Iván Darvas (born ''Szilárd Darvas''; 14 June 1925 in Behynce (, ; now part of

Tornaľa Tornaľa (formerly ''Šafárikovo'', ) is a town and municipality in Revúca District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia, with a population of approximately 7,000. History The first written record of the settlement dates back from 1245. T ...

Revúca District Revúca District (''okres Revúca'') is a district in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. District had been established in 1996. Forests make 60% of the district area. Revúca District consist of 42 municipalities, from which three ha ...

Banská Bystrica Region The Banská Bystrica Region (, ; , ) is one of the eight regions of Slovakia. It is the largest of the eight regions by area, and has a lower population density than any other region. The Banská Bystrica Region was established in 1923; its bord ...

) – 3 June 2007 in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

) was a Hungarian actor.

Early life

Born as Szilárd Darvas, his father was János Darvas, and his mother, Antonina Evdokimova, was

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

. He spent his childhood in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, where his father worked as a journalist. He went to a German-language school, so he spoke Hungarian,

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

well. At home they spoke Hungarian, which he thought, was a secret language they understood only. He came to Hungary in 1939. In 1945 he worked as a military interpreter for the soviet military. In 1946 Darvas was employed in Actors' Theatre (Művész Szinház) by

Zoltán Várkonyi Zoltán Várkonyi (13 May 1912 – 10 April 1979) was a Hungarian actor and film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding ...

, and he worked there until 1949.

Career

Darvas changed his given name, Szilárd to Iván in the Actors' Theatre, to differentiate himself from Szilárd Darvas, a well known poet and comedian of the era. He played in the Madách Theatre between 1949 and 1956. In the revolution of 1956 he organized a revolutionary committee to free his brother from prison. For this, when the revolution was crushed he was sentenced to 22 months in prison. From 1959 to 1963 he had to work as an unskilled laborer. In 1963 Darvas was allowed to play on stage again. From 1963 he spent some time in the

National Theatre of Miskolc The National Theatre of Miskolc is the main theatre of Miskolc, and the oldest theatre company of Hungary. Its current Classicist and Neo-baroque building built between 1847 and 1857, is in the city centre, in Széchenyi street and is home to not ...

and the Attila József Theatre. In 1965 he offered a contract in Vígszinház by Zoltán Várkonyi and he stayed there until 1989. In 1990 Darvas became a freelance actor. In 1972 he married Irén Morocza; they had two children. He was also a member of parliament from 1990 to 1994, in the Free Liberals' Alliance. He carefully recreated stage characters' inner worlds and struggles. He used subtle irony and intellectual wit. He acted in numerous significant Hungarian films. One of his best appearances was in the movie '' Liliomfi'' in 1954. The international audience could see him in these movies: ''

Drama of the Lark ''Drama of the Lark'' () is a 1963 Hungarian drama film directed by László Ranódy. It was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival where Antal Páger won the award for Best Actor. It is based on the novel ''Pacsirta'' (translated into En ...

'' (1963), ''

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

'' (1971), ''

Mary, Mother of Jesus Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

'' (1999), ''

Jakob the Liar ''Jakob the Liar'' is a 1999 American-made Holocaust film directed by Peter Kassovitz, produced by Steven Haft and Marsha Garces Williams. It is written by Kassovitz and Didier Decoin based on the 1969 German novel '' Jacob the Liar'', by Je ...

'' (1999), ''

Beresina, or the Last Days of Switzerland ''Beresina, or the Last Days of Switzerland'' () is a 1999 satiric comedy film by Swiss director Daniel Schmid. It chronicles the story of Irina, a Russian call girl arriving in Switzerland, whose innocent attempt to live the high life there trig ...

'' (1999).

Awards

Kossuth Prize The Kossuth Prize (, ) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1936, by the Hungarian National Assembly, to acknowledge outstanding personal and grou ...

(1978), * Jászai Mari-prize (1955, 1967), * Significant artist award (1969), * Excellent artist award (1975). * Erzsébet Prize (1989)

Main roles

Raskolnikov Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Родион Романович Раскольников, Rodión Románovich Raskólʹnikov, rədʲɪˈon rɐˈmanəvʲɪtɕ rɐˈskolʲnʲɪkəf) is the fictional protago ...

(

Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influenti ...

–Ackland: Crime and Punishment) * Tuzenbach, Versinyin (

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

: Three Sisters) * Baron ( Gorky: The Lower Depths) * Popriscsin (

Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; ; (; () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright of Ukrainian origin. Gogol used the grotesque in his writings, for example, in his works " The Nose", " Viy", "The Overcoat", and " Nevsky Prosp ...

–Lunean–Coggio–Czimer J.: Madman's diary) * Larry Slade (

O'Neill The O'Neill dynasty ( Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically one of the most prominent family of the Nor ...

: Eljő a jeges) *

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

(Wasserman–Leigh:

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervan ...

) * Firs (

: The Cherry Orchard) * Martin Dysart ( Shaffer: Equus) * Doublebass player ( Süsskind: The Double Bass) * Ir. Gerskovics A.: D. I.

Diary of a madman(1979)

Selected filmography

* ''

A Woman Gets a Start ''A Woman Gets a Start'' (Hungarian: ''Egy asszony elindul'') is a 1949 Hungarian drama film directed by Imre Jeney and starring Klári Tolnay, Ferenc Ladányi and Lajos Básti. It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in Budapest. The film's sets w ...

'' (1949) * ''

Gala Suit ''Gala Suit'' (Hungarian: ''Díszmagyar'') is a 1949 Hungarian comedy film directed by Viktor Gertler and starring Gyula Benkö, Zsuzsa Bánki and Iván Darvas.https://port.hu/adatlap/film/tv/diszmagyar-diszmagyar/movie-14002 It was shot at th ...

'' (1949) * '' Erkel'' (1952) * ''

Semmelweis Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis (; ; 1 July 1818 – 13 August 1865) was a Hungarian physician and scientist of German descent who was an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures and was described as the "saviour of mothers". Postpartum infections, ...

'' (1952) * '' Fourteen Lives'' (1954) * '' Ward 9'' (1955) * ''

Accident An accident is an unintended, normally unwanted event that was not deliberately caused by humans. The term ''accident'' implies that the event may have been caused by Risk assessment, unrecognized or unaddressed risks. Many researchers, insurers ...

'' (1955) * ''

Springtime in Budapest ''Springtime in Budapest'' (Hungarian: ''Budapesti tavasz'') is a 1955 Hungarian war drama film directed by Félix Máriássy and starring Tibor Molnár, Miklós Gábor and Zsuzsa Gordon.Liehm & Liehm p.164 It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in ...

'' (1955) * ''

Dollar Daddy ''Dollar Daddy'' (Hungarian: ''Dollárpapa'') is a 1956 Hungarian comedy film directed by Viktor Gertler and starring Iván Darvas, János Rajz and Erzsi Somogyi. It was a success at the Hungarian box office, drawing over three million spectato ...

'' (1956) * ''

Sunday Romance ''Sunday Romance'' (Hungarian: ''Bakaruhában'') is a 1957 Hungarian period romantic drama film directed by Imre Fehér and starring Iván Darvas, Margit Bara and Sándor Pécsi. It is also known by the alternative title ''In Soldier's Unifo ...

'' (1957) * ''

Adventure in Gerolstein ''Adventure in Gerolstein'' (Hungarian: ''Gerolsteini kaland'') is a 1957 Hungarian comedy film directed by Zoltán Farkas and starring Erzsébet Házy, Iván Darvas and Manyi Kiss. The film was shot at the Hunnia Studios in the capital Budape ...

'' (1957) * ''

Tale on the Twelve Points ''Tale on the Twelve Points'' (Hungarian: ''Mese a 12 találatról'') is a 1957 Hungarian sports film, sports comedy film directed by Károly Makk and starring Klári Tolnay, Ferenc Zenthe and István Somló. It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in ...

'' (1957) *

Cold Days ''Cold Days'' is a 2012 bestselling novel by Jim Butcher and the 14th book in the ongoing ''The Dresden Files'' series. The book was first published on November 27, 2012 through Roc Hardcover and continues the adventures of wizard detective H ...

(1966) * '' Three Nights of Love'' (1967) * ''

The Pendragon Legend ''The Pendragon Legend'' (Hungarian: A Pendragon-legenda) is a 1934 novel by the Hungarian writer Antal Szerb. The book is a philosophical thriller/comedy/murder-mystery/ghost story set first in London and then in Wales. A mystical element is di ...

'' (1974)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Darvas, Ivan 1925 births 2007 deaths People from Tornaľa Hungarians in Slovakia Hungarian male film actors Hungarian male stage actors Slovak expatriates in the Czech Republic Hungarian expatriates in the Czech Republic Hungarian people of Russian descent