Gyula Kabos

Gyula Kabos (19 March 1887, Budapest – 6 October 1941, New York) was a Hungarian actor and comedian, widely known for his comedic movie roles in the late 1930s.

However, this situation proved as an opportunity, as the renowned Fővárosi Művész Színház (the future Operettszínház) closed its doors, and a new search began for a director.

But life as a manager proved to be hard as Kabos disapproved the high salaries of leading actors, resulting in numerous conflicts.

As the global financial crisis, and the more and more popular movies further decimate the Budapest theatre scene, his career is struggling again is small, low-paying roles, overshadowed by few remaining stars.

The sudden fame surprises Kabos, as he does not understand why a movie star should be famous (until then he had only watched a few scenes from his own work).

In his numerous later film characters he plays the tragicomical small man in the hard years of the 30s, motivated by fear to carry out foolish acts.

In 1936 he completes the movie version of the Lovagias Ügy, which was the first to spark the opposition of the radical right-wing groups, that were starting a few years before.

The third big success, A Noszty fiú esete Tóth Marival is followed by a massive right-wing press campaign against director István Székely, after which he left the country.

With budgets decreasing, Kabos, became more and more like a cornerstone of Hungarian filmmaking of the time, deciding the financial success or failure of the venture.

The pair moves into the Woodrow Hotel in New York, where they receive numerous contract offers from fellow countrymen living in the city.

In April 1939 the group continued to tour in Chicago and Detroit, with Kabos making extra appearances, often 4 times a day.

Playing in small acts once-twice a week, the couple gets enough money for basic food, otherwise they make walks in the Central Park.

Kabos wrote a small book of his life, directed an amateur movie sketch to tour with, and a 3-hour revue, all failing.

Barely surviving two other seizures, he is moved to a hospital, where, after lying in oxygen tent unconsciously for two weeks, dies on 6 October 1941.

His adopted daughter Gabriella received a scrambled telegram from his mother with the news of the death, but the country only knew of it after the official statement from the MTI on 9 October.

The softening political situation of the 1980s allowed the reappearance of his cinematic work in movies and the National Television, and later cable stations, recapturing his former fame.