Attila Ambrus

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Attila Ambrus (left), June 2013

Attila Ambrus (born October 6, 1967 in Fitód near Szeklerburg , Transylvania , Romania ) is a Hungarian - Romanian ice hockey goalkeeper, fur smuggler, bank robber and writer .

Life

During his time as a professional ice hockey player, he played for Újpesti TE , first as a substitute goalkeeper , Zamboni driver and ice warden, and later also as a regular goalkeeper, as well as for the Ferencvárosi TC . In the 1990s, he carried out a series of 29 bank robberies in Budapest , which earned him loot worth the equivalent of around 775,000 euros. Because of his habit before a raid in a bar near the crime scene with whiskey to drink courage, he got from the media quickly dubbed the Whiskey Robber missed. A growing following transfigured him into a folk hero in the style of Sándor Rózsa or Robin Hood .

Ambrus was caught for the first time in January 1999, but escaped from prison just under six months later. After three more robberies, the police arrested him again in late October 1999. In December 2000, after a six-month trial, Ambrus was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment, which he served in the maximum security prison in Sátoraljaújhely . The sentence was extended to a total of 17 years on appeal in 2002. However, Ambrus was released on January 31, 2012 for good conduct.

Works

Pixelated poster of the biography film adaptation by Nimrod Antal

During his first prison sentence, Ambrus wrote his autobiography Én, a Whiskys , which was published in Budapest in 1999 after revision by the journalist Judit P. Gál . It has now also been translated into English. Through this work, which both describes the bank robberies and provides instructions for them, Ambrus became one of the most widely read writers in post-communist Hungary.

In 2004 Ambrus' biography was published in the USA, the German translation followed the following year. A film adaptation of the book with Johnny Depp as Ambrus was supposedly planned.

The Hungarian director György Dobray wanted to start the filming with the English actor Charlie Cox in April 2010 , which should be finished in October 2010. The film was supposed to start in winter 2010/11, but the release was delayed and ultimately not realized.

In 2017, the Hungarian-American director Nimród Antal released the film The Whiskey Robber , which is based on the biography.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. chortler.com: Whiskey Robber About to Become a Free Man . Accessed January 22, 2012.
  2. hvg.hu: Hajnalban szabadult Ambrus Attila, a viszkis rabló . January 31, 2012, accessed January 31, 2012.
  3. ^ Johnny to play Hungary's 'Robin Hood'.  ( www.ananova.com ( Memento from April 6, 2007 in the Internet Archive ))
  4. message on www.origo.hu