Victor Varconi

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Victor Varconi
Varconi in 1934
Born	Mihály Várkonyi (1891-03-31)31 March 1891 Kisvárda, Austria-Hungary
Died	6 June 1976(1976-06-06) (aged 85) Santa Barbara, California, US
Other names	Michael Varkonyi
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1913–1959
Spouse(s)	Anna Aranyosy ​ ​ (m. 1919; died 1949)​ Lilliane Varconi (m. 19??; his death 1976)

Victor Varconi (born Mihály Várkonyi, 31 March 1891 – 6 June 1976) was a Hungarian actor who initially found success in his native country, as well as in Germany and Austria, in silent films before relocating to the United States, where he continued to appear in films throughout the sound era. Varconi also appeared in British and Italian films.

Biography[]

Born in Kisvárda, Austria-Hungary, Varconi was the first Hungarian actor to make a film in the United States.

Varconi was educated at a commercial school in Hungary, after which he worked for an insurance company as a solicitor. After he developed an interest in acting, he attended the Actor Art High School in Budapest, from which he progressed to acting with the National Theatre in Budapest. While there, he performed in works that included Shakespearean plays and Molnar's Liliom and The Wolf. He went on to act with a Hungarian film company and in U. F. A. films in Berlin.^[1]

He worked under contract to Cecil B. DeMille, and played Pontius Pilate in DeMille's 1927 production of The King of Kings. That same year, he played Amos Hart, husband of murderess Roxie Hart, in the first film version of Chicago.

Varconi in Roberta (1935)

Because of his Hungarian accent, Varconi's popularity waned with the advent of sound films and he was cast in smaller parts, often playing Hispanic characters. He worked on the New York City stage and wrote for radio.

He died from a heart attack in Santa Barbara, California on 6 June 1976 at the age of 85, survived by his second wife, Lilliane.^[2] He was interred at the Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles, California, US.

Selected filmography[]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Victor Varconi.

• Victor Varconi at IMDb 
• Victor Varconi at AllMovie
• Victor Varconi at the TCM Movie Database
• Victor Varconi at the Internet Broadway Database
• Works by or about Victor Varconi at Internet Archive
• Photographs and literature