Charles Korvin
Charles Korvin | |
|---|---|
 Korvin in 1948 | |
| Born | Géza Karpathi November 21, 1907 |
| Died | June 18, 1998(aged 90) New York City,U.S. |
| Other names | Géza Korvin |
| Alma mater | Sorbonne |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1937–1993 |
| Spouses | Helena Maria Fredricks
(m.1945;div.1955)Anne Korvin
(m.1955; died 1986)
|
| Children | 2, includingEdward Danziger Korvin |
Charles Korvin(bornGéza Kárpáthi,[1]November 21, 1907 – June 18, 1998) was a Hungarian-American film, television and stage actor. He was also a professional still and motion picture photographer and a master chef.
Early life
[edit]Korvin was born inPöstyén,Austro-Hungary(now Piešťany, Slovakia)and studied at theSorbonne.[1]
Career
[edit]During his 10 years in France, he was hired by Yvon, the famous French postcard company, shooting photographs on location all over the country. In 1937, he was hired for aCBCdocumentary film project about the renowned Canadian medical doctor,Norman Bethune.Korvin photographed and co-directed theanti-Francofilm,Heart of Spain,which was shot on the front lines during theSpanish Civil War.Moving to the United States in 1940, he studied acting and stagecraft at theBarter TheaterinAbingdon, Virginia.[2]
AsGéza Korvin,he made hisBroadwaystage debut in 1943, playing a Russian nobleman in the play,Dark Eyes.[3]After signing a movie contract withUniversal Pictures,he changed his stage name to Charles Korvin.[citation needed]
He worked steadily through the 1940s, including appearing in three films with actressMerle Oberon.He was a victim of theblacklistaround 1952, when he refused to testify before theHUAC,and his film career halted.[4]
Turning to the newly burgeoning, and much less political, field of broadcast television, Korvin starred in early productions forPlayhouse 90,Studio One,andUS Steel Hour.He played The Eagle for six contiguous episodes on Disney'sZorroand played Latin dance instructor Carlos onThe Honeymoonersepisode "Mama Loves Mambo". In 1960, he starred as Inspector Duval in the UK/US television seriesInterpol Callingproduced byJ. Arthur Rank.[5]During these years, Korvin returned to off-Broadway theater starring as the king inRodgers and Hammerstein'sThe King and Iwith runs at theWestbury Music Fairand theSt. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre(co-starringBetty White).[6]He was back on Broadway in the mid-1960s starring as the upstairs neighbor inNeil Simon’sTony Awardwinning play, “Barefoot in the Park”.[7]In 1964, he returned to Hollywood to play the ship’s captain inStanley Kramer’sAcademy Awardwinning film,Ship of Fools.[8]Remaining active in later years, he was the voice of the Red Baron for eight years on television and radio ads forLufthansa Airlines.
Personal life
[edit]For more than 25 years Korvin and his wife Anne were part-of-the-year residents inKlosters,Switzerland,where he enjoyed skiing, cooking and entertaining with friends and fellow part time residentsIrwin and Marion Shaw,Greta Garbo,Salka Viertel,Deborah Kerr,andGaetan de Rosnay,among others. Korvin claimed to have been Garbo's last dance partner.[9]
Julia Child,another long time friend, was interviewed in 1978 byDick Cavetton hisPBStelevision show. When he asked her to name her favorite amateur chef, Child replied, “Charles Korvin”.[10]
Partial filmography
[edit]- Enter Arsène Lupin(1944) - Arsene Lupin
- This Love of Ours(1945) - Dr. Michel Touzac
- Temptation(1946) - Mahoud Baroudi
- Berlin Express(1948) - Perrot
- The Killer That Stalked New York(1950) - Matt Krane
- Tarzan's Savage Fury(1952) - Rokov, Russian Agent
- Lydia Bailey(1952) - Col. Gabriel D'autremont
- Sangaree(1953) - Felix Pagnol
- Thunderstorm(1956) - Pablo Gardia
- Ship of Fools(1965) - Capt. Thiele
- The Man Who Had Power Over Women(1970) - Alfred Felix
- Inside Out(1975) - Peter Dohlberg
References
[edit]- ^ab"Charles Korvin, 90, Film Actor Who Played Cads".The New York Times.June 27, 1998.RetrievedSeptember 29,2019.
- ^"Accent on Youth · Southwest Virginia Digital Archive".di.lib.vt.edu.RetrievedJanuary 17,2022.
- ^"Charles Korvin".RetrievedJuly 22,2018.
- ^Detre, Laura A. (Fall–Winter 2012)."Erinnerungen eines Hollywoodstars aus Ungarn by Charles Korvin (review)".Journal of Austrian Studies.45, Numbers 3-4 (3–4): 174–175.doi:10.1353/oas.2012.0035.S2CID178432596– via Project MUSE.
- ^"ITC's 'Interpol Calling' featuring Charles Korvin and Patrick Troughton".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2021.RetrievedJuly 22,2018.
- ^"1963 Betty White in the King and I".St. Louis Post-Dispatch.July 29, 1963. p. 15.RetrievedJanuary 17,2022.
- ^"Charles Korvin".RetrievedJuly 22,2018.
- ^"Charles Korvin".RetrievedJuly 22,2018.
- ^Lamparski, p. 95.
- ^Julia Child Interview 1978,retrievedJanuary 17,2022
Sources
[edit]- Lamparski, R. (1986)Whatever became of...? Tenth series,Crown Publishers, Inc.: New York.ISBN0-517-56229-4.
External links
[edit]- Charles KorvinatIMDb
- Charles Korvinat theInternet Broadway Database
- Charles Korvinat theInternet Broadway Database(credited as Geza Korvin)
- Finding aid of theCharles Korvin photographs, circa 1937-1938collection at Brandeis University Archives & Special Collections.
- Charles Korvin: Erinnerungen eines Hollywoodstars aus Ungarn, by Charles Korvin, published by SYNEMA:Gesellschaft für Film und Medien, 2012
