is a 1941 Hungarian drama film directed by Béla Balogh and starring Katalin Karády, Sándor Szabó and Mariska Vízváry.Juhász p.124 It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in Budapes ...

'' (1941) * ''

Temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

'' (1942) * ''A szűz és a gödölye'' (1941) – (A virgin and a kid) * ''

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word (Latin script: ), meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbr ...

'' (1942) * ''Tábori levelezőlap'' (short) (1942) – (Camp Postcard) * ''

Deadly Kiss ''Deadly Kiss'' (Hungarian: ''Halálos csók'') is a 1942 Hungarian romantic drama film directed by László Kalmár and starring Katalin Karády, István Nagy and Gábor Rajnay.Somlyódy & Somlyódy p.266 It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in B ...

'' (1942) * '' Disillusion'' (1943) * '' Time of Trial'' (1942) * ''Valahol Oroszországban'' (short) (1942) – (Somewhere in Russia) * ''

A Heart Stops Beating ''A Heart Stops Beating'' (Hungarian: ''Egy szív megáll'') is a 1942 Hungarian drama film directed by László Kalmár and starring Katalin Karády, Tivadar Uray and Árpád Lehotay. Rîpeanu p.114 It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in Budapest. ...

'' (1942) * ''Ópiumkeringő'' (1942) – (Opiumwaltz) * ''

Suburban Guard Post ''Suburban Guard Post'' (Hungarian: ''Külvárosi örszoba'') is a 1943 Hungarian drama film directed by Dezsõ Ákos Hamza and starring Katalin Karády, István Nagy and Rózsi Csikós. It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in Budapest. The film's ...

'' (1943) * ''Makrancos hölgy'' (1943) – (The Taming of the Shrew) * '' Happy Times'' (1943) * '' Something in the Water'' (1944) * ''

Eva Szovathy ''Eva Szovathy'' (Hungarian: ''Szováthy Éva'') is a 1944 Hungarian historical drama film directed by Ágoston Pacséry and starring Katalin Karády, Pál Jávor and Artúr Somlay.''Hungarian Studies Review, Volumes 19-21''. Hungarian Readers' ...

'' (1944) * '' Machita'' (1944) * ''Hangod elkísér'' (short) (1944) – (Your voice accompanied me) * ''Betlehemi királyok'' (short) (1947) – (Kings of Bethlehem) * ''

Hot Fields ''Hot Fields'' (Hungarian: ''Forró mezök'') is a 1949 Hungarian drama film directed by Imre Apáthi and starring Katalin Karády, Vera Szemere and Sándor Szabó. It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in Budapest. The film's sets were designed b ...

'' (1949)

Songs

* Hamvadó cigarettavég (Smoldering Cigarette-end) * Valahol Oroszországban (Somewhere in Russia) * Hiába menekülsz (Scape Vain) * Ugye gondolsz néha rám? (Do you think of me sometimes, don't you?) * Ezt a nagy szerelmet tőled kaptam én (This grate love I become of you) * Ne kérdezd, ki voltam! (Don't ask me who I was) * Szeretlek én (I love you) * Tudom, hogy vársz (I know you expect me) * Mindig az a perc (Always that minute) * Ez lett a vesztünk

Discography

* 1979 Karády Katalin (LP) * 1982 Karády Katalin: Tudok egy dalt (LP) * 1986 Karády Katalin: Te vagy a fény (LP) * 1990 Karády Katalin: Nincs vége még (CD/MK)

Filmmusic

1979 in the movie ''Szabadíts meg a gonosztól'' (songs "Tudom, hogy vársz", "Mindig az a perc" and "Hamvadó cigarettavég")

Records for archive films

* 1980 Bizalom (just her song) * 1987 A Jávor

References

* László Kelecsényi. ''Karády Katalin'' Budapest:Magyar Filmtud. Int. és Filmarchívum, 1983

External links

Biography on szineszkonyvtar.hu

Katalin Karády on Port.hu
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karady, Katalin 1910 births 1990 deaths 20th-century Hungarian actresses Actresses from Budapest Female anti-fascists Burials at Farkasréti Cemetery Hungarian women in business Hungarian expatriates in Austria Hungarian expatriates in Belgium Hungarian expatriates in Brazil Hungarian expatriates in Switzerland Hungarian expatriates in the United States 20th-century Hungarian women singers Hungarian film actresses Hungarian pop singers Hungarian women pop singers Hungarian Righteous Among the Nations People from Pest, Hungary Hungarian torture victims Women in World War II Hungarian Jews