As someone who considers himself a cinephile I’m often asked who my favorite actor of all time is– Humphrey Bogart? Orson Welles? Laurence Olivier? Marlon Brando?
It’s probably Bela Lugosi.
In every role Lugosi has played, whether it be in his most famous role of DRACULA, which he performed on screen only TWICE in his entire lifetime while playing the Count in thousands of performances on the stage, or as a backup player to Boris Karloff in 1945’s THE BODY SNATCHER – he throws himself into every single role and leaves nothing behind. He’s not always great but he’s always THERE 100%.
Add to that personal knowledge through reliable sources that he was one of the kindest men ever to work in Hollywood and I stand by my choice.
Today is Bela’s birthday- he passed away in 1956 at the age of 73 after a long battle with chronic health issues- and I’ll celebrate by watching some of what I think are his greatest films, including one that he isn’t even in but his spirit is.
- THE BLACK CAT (1934)
- THE INVISIBLE RAY (1936)
- MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (1935)
- SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939)
- RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE (1943)
- BRIDE OF THE MONSTER (1953)
- ED WOOD (1994)
It's Andy Fish! 
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