Born Today January 28: Ujházi Ede

1841-1915

Pioneering Hungarian actor Ede Ujházi (also spelled Újházy and often credited as Ujházi Ede as the Hungarians put the family name before the given name) was born on this day in Debrecen.  He came from lesser noble family, his father was a prominent doctor in Debrecen and Ede was himself given a very high formal education with the idea that he would follow in the family's place of prominence in the area with his chosen profession.  He decided, much to the chagrin of his father, to pursue acting instead (it's a profession that is still frowned upon in nobility to this day!).  In 1864 at the age of 23, he joined the Imre Szigeti theater in Sopron. He obviously displayed early natural talent for the stage, as he quickly advanced to the National Theater in Cluj, and in 1867, at the age of 26, he signed an acting contract for 3 years with the Kassa company. Finally, in 1870, at just the age of 31, he became of formal member of the National Theater, culminating in 1888 with his becoming the playmaker for the National Opera House. He was known for pioneering an acting style based on realism and is considered one of the inventors of "realistic acting"--though not one that is widely celebrated as such.  He was famous for his low booming voice on stage, and I have never a photo of him past the age of 40 where he didn't have a cigar stuck between his teeth.  Being a man almost exclusively of the stage, he only made one film appearance that we know of (there may have been a few others that have not been preserved in the records, but in any case it would still only be a handful of performances).  His only known film performance also came very late in his life. In 1912--at 71--he appeared in the short comedy Gazdag ember kabátja--which is the only known directorial effort by Hungarian actor Endre Kruppka.  Ujházi died three years later on the 14 of November in 1915 in Budapest at the age of 74.  He was buried at Budapest's very famous Kerepesi Cemetery (also known as Fiumei Road Cemetery).  During his lifetime, Ujházi was made a Knight of the Franz Joseph Order.