[2] Vajda started his career as film editor (even though he also worked as artistic designer and writer) for different directors, such as Billy Wilder and Henry Koster.

Before World War II he became established in Italy, where he directed two movies: La zia smemorata (1940) and Giuliano de' Medici [it] (1941).

The first film from his Spanish period was Se vende un palacio (A Palace for Sale), released in 1943.

His main works during this period are: Miracle of Marcelino (1955),[3] Uncle Hyacynth (1956), Afternoon of the Bulls (1956), The Man Who Wagged His Tail (1957) with Peter Ustinov, and It Happened in Broad Daylight (1958).

They were acclaimed by both critics and public: The Miracle of Marcelino and Uncle Hyacynth won different prizes in Cannes Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival; Afternoon of the Bulls was nominated for the Palme d'Or[4] and It Happened in Broad Daylight for the Golden Bear.