Can you name this pioneering superstar of the horror genre?

Answer Bela Lugosi

Horror icon Bela Lugosi (1882-1956) was born Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó in Lugos in the Kingdom of Hungary, which is now part of Romania. (Years later, Lugosi invented his stage name by adding an "i" to the name of his birthplace.) Above all, Lugosi is celebrated for his definitive portrayal of Dracula, first in the legendary Broadway stage adaptation (1927-1930) of the Bram Stoker novel and then in the classic 1931 Tod Browning film. Already 45 when the film was released, Lugosi's road to stardom was hardly the stuff of Hollywood dreams. His long and winding path included dropping out of school at age 12; a decade of performing in provincial Hungarian theater, followed by many years of bit parts with the national theater in Budapest; fighting Russian forces with the Austro-Hungarian infantry during World War I (sustaining multiple injuries during his two year stint); fleeing his homeland in 1919 due to his apparent communist sympathies in organizing an actors union; and finally making his way to the U.S. on a cargo boat in 1920. Even then, seven years would pass before Lugosi's star-turning Broadway debut in the 1927 'Dracula' stage production. Sadly, Lugosi's fall from the top was far more rapid than his rise. With his thick accent and the mass success of 'Dracula', Lugosi was almost preordained for typecasting. The classically trained actor's remaining years in Hollywood were marked by frustration and resentment as he declined into near destitute obscurity. Nonetheless, he was buried wearing a dracula-like cape, in accordance with his wishes.

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