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Béla Lugosi’s commanding presence, hypnotic voice, and mesmerizing gaze made him the embodiment of Count Dracula, a role that has established him as a cultural icon and a legend of the silver screen forever. But there's so much more to this captivating individual than meets the eye.
This comprehensive biography takes you behind the cape and into the life of Béla Lugosi. Discover his humble beginnings in Hungary, his journey to America, his struggle to make it in Hollywood, and the demons that haunted him along the way.
You'll get a glimpse into his personal life, his love for the stage, his time on Broadway, and his experiences during the golden age of Hollywood. This Kickstarter campaign gives you the opportunity to take a look behind the cape into Béla’s personal life that will explain so many questions that have been in search of answers ‒ until now:
- Why Béla enlisted in the army in 1914, when he could have been excused from military service.
- How Béla became a major union organizer in 1918 that catapulted him to fame and then to exile from his beloved Hungary.
- How a sailor and his cat saved Béla’s life during his transatlantic crossing to the U.S.
- Why Béla was not the first choice for the role of Count Dracula.
- Why Béla risked involvement in the founding of the Screen Actors Guild in Hollywood, given his near-fatal experience with union activism in Hungary.
- Who was really behind the ban on horror films in 1936.
- Why Béla’s film The Raven began as a box office hit and ended as his personal nightmare.
- Why Béla risked his health repeatedly on cross-country barnstorming tours.
- What role fishhead stew played in Béla’s embarking on a second career with filmmaker Ed Wood.
- Why Béla asked his son not to drive him to his wedding ceremony with Hope Lininger.
The story is more than just a story; it is also a storybook, profusely illustrated with over 700 photos, including many unseen documents and photos (some in color) from the Lugosi family's collection, rare film stills, Béla’s personal correspondence and poetry, and artifacts from his professional career.