Bela Lugosi's birthname was Béla Ferenc Dezsõ Blaskó. He was 5'11" (1.80 m) and his birthday was October 20, 1882. Born in Lugos, Hungary the youngest of four children. He volunteered for WWI as an infantry lieutenant and was wounded three times.Bela Lugosi became an American citizen in 1931 and helped organize the Screen Actor's Guild in the mid-30's, joining as member 28. He died of a heart attack August 16, 1956. And was buried in his full Dracula costume including the cape. He rests at Holy Cross Cemetary in Culver City, California.

Bela Lugosi was a distinguished stage actor in his native country Hungary. He began his stage career in 1901 and started appearing in films during World War I. He started an actor's union having to flee to Germany because this was considered a "left-wing" political party. And in 1920 he emigrated to the United States and made a living as a charachter actor, shooting to fame playing Count Dracula in the legendary Broadway stage adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel. The play ran for three years, and was subsequently filmed by Tod Browning in 1931 which established Bela Lugosi as one of the screen's greatest personifications of evil.

He was known to accept any part or script handed to him, and as his early signs of starting actor's guilds and union's would admit, he was all too happy to take a part in even low budget low-grade "poverty row shockers" which are now classic to many cult movie and b-movie followers. His career ended while working on the famous no-budget horror flick "Plan 9 From Outer Space" - the director was Ed Wood. And this would place Bela Lugosi in a league of his own by him performing from Broadway plays to Southern California cult horror. Few could accomplish what this great man has. R.I.P Count Lugosi.

Bela was featured on a stamp as Dracula, part of horror stamp collection.

Movies:

• Bela Lugosi Collection
• Bela Lugosi Movie List

Books:

• Lugosi: His Life In Films, On Stage, & In The Hearts Of Horror Lovers
• The Immortal Count: The Life and Films of Bela Lugosi