He was born B矇la Ferenc Dezso Blasko on October 20, 1882, in Hungary. He joined Budapest�� National Theater in 1913 and later appeared in several Hungarian films under the pseudonym Arisztid
Olt. After World War I, he helped the Communist regime nationalize Hungary�� film industry, but barely escaped arrest when the government was deposed, fleeing to the United States in 1920. As
he became a star in American horror films in the 1930s and 1940s, publicists and fan magazines crafted outlandish stories to create a new history for Lugosi. The cinema�� Dracula was
transformed into one of Hollywood�� most mysterious actors. This exhaustive account of Lugosi�� work in film, radio, theater, vaudeville and television provides an extensive biographical look
at the actor. The enormous merchandising industry built around him is also examined.
