I think in a lot of ways Bela Lugosi was treated like a leading man, which meant he wasn't allowed to age. And seeing that he was already 48 in the movie Dracula, that only gave him a few good years of work.
But unlike Karloff he never took a check and phoned in a performance, but would give his all, even in the lowest budget, most trivial vehicles.
@ysbaddaden2003 is entirely correct. Lugosi had leading man, "matinee idol" looks in his youth. By the time he made Dracula, he was pushing 50, but still looked handsome . . . and years younger than his "rival" Boris Karloff, who was actually five years younger than Bela.
Though Bela Lugosi has achieved cult status as a pop culture icon, he still does not get the respect he deserves, and is shamefully and wrongfully considered to be inferior as an actor when compared to Karloff.
I think in a lot of ways Bela Lugosi was treated like a leading man, which meant he wasn't allowed to age. And seeing that he was already 48 in the movie Dracula, that only gave him a few good years of work.
But unlike Karloff he never took a check and phoned in a performance, but would give his all, even in the lowest budget, most trivial vehicles.
ysbaddaden2003 2 years ago
@ysbaddaden2003 is entirely correct. Lugosi had leading man, "matinee idol" looks in his youth. By the time he made Dracula, he was pushing 50, but still looked handsome . . . and years younger than his "rival" Boris Karloff, who was actually five years younger than Bela.
Though Bela Lugosi has achieved cult status as a pop culture icon, he still does not get the respect he deserves, and is shamefully and wrongfully considered to be inferior as an actor when compared to Karloff.
TheMacrophiliac 5 months ago
unforgettable.
telecaster1963 3 years ago
he has a "Big actor face" ;))
blackloverose111 4 years ago