Ernest Vajda (born Ernő Vajda; 27 May 1886 in

Komárno Komárno, ( hu, Komárom, german: Komorn, sr, Коморан, translit=Komoran), colloquially also called ''Révkomárom, Öregkomárom, Észak-Komárom'' in Hungarian; is a town in Slovakia at the confluence of the Danube and the Váh rivers. ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, today

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

– 3 April 1954 in

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...

) was a Hungarian actor, playwright, and novelist, but is more famous today for his

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...

s. He co-wrote the screenplay for the film '' Smilin' Through'' (

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...

), based on the hit play by

Jane Cowl Jane Cowl (December 14, 1883 – June 22, 1950) was an American film and stage actress and playwright "notorious for playing lachrymose parts". Actress Jane Russell was named in Cowl's honor. Biography Cowl was born Jane Bailey in Boston, Mas ...

and Jane Murfin. Vajda also wrote the screenplay for the first film version of Rudolph Besier's '' The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' (

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...

Partial filmography

* ''

The Unknown Tomorrow ''The Unknown Tomorrow'' (German: ''Das unbekannte Morgen'') is a 1923 German silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Werner Krauss, María Corda, and Olga Limburg. Production and reception ''The Unknown Tomorrow'' was the ...

'' (1923) * ''

The Crown of Lies ''The Crown of Lies'' is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki and starring Pola Negri. It was produced and financed by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Plot As described in a f ...

'' (1926) * ''

You Never Know Women ''You Never Know Women'' is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film from director William Wellman that was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The stars of the picture are Florence Vidor, Lowell Sherman, a ...

'' (1926) original story * '' Service for Ladies'' (1927) original story "The Head Waiter" * '' The Woman on Trial'' (1927) * '' Manhattan Cocktail'' (1928) original story * ''

A Night of Mystery ''A Night of Mystery'' is a 1928 American silent film, silent drama film based upon the play by Victorien Sardou, directed by Lothar Mendes and starring Adolphe Menjou and Evelyn Brent. The film is considered to be lost film, lost. ''A Night of ...

'' (1928) * ''

Manhattan Cowboy ''Manhattan Cowboy'' is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Bob Custer, Lafe McKee and Mary Mayberry.McGowan p.169 Cast * Bob Custer as Jack Steel * Lafe McKee as John Steel * Mary Mayberry as Alice ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Love Parade ''The Love Parade'' is a 1929 American pre-Code musical comedy film, directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald, involving the marital difficulties of Queen Louise of Sylvania (MacDonald) and her consort, C ...

'' (1929) * ''

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Smiling Lieutenant ''The Smiling Lieutenant'' is a 1931 American pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins, and released by Paramount Pictures. It was written by Samson Raphaelson and ...

'' (1931) * '' The Guardsman'' (1931) * '' Tonight or Never'' (1931) * '' Service for Ladies'' (

) original story "The Head Waiter" * '' Payment Deferred'' (1932) * ''

Monsieur Albert ''Monsieur Albert'' is a 1932 French comedy film directed by Karl Anton and starring Noël-Noël, Betty Stockfeld and Marcel Barencey.Oscherwitz, Dayna & Higgins, MaryEllen. ''The A to Z of French Cinema''. Scarecrow Press, 2009. p. 167. It was ...

'' (1932) original story "The Head Waiter" * ''

Broken Lullaby ''Broken Lullaby'' (a.k.a. ''The Man I Killed'') is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Ernst Lubitsch and released by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay by Samson Raphaelson and Ernest Vajda is based on the 1930 play ''L'homme que ...

'' (1932) * '' The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' (1934) * ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt ...

'' (1934) * '' A Woman Rebels'' (1936) * ''

The Great Garrick ''The Great Garrick'' is a 1937 American historical comedy film directed by James Whale and starring Brian Aherne, Olivia de Havilland, and Edward Everett Horton. The film also features Lionel Atwill, Luis Alberni, Melville Cooper, and fu ...

'' (1937) * ''

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

'' (1938) * '' Dramatic School'' (1938) * ''

He Stayed for Breakfast ''He Stayed for Breakfast'' is a 1940 American romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Hall, based on the 1934 play ''Ode to Liberty'' by Sidney Howard, itself adapted from the French play ''Liberté provisoire'' by Michel Duran. Plot In Par ...

'' (1940) * '' Smilin' Through'' (1941) * ''

Stars and Stripes Forever "The Stars and Stripes Forever" is a patriotic American march written and composed by John Philip Sousa in 1896. By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National March of the United States of America. History In his 1928 autob ...

'' (1952)

External links

Ernest Vajda at the Film Reference
*
''New York Times'' bio
1886 births 1954 deaths Male screenwriters Hungarian male writers 20th-century Hungarian screenwriters Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States {{Hungary-writer-stub