Steven Geray
Encyclopedia
Steven Geray, born Istvan Gyergyay on November 10, 1904 and died aged 69 on December 26, 1973 in Los Angeles
, California
. He was a film actor who appeared in over 100 films and dozens of television programs. Geray appeared in Spellbound
(1945), Gilda
(1946), In a Lonely Place
(1950), All About Eve
(1950), Call Me Madam
(1953) and To Catch a Thief
(1955).
He was born in Ungvár, Austria-Hungary (now called Uzhgorod, Ukraine
) and educated at the University of Budapest
. He made his first stage appearance at the Hungarian National Theater under his real name and after nearly four years he made his London
Stage debut (as Steven Geray) in 1934, appearing in Happy Week-End! and began appearing in English-speaking films in 1935 and moved to Hollywood in 1941.
Geray was cast as the lead in a low budget film noir So Dark the Night
(1946). Even with its limited budget, it received great critical reviews and enabled its director Joseph H. Lewis
to later direct A-pictures. Geray continued to work on television and in films into the 1960s.
Steven Geray spent some time in the late-1960s in Estes Park, Colorado
, where he directed local theater (The Fantasticks
). He owned and ran a bar in Estes Park from 1969 to 1970.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He was a film actor who appeared in over 100 films and dozens of television programs. Geray appeared in Spellbound
Spellbound (1945 film)
Spellbound is a psychological mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1945. It tells the story of the new head of a mental asylum who turns out not to be what he claims. The film stars Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Chekhov and Leo G. Carroll. It is an adaptation by Angus...
(1945), Gilda
Gilda
Gilda is a 1946 American black-and-white film noir directed by Charles Vidor. It stars Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth in her signature role as the ultimate femme fatale. The film was noted for cinematographer Rudolph Mate's lush photography, costume designer Jean Louis' wardrobe for Hayworth , and...
(1946), In a Lonely Place
In a Lonely Place
In a Lonely Place is a film noir directed by Nicholas Ray, and starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame, produced for Bogart's Santana Productions. The script was adapted by Edmund North from the 1947 novel In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes.Bogart stars in the film as Dixon Steele, a...
(1950), All About Eve
All About Eve
All About Eve is a 1950 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve", by Mary Orr.The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but aging Broadway star...
(1950), Call Me Madam
Call Me Madam (film)
Call Me Madam is a 1953 musical film directed by Walter Lang, with songs by Irving Berlin, based on the stage musical of the same name.The film, with a screenplay by Arthur Sheekman, starred Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Vera-Ellen, Billy DeWolfe, George Sanders, and Walter Slezak...
(1953) and To Catch a Thief
To Catch a Thief (film)
To Catch a Thief is a 1955 romantic thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis and John Williams. The movie is set on the French Riviera, and was based on the 1952 novel of the same name by David Dodge...
(1955).
He was born in Ungvár, Austria-Hungary (now called Uzhgorod, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) and educated at the University of Budapest
University of Budapest
The Eötvös Loránd University or ELTE, founded in 1635, is the largest university in Hungary, located in Budapest.-History:The university was founded in 1635 in Nagyszombat by the archbishop and theologian Péter Pázmány. Leadership was given over to the Jesuits...
. He made his first stage appearance at the Hungarian National Theater under his real name and after nearly four years he made his London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Stage debut (as Steven Geray) in 1934, appearing in Happy Week-End! and began appearing in English-speaking films in 1935 and moved to Hollywood in 1941.
Geray was cast as the lead in a low budget film noir So Dark the Night
So Dark the Night
So Dark the Night is an American crime film noir directed by Joseph H. Lewis and written by Dwight V. Babcock, Martin Berkeley, based on a story written by Aubrey Wisberg...
(1946). Even with its limited budget, it received great critical reviews and enabled its director Joseph H. Lewis
Joseph H. Lewis
Joseph H. Lewis was an American B-movie film director whose stylish flourishes came to be appreciated by auteur theory-espousing film critics in the years following his retirement in 1966...
to later direct A-pictures. Geray continued to work on television and in films into the 1960s.
Steven Geray spent some time in the late-1960s in Estes Park, Colorado
Estes Park, Colorado
Estes Park is a town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. A popular summer resort and the location of the headquarters for Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park lies along the Big Thompson River. Estes Park had a population of 5,858 at the 2010 census...
, where he directed local theater (The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. It was produced by Lore Noto. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play "The Romancers" by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into...
). He owned and ran a bar in Estes Park from 1969 to 1970.
Selected filmography
- Let's Make a Night of ItLet's Make a Night of ItLet's Make a Night of It is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Charles Rogers, June Clyde and Claire Luce. A husband and his wife acquire rival nightclubs at the same time...
(1938) - Lightning ConductorLightning Conductor (film)Lightning Conductor is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Gordon Harker, John Davis Lodge and Sally Gray. A London bus driver becomes embroiled in a plot by foreign agents to steal secret documents.-Cast:...
(1938) - PremierePremiere (film)Premiere is a 1938 British mystery film directed by Walter Summers and starring John Lodge, Judy Kelly, Joan Marion, Hugh Williams and Edward Chapman...
(1938) - Dark Streets of CairoDark Streets of CairoDark Streets of Cario is a 1940 American mystery film directed by László Kardos and starring Sigrid Gurie, Ralph Byrd, Eddie Quillan, George Zucco and Katherine DeMille.-Cast:* Sigrid Gurie - Ellen Stephens* Ralph Byrd - Dennis Martin...
(1940) - Secret Agent of JapanSecret Agent of JapanSecret Agent of Japan is the first American anti-Japanese war film produced by a major studio after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It stars Preston Foster as a nightclub owner in Shanghai who becomes involved in espionage revolving around preparations for the infamous sneak attack.-Cast:*Preston...
(1942) - Eyes in the NightEyes in the NightEyes in the Night is a 1942 American mystery film directed by Fred Zinnemann based on Baynard Kendrick's 1941 novel The Odor of Violets .- Plot summary :...
(1942) - The Moon and SixpenceThe Moon and Sixpence (film)The Moon and Sixpence is a 1942 film adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's novel of the same name. George Sanders stars as a London stockbroker who gives up his career, wife and children to become a painter...
(1942) - Pilot #5Pilot no. 5Pilot #5 is a 1943 propaganda war film starring Franchot Tone, Marsha Hunt, Gene Kellyand Van Johnson. It was directed by George Sidney.-Cast:*Franchot Tone as George Braynor Collins*Marsha Hunt as Freddie Andrews*Gene Kelly as Vito S...
(1943) - Phantom of the OperaPhantom of the Opera (1943 film)Phantom of the Opera is a 1943 Universal horror film starring Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster and Claude Rains, directed by Arthur Lubin, and filmed in Technicolor. The original music score was composed by Edward Ward....
(1943) - Night Plane from ChungkingNight Plane from ChungkingNight Plane from Chungking is an American war film released by Paramount Pictures, and is a remake of Paramount's earlier film Shanghai Express ....
(1943) - Whistling in BrooklynWhistling in BrooklynWhistling in Brooklyn is the third and last film starring comedian Red Skelton as radio personality and amateur detective Wally "The Fox" Benton. Wally prepares to marry his girlfriend, but gets sidetracked when he is mistaken for a serial murderer...
(1943) - Meet the PeopleMeet the PeopleMeet the People was a 1944 MGM patriotic film made during World War II with Lucille Ball and Dick Powell that took its title from a successful Los Angeles stage revue...
(1944) - The Mask of DimitriosThe Mask of DimitriosThe Mask of Dimitrios is an American film noir directed by Jean Negulesco and written by Frank Gruber, based on the 1939 novel of the same name written by Eric Ambler . Ambler is known as a major influence on writers and an inventor of the modern thriller genre...
(1944) - The Seventh CrossThe Seventh CrossAnna Seghers' novel The Seventh Cross , is one of the better-known examples of German literature circa World War II. It was published first in America, in an abridged version, in September 1942 by Little, Brown and Company...
(1944) - In SocietyIn SocietyIn Society is a 1944 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It was the first of five Abbott and Costello films to be directed by Jean Yarbrough. It was re-released in 1953.-Plot:...
(1944) - The ConspiratorsThe ConspiratorsThe Conspirators is a 1944 film directed by Jean Negulesco. It stars Hedy Lamarr and Paul Henreid.-Cast:*Hedy Lamarr as Irene Von Mohr*Paul Henreid as Vincent Van Der Lyn*Sydney Greenstreet as Ricardo Quintanilla*Peter Lorre as Jan Bernazsky...
(1944) - Hotel BerlinHotel BerlinHotel Berlin is a film set in Berlin near the close of the Second World War, made by Warner Brothers in late 1944 - early 1945. The film was released in March, 1945....
(1945) - Tarzan and the AmazonsTarzan and the AmazonsTarzan and the Amazons is an adventure film starring Johnny Weissmuller in his ninth outing as Tarzan. Brenda Joyce makes the first of five appearances as Jane and Johnny Sheffield returns as Boy. Henry Stephenson and Maria Ouspenskaya co-star. The movie was produced by Sol Lesser and Kurt...
(1945) - SpellboundSpellbound (1945 film)Spellbound is a psychological mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1945. It tells the story of the new head of a mental asylum who turns out not to be what he claims. The film stars Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Chekhov and Leo G. Carroll. It is an adaptation by Angus...
(1945) - CorneredCornered (film)Cornered is a film noir starring Dick Powell and directed by Edward Dmytryk. This is the second teaming of Powell and Dmytryk .Many scenes shot by cinematographer Harry J. Wild and Dmytryk stand out as classic film noir...
(1945) - GildaGildaGilda is a 1946 American black-and-white film noir directed by Charles Vidor. It stars Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth in her signature role as the ultimate femme fatale. The film was noted for cinematographer Rudolph Mate's lush photography, costume designer Jean Louis' wardrobe for Hayworth , and...
(1946) - Deadline at DawnDeadline at DawnDeadline at Dawn is a 1946 film noir, the only film directed by stage director Harold Clurman. It was written by Clifford Odets and based on a novella by Cornell Woolrich . The RKO Radio Picture was the only cinematic collaboration between Clurman and his former Group Theatre associate,...
(1946) - So Dark the NightSo Dark the NightSo Dark the Night is an American crime film noir directed by Joseph H. Lewis and written by Dwight V. Babcock, Martin Berkeley, based on a story written by Aubrey Wisberg...
(1946) - The UnfaithfulThe UnfaithfulThe Unfaithful is a 1947 film noir based on the W. Somerset Maugham penned 1940 Bette Davis movie The Letter. The film was directed by Vincent Sherman.-Plot:Chris Hunter stabs a man in her home one night while her husband Bob is out of town...
(1947) - I Love TroubleI Love Trouble (1948 film)I Love Trouble is a film noir written by Roy Huggins from his first novel The Double Take, directed by S. Sylvan Simon, and starring Franchot Tone as Stuart Bailey. The character of Stuart Baily was later portrayed by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr...
(1948) - The Dark PastThe Dark PastThe Dark Past is a psychological thriller film directed by Rudolph Maté, and starring William Holden, Nina Foch, and Lee J. Cobb. The film, released by Columbia Pictures is a remake of Blind Alley , also released by Columbia, and based on a play by American playwright James Warwick.-Plot:A...
(1948) - Ladies of the ChorusLadies of the ChorusLadies of the Chorus is a 1948 Hollywood film produced by Columbia Pictures. It stars Marilyn Monroe in her first major role as Peggy Martin, a dancer who falls in love with a wealthy man portrayed by Rand Brooks...
(1948) - Once More, My DarlingOnce More, My DarlingOnce More, My Darling is a 1949 American comedy film directed by and starring Robert Montgomery. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording .-Cast:* Robert Montgomery as Collier 'Collie' Laing...
(1949) - In a Lonely PlaceIn a Lonely PlaceIn a Lonely Place is a film noir directed by Nicholas Ray, and starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame, produced for Bogart's Santana Productions. The script was adapted by Edmund North from the 1947 novel In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes.Bogart stars in the film as Dixon Steele, a...
(1950) - The Second WomanThe Second WomanThe Second Woman is a black-and-white film noir melodrama directed by James V. Kern-Plot:This psychological thriller tells the story of Jeff Cohalan . He's a successful architect who is tormented by the fact that his fiancée was killed in a mysterious car accident on the night before their wedding...
(1950) - All About EveAll About EveAll About Eve is a 1950 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve", by Mary Orr.The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but aging Broadway star...
(1950) - Woman on the RunWoman on the RunWoman on the Run is a 1950 black-and-white film noir directed by Norman Foster.- Plot :As the film opens, a man, Frank Johnson , is walking his dog in the city at night. He witnesses a man in a car talking about a crime. The man then gets shot. But whoever shot that man then sees Frank and shoots...
(1950) - The House on Telegraph HillThe House on Telegraph HillThe House on Telegraph Hill is a film noir starring Richard Basehart, Valentina Cortese, and William Lundigan, directed by Robert Wise, and released by Twentieth Century Fox. Parts of the film were filmed on location in the Telegraph Hill area of San Francisco...
(1951) - Affair in TrinidadAffair in TrinidadAffair in Trinidad is a film produced by Hayworth's Beckworth Corporation, released by Columbia Pictures, and starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. It is notable as Hayworth's "comeback" film after four years away from Columbia, as a re-teaming of the Gilda co-stars, and for a fiery opening...
(1952) - The Big SkyThe Big Sky (film)The Big Sky is a 1952 Western film directed by Howard Hawks, based on the novel of the same name. The cast includes Kirk Douglas, Arthur Hunnicutt, Dewey Martin and Elizabeth Threatt....
(1952) - Call Me MadamCall Me Madam (film)Call Me Madam is a 1953 musical film directed by Walter Lang, with songs by Irving Berlin, based on the stage musical of the same name.The film, with a screenplay by Arthur Sheekman, starred Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Vera-Ellen, Billy DeWolfe, George Sanders, and Walter Slezak...
(1953) - Gentlemen Prefer BlondesGentlemen Prefer BlondesGentlemen Prefer Blondes is a 1953 film adaptation of the 1949 stage musical, released by 20th Century Fox, directed by Howard Hawks and starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, with Charles Coburn, Elliott Reid, Tommy Noonan, Taylor Holmes, and Norma Varden in supporting roles...
(1953) - The Golden BladeThe Golden BladeThe Golden Blade is an adventure film from 1953 directed by Nathan Juran and starring Rock Hudson as Harun Al-Rashid and Piper Laurie as Princess Khairuzan...
(1953) - The French LineThe French LineThe French Line is a 1954 musical film starring Jane Russell made by RKO Pictures, directed by Lloyd Bacon and produced by Edmund Grainger, with Howard Hughes as executive producer. The screenplay was by Mary Loos and Richard Sale, based on a story by Matty Kemp and Isabel Dawn...
(1953) - Paris PlayboysParis PlayboysParis Playboys is a 1954 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on March 7, 1954 by Allied Artists and is the thirty-third film in the series.-Plot:...
(1954) - Knock on Wood (1954)
- Tobor the GreatTobor the GreatTobor the Great is a 1954 science fiction film, written by Carl Dudley & Philip MacDonald, and directed by Lee Sholem. It stars Charles Drake, Karin Booth, and Billy Chapin. The film was released on DVD on May 13, 2008 by Lionsgate Home Entertainment.Dr...
(1954) - New York ConfidentialNew York Confidential (film)New York Confidential is a 1955 crime film starring Broderick Crawford and Richard Conte as New York gangsters. It is based on the 1948 book New York: Confidential! by Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer.-Plot:...
(1955) - A Bullet for JoeyA Bullet for JoeyA Bullet for Joey is a 1955 film noir starring Edward G. Robinson and George Raft-Critical Response:In his book, Film Noir, Detective and Mystery Movies on DVD, John Howard Reid considered the movie dull. Slow pace, one-dimensional characters, and an unconvincing climax plague the film....
(1955) - To Catch a ThiefTo Catch a Thief (film)To Catch a Thief is a 1955 romantic thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis and John Williams. The movie is set on the French Riviera, and was based on the 1952 novel of the same name by David Dodge...
(1955) - Verboten!Verboten!Verboten! is a 1959 film written, produced and directed by Samuel Fuller. It was the last film of the influential but troubled RKO studio, which co-produced it with Fuller's own Globe Enterprises. It was filmed at the RKO Forty Acres backlot...
(1959) - Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's DaughterJesse James Meets Frankenstein's DaughterJesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter is a low-budget western/horror hybrid film filmed in 1966, in which a fictionalized version of the real-life western outlaw Jesse James encounters the fictional granddaughter of the famous Dr. Frankenstein. The film was originally released as part of a...
(1966)