Ákos of Ráthonyi

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Ákos von Ráthonyi , also Akos von Rathony , Akos von Ratoni and Akos von Arthony (born March 26, 1909 in Budapest ; † January 6, 1969 in Bad Wiessee ; born Ákos Ráthonyi ) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter .

The son of the operetta actor Ákos Ráthonyi studied law at the University of Budapest from the age of 17 and also studied theology in the Netherlands. At the age of 21 he received both diplomas and became a priest of the Liberal Catholic Church .

He went on a mission to India and fell ill with malaria. Eventually he let himself be released from his duties and in 1929 became an actor with British National in London . After the emergence of the sound film, he decided to become a director in 1930 because of his accent-free pronunciation and was initially assistant director .

He met Alexander Korda who took him to the USA. He soon returned to Europe and took his first independent steps as a director in Paris. At the same time he wrote scripts for Hollywood .

In 1935 he was called to Hungary to do his military service. He then founded a production company, a film rental company and a premiere cinema together with Gyula Trebitsch in Budapest. Since 1936 he has directed Hungarian films, to which he sometimes also contributed the script. During the Second World War he made three films in Rome .

Ráthonyi stayed in Budapest until 1947. Through Alexander Korda he found access to German post-war film. He lived alternately in London and Hamburg . He mostly directed comedies, but also the Edgar Wallace crime thriller The Secret of the Yellow Daffodils . He also co-wrote the horror film The Curse of the Green Eyes and took over production. Under the name Akos von Arthony , he last directed the erotic comedy Zieh dich aus, Doll in 1968 .

He was married to the actress Klári Tolnay and the father of the actress Zsuzsa Ráthonyi.

Filmography (selection)

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personal data
SURNAME Ráthonyi, Ákos of
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rátoni, Ákos; Rathony, Akos; Ratoni, Akos; Rathony, Akos of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Hungarian film director and screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH March 26, 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH Budapest
DATE OF DEATH January 6, 1969
Place of death Bad Wiessee