A message from the legacy of Dracula: Béla Lugosi’s granddaughter speaks to fans
She would like to visit Hungary one day and is glad that Madame Tussauds Budapest commemorates his grandfather with a wax figure, said Lynne Lugosi, Béla Lugosi’s granddaughter, who has a major role in the soon-to-be-published first official biographical book about one of the most famous Hungarians in world history.
Béla Lugosi has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his birthplace is visited by thousands, and Madame Tussauds Budapest pays tribute to Lugosi, who was born 142 years ago on 20 October, with a lifelike wax figure. On the occasion of the anniversary, the actor’s granddaughter also spoke through Madame Tussauds Budapest. Related article: Hungarians on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Béla Lugosi started a new life overseas in 1920 and never returned home. He married Lillian Arch in 1933, with whom he had one child, Béla Lugosi Jr. Currently, his daughter Lynne Lugosi runs the company that manages her grandfather’s estate.
“My grandfather and grandmother Lillian created beautifully organised photo albums and scrapbooks that documented both my grandfather’s career and his personal life with Lillian and my father, Bela Lugosi, Jr. These are treasures to our family and pieces of history for the film world” – said Lynne Lugosi. “Our most prized piece from my grandfather’s personal items was his screen-worn cape from the 1931 Universal film Dracula. After the film, Béla wore the cape on stage and in appearances for the rest of his life. My grandmother preserved the cape and gave it to my father, who in turn kept it with the family until he decided that this extraordinary artifact, one that defined Béla and the character he created, should be preserved and shared with future generations. The Béla Lugosi Dracula Cape is now in the collection of the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, California,” said Lynne Lugosi, who is living in the United States. She also revealed that the most famous Hungarian stayed connected to Hungary and Transylvania throughout his life.
“Throughout his life, Béla spent his social time almost exclusively with his wife Lillian’s family, who were also Hungarian, and his close friends in the Hungarian community in Los Angeles. He primarily spoke Hungarian at home and was an avid reader of Hungarian newspapers, but most of all, he loved Hungarian food, Egri Bikavér wine, and parádi ásványvíz sulfur water! As a young child, my dad understood Hungarian and spoke a little, but as he got older, he lost his knowledge of the language,”
said the granddaughter, who has not yet been to Hungary nor Lugos, now part of Romania, the star’s birthplace, but she plans to travel to Budapest.
“I look forward to someday visiting Hungary and Madame Tussauds Budapest. The Lugosi Family is honoured that the Béla Lugosi figure has such a prominent place in the museum,” Lynne Lugosi said. Fans can see Lugosi’s wax figure in two places: Hollywood, a few steps from the Walk of Fame, and downtown Budapest. Lynn will do everything to ensure that the creator of Dracula is not forgotten.
“I have taken over the mantle from my dad of running Lugosi Enterprises and of representing the family and our patriarch, Béla Lugosi. Our company’s mission is to protect and extend Béla Lugosi’s legacy. One of the projects is the Béla Lugosi Collection at the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles. I am very excited to announce that the definitive and only family-authorised biography of Béla Lugosi will be released in December of this year. The project has been years in the making and has been a true passion project for me and for our friend and author, Robert Cremer. Béla Lugosi: The Man Behind the Cape tells the story of the man destined to become Dracula, from his birth in Lugos, Hungary, to his death in 1956 and details through photographs his career and personal life,” said Lynne Lugosi. Fans can see the wax figure of Béla Lugosi on his birthday and every day. Lugosi is also featured in the production’s experiential education program for students.
Related article – Béla Lugosi: The best Dracula of all time and the tragic end of his life
Photos: Courtesy of the Béla Lugosi Collection
Béla Lugosi was not the creator of Dracula. The Irish writer Bram Stoker created the character and stories. Lugosi definitely had an impact and interpretation of Dracula which influences the image of Dracula we have today but he was not the creator, as stated in this article. He was not even the first actor to play the character.