Artúr Somlay

Artúr Somlay , in Germany and Austria Arthur Somlay (born February 28, 1883 in Budapest , Austria-Hungary , † November 10, 1951 in Budapest, Hungary ) was one of Hungary's leading film and theater actors in the pre-communist era .

Life

The son of an employee of the kuk-Eisenbahn received his artistic training as a teenager at the drama school of the Budapest comedy theater , which he graduated in 1900. He then took on engagements in the Hungarian provinces and performed on stages in Kecskemét, Kaschau (Kassa), Klausenburg (Cluj), Pressburg (Bratislava), Arad, Raab (Győr) and Miskolc. In 1908 Artúr Somlay returned to his hometown and worked at the comedy, the Renaissance, the national and the Hungarian theater. The mime celebrated successes above all in Shakespeare roles, for example as Hamlet or as King Lear, but also as Jegor Bulytschow or Dorian Gray.

Somlay appeared in front of the camera for the first time at the beginning of the feature film era in Hungary (1912) and was particularly busy during the First World War . During the unrest at the time of the transition from the Austro-Hungarian monarchy to Hungarian independence, he left the country at the end of 1918 and settled first in Berlin and finally in Vienna in 1923. The artist, who now slightly adapted his name to the German with Arthur Somlay, continued his film activity in both cities. In 1925 he was committed to the Wiener Kammerspiele. Back at home in Budapest, Somlay initially concentrated entirely on his theater work and was again a member of the National Theater for five years from shortly after the end of the war until his death . From 1948 to 1950 he also taught acting at the university.

It was not until the mid-1930s that Artúr Somlay returned regularly in front of the camera. He remained a busy film actor until shortly before his death, especially during the years of World War II . However, his first post-war film role made international fame: In Géza von Radványi's most famous production, the pacifist masterpiece “ Somewhere in Europe ”, Somlay was seen with the lead role of the deeply humanistic conductor, composer and pianist Peter Simon, the neglected youth a moral support tried to give.

Somlay has received several awards, including the Kossuth Prize in 1948 and 1951 .

Filmography

1912: Ma és holnap
1912: Romlott emberek
1915: Simon Judit
1916: Hazassag a Lipotvarosban
1916: A vilag csak hangulat
1916: A grofnö begöröi
1916: Farkas
1916: Fekete gyémántok
1917: A szerelem bolondjai
1917: Faun
1919: life and lies
1920: The slow death
1920: Comedy of Life
1920: 10 billion volts
1920: The Princess Voronzoff
1920: The tribe
1921: Lodge No. 11 (co-director, co-screenplay)
1921: The railway king
1921: The Adventurer of Monte Carlo, 6 parts (only co-script)
1921: the darling of women
1921: Mensch und Mammon (also co-script)
1921: Lurking Death (also co-script)
1921: Ilona
1923: Carnival love (also director)
1924: Everyone's wife
1935: Az új földesúr
1935: Budai cukrászda
1936: The Julika ( harvest )
1937: A falu rossza
1938: Rozmaring
1938: A piros bugyelláris
1939: Halálos tavasz
1939: Semmelweis
1940: Fűszer és csemege
1940: Zárt tárgyalás
1940: Hazajáró lélek
1940: Erzsébet királyné
1941: Életre ítéltek
1941: Európa nem válaszol
1941: Végre
1941: Haláltánc
1942: Magdolna
1942: Lelki Klinika
1942: Keresztúton
1942: Alkalom
1943: Szováthy Éva
1943: Féltékenység
1943: Aranypáva
1944: Madách
1944: Gyanú
1944: Kétszer kettő
1945: Hazugság nélkül
1947: Somewhere in Europe ( Valahol Európában )
1949: Ludas Matyi
1951: Különös házasság
1951: Nyugati övezet

literature

Joachim Reichow, Michael Hanisch: Film actors A - Z, p. 504 f., East Berlin 1977

Web links

Artúr Somlay in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Artúr Somlay at filmportal.de

personal data
SURNAME	Somlay, Artúr
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Somlay, Arthur
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Hungarian actor
DATE OF BIRTH	February 28, 1883
PLACE OF BIRTH	Budapest , Austria-Hungary
DATE OF DEATH	November 10, 1951
Place of death	Budapest , Hungary