Bela Lugosi, who made his mark in Hollywood as Dracula, insisted to reporters that he battled drug addiction for more than two decades – but a writer claimed he made a heartbreaking revelation. The cause “deliberately exaggerated” its story.
“What he said was that he had been dependent on drugs for 20 years, in some cases 25 years,” author Robert Kramer told Fox News Digital. “But they greatly exaggerated the story… and this exaggeration of his drug dependence was, to some extent, purposeful [his fourth wife] In hopes that she will feel guilty, make up with him and come back to him.
“He wanted to win his wife and son back,” Kramer said.
Kramer, who was a syndicated columnist at The Hollywood Reporter, has a new book scheduled to be published Dec. 17, “Bela Lugosi: The Man Behind the Cape.” It contains over 700 photographs, family artifacts, and historical documents, many of which have never been seen outside Lugosi’s family. It also highlights interviews with people who knew the actor over the years.
Kramer has known the Lugosi family for over 50 years. His original book about the Hungarian artist was published in 1976. His upcoming release is the only authorized biography on the star, who died in 1956 at the age of 73.
Lugosi brought Dracula to life in Hollywood after his success in the lead role on stage, the Los Angeles Times reports. His performance, which included a distinct accent, slicked-back black hair, a flowing cape, and a charming personality, helped define how vampires were portrayed on screen over the years.
Despite skyrocketing fame, Lugosi became dependent on morphine due to injuries sustained in World War I, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) reports.
“His [fourth wife] Lillian made it clear that he was solely dependent on drugs from 1953 – after the divorce – until he committed himself to rehab in 1955,” Kramer explained. “He said it earlier, he was not a drug addict by any means. He took medicine only when he suffered extreme pain from a World War I injury. He was not taking it regularly like a junkie. He took it only when it was absolutely necessary to take care of the pain.
Kramer said that Lugosi hoped that his account would make studio heads feel sympathetic and offer him more roles to support his family.
“The divorce from Lillian in 1953 devastated him,” Kramer reported. “He was a very self-respecting man and took his marriage seriously. He took his responsibility towards his family very seriously. And in those years, from 1948 to the early 1950s, he was constantly on the road.
Kramer shared, “…this is a guy who was past retirement age and suffered from sciatica problems, which caused him a lot of pain on the road.” “He felt a responsibility to adequately provide for his wife and his son.”
Lugosi married Lillian in 1933. They gave birth to their only child, Bela G., in 1938. Welcomed a son named Lugosi.
Kramer had previously spoken to the doctor who treated Lugosi’s drug dependence, as well as to Lillian before she died in 1981.
“I brought boxes of Kleenex to Lillian’s house when we talked [the divorce]” Kramer recalled. “The tears kept flowing continuously. She really loved him, but Bella could not overcome his jealousy. And because there was a 30-year age difference, he always felt that he was inadequate as a husband and was very jealous. For this reason, they felt that Lillian should look for younger men around her, which was simply not true. Due to jealousy, Lillian finally felt that she could no longer expose her son Bella Jr. to the stress, the arguments, her accusations.
Kramer added, “This exaggerated idea that he was dependent on drugs for so long is absolutely nonsense.” “Lillian repeated this several times. “It’s very important to me to make sure people know what the real background behind this is,” he said.
“Of course, newspapers were making their reports on what Bela had said. But this deliberate exaggeration was never noticed by the press in later years.”
Kramer said the main reason Lillian was willing to speak was to help set the record straight.
Kramer said, “We agreed on the fact that we wanted this drug issue to be cleared up once and for all, so there is no more misinformation spreading about it.”
Lugosi struggled with painful sciatica in his later years. Nevertheless, he was determined to perform for the fans. Kramer described how, before coming on stage as Dracula, where he had to climb out of a coffin, he was “deadly afraid” that he would have a sciatica attack on stage, disrupting his performance.
Lugosi’s granddaughter, Lynn Lugosi Sparks, told Fox News Digital that it was important for the family to address decades of rumors about his drug use.
“The first three chapters of the book deal with the end of her life and getting that topic out of the way, because the rest of the story of her life is so interesting and important,” she explained. “…From the very beginning, we have been aware of my grandmother’s feelings [about] What was the real situation? And then we really get to the heart of the book, which is the beautiful story of Bella’s life.
Kramer said that Lugosi was exploited by the film studios. Towards the end of his life, the actor felt that he had been forgotten.
“Lillian told me that after starring in ‘Dracula’ [in 1931]Almost immediately he began appearing in small roles, some even uncredited,” he explained. “…he felt that these roles were far beneath his stature as a major Hollywood star. His closest friend… who I interviewed endlessly, said he talked to him and asked, ‘Why are you taking these uncredited, very small roles?’ Bella said, ‘I want people to see me more.’…She thought that if she could keep her face on the screen continuously, it would increase her popularity and increase her stature, which was not true.’
Kramer said, “His tendency to take small roles at very low pay created a perception among studios that they could get him for a penny or two, where they would have to pay other actors far more.” “He also knew that no matter what role he appeared in, he performed brilliantly… This trend continued throughout his career… It was a sad story.”
Lugosi died of a heart attack in his apartment at the age of 73. His fifth and final wife, Hope Lininger, said the actor was “getting better every month” after treatment for drugs.
Lugosi Sparks shared that her grandmother and father decided to bury her grandfather in his costume.
“It was his way of paying homage to the role that he had created and for which he was known, although at the time he had no idea that, just a few years later, there would be a resurgence in horror films, and they would be on TV. Will be shown,” he said.
“Bella…thought he had forgotten. And that tribute to her, burying her in that hat and dress, was their way of saying, ‘This is Bella. Bella is Dracula. this was [the] Achievement of his life.
