Today in History

October 20, 1880
Dracula
Bela Blasko is born in Lugos, Hungary. Soon after he begins a career in stage acting in 1902, he adopts the pseudonym Bela Lugosi and goes on to play everything from Jesus Christ to Cyrano de Bergerac. He immigrates to the United States in 1920 where he continues his work in "legitimate theater," and in 1927 he secures the titular role in a stage adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Lugosi reprises his performance in Tod Browning's wildly successful 1931 film version and becomes synonymous with the role. Typecast as a horror movie villain, his career careens into a rut of B-grade pictures and acting opportunities wane by the mid-1940s. The latter part of Lugosi's career is largely spent working with director Edward D. Wood, Jr. in a string of riotously awful movies. Although Lugosi dies in 1956—and is buried with his Dracula cape—Wood creatively edits stock footage of the deceased actor into his magnum opus, Plan 9 From Outer Space.



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