Oscar Beregi (actor, born 1876)
Hungarian actor

Oscar Beregi
in 1903
Born
Oszkár Berger

(1876-01-24)24 January 1876
Budapest, Hungary
Died18 October 1965(1965-10-18) (aged 89)
Hollywood, California, U.S.
Resting placeWoodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica
OccupationActor
Years active1890s-1953
ChildrenOscar Beregi Jr.
Lea Beregi[1]

Oscar Beregi (born Oszkár Berger, 24 January 1876 – 18 October 1965) was a Hungarian-Jewish[2] actor who appeared primarily in German films.[3]

Biography

Beregi was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. He acted onstage in Hungary for 21 years. In April 1920, as "the only Jewish actor of prominence" acting with the Budapest National Theatre, he was the subject of a demonstration that led to the group's changing its program and presenting a play in which Beregi did not participate.[4]

In the early 1920s, Beregi was exiled from Hungary because of his "alleged political activities".[5] During the exile he acted in Vienna for four years.[5] He served as president of the Film Actors' Association of Vienna.[6] In 1925 he arrived to Hollywood and stayed there for four years. In 1926, Beregi signed a five-year contract with Universal Pictures.[7] During that time the actor was filmed in several silent pictures. The most famous was Camille (1926), opposite Norma Talmadge in the title role.

In the late 1920s, Beregi returned to Europe. In 1933, played one his best-known film roles as the villainous Professor Baum in Fritz Lang's film The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. In the 1930s, he was persecuted because of his Jewish background, narrowly escaped the Holocaust and fled to the United States. There, he played the last few of his film roles, including a supporting role in the 1953 musical Call Me Madam. Overall, Beregi appeared in 27 films between 1916 and 1953. He made his final appearance as a guest star in the TV series Peter Gunn in 1961.

Beregi died in Hollywood, California, aged 89, and was buried in Budapest, Hungary.[3] His son, Oscar Beregi Jr., was also an actor.[8]

Partial filmography

References

  1. ^ Liloo (18 October 2014). "The legend of Isadora Duncan: Oscar Beregi (24 January 1876 – 18 October 1965)". Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  2. ^ Siegbert Salomon Prawer, Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933, Berghahn Books (2007), p. 213
  3. ^ a b Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 58. ISBN 9781476625997. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  4. ^ "Anti-Semitic Demonstration Against Jewish Actor". The Jewish Monitor. Texas, Dallas. IJPB. 23 April 1920. p. 1. Retrieved 26 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ a b "In the Theaters of Europe". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. CTIS. 15 March 1925. p. 68. Retrieved 26 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ "Won Fame in Europe". The Gazette. Canada, Montreal. 22 January 1927. p. 15. Retrieved 26 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ "(untitled brief)". The Atlanta Constitution. Georgia, Atlanta. 9 May 1926. p. 43. Retrieved 26 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ Magyar, Stephen (22 May 1925). "How Hungary Treats Her Greatest Actor". Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle. Wisconsin, Milwaukee. p. 4. Retrieved 26 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  • Oscar Beregi Sr. at IMDb
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