Stephen Bekassy (born István Békássy; February 10, 1907 – October 30, 1995) was a Hungarian-born American film actor.
Career
Bekassy's American stage debut came in ''Errand for Berenice'' in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1944. His American film debut was in ''
A Song to Remember'' (1945).
[ ]
He appeared in films such as ''
Hell and High Water'' and ''
Prisoner of War
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
'' in 1954.
On television he made two guest appearances on ''
Perry Mason''. In 1958 he played art expert Laslo Kovac in "The Case of the Purple Woman," and in 1959 he played murder victim Rick Stassi in "The Case of the Bartered Bikini." In 1958, he guest-starred as Count Razil in the episode "Command Performance" of the
CBS situation comedy
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Mr. Adams and Eve''.
[The Classic TV Archive Mr. Adams and Eve (1957-58) Accessed 12 June 2021]
/ref> He played Monsieur Brissard, an attendant to the title character of "The Princess" Jennifer (played by Annie Farge, later spelled with an accent over the "e", or as "Fargue") in S4 E15 of "The Rifleman" which aired 7/13/1961.
Personal life
Bekassy was born in Nyíregyháza
Nyíregyháza (, ) is a city with county rights in northeastern Hungary and the county capital of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. With a population of 118,001, it is the seventh-largest city in Hungary and the second largest in the Northern Great ...
, Hungary. He married Teri Fejes in 1931, but divorced in 1933. In 1936 he married Lívia Neufeld, but as well divorced soon in 1938. He emigrated to the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and eventually married Beverly Violet Bidwell (1905 - 1971) on October 8, 1941, in Carson City
Carson City, officially the Carson City Consolidated Municipality, is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the 6th most populous city in the state. The m ...
, Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
. Beverly Violet Bidwell wrote under the name, Hagar Wilde. They later divorced. In 1969 he married Erika Beregi. He subsequently married Hanna Hertelendy (1919–2008), the widow of actor Robert Walker.
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Bekassy rescued Jewish escapees. He later worked with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
.
During the Red Scare
A Red Scare is a form of moral panic provoked by fear of the rise of left-wing ideologies in a society, especially communism and socialism. Historically, red scares have led to mass political persecution, scapegoating, and the ousting of thos ...
, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
accused Stephen of being a Communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
because he was Hungarian.
Filmography
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bekassy, Stephen
Hungarian male film actors
American male film actors
Hungarian emigrants to the United States
1907 births
1995 deaths
20th-century American male actors