CELEBRITY Total Brand Licensing spoke to Lynne Lugosi Sparks, CEO of LUGOSI LLC and granddaughter of Bela Lugosi – about the icon who is Dracula and the Bela Lugosi brand
“I Am Dracula...” Can you give us some history of Bela Lugosi, his rise to fame and worldwide recognition? Bela Lugosi’s body of work is impressive. His stage appearances in Budapest alone total well over 200 productions and he appeared in 48 stage productions in the United States. His filmography consists of 113 screen performances, including 23 films in Hungary and Germany. But it was his portrayal of the vampire from Bram Stoker’s gothic masterpiece that made him a cultural icon. Bela Lugosi was born in 1882 in Lugos, Hungary (now Lugoj, Romania), an area which, during his childhood, was part of the region known as…. Transylvania. At the age of twelve, he left home to pursue his dream of being an actor. He rose in the ranks on stages across Hungary and evenPAGE 48
tually became a member of the National Theater, playing a wide range of roles from Shakespeare’s characters to Jesus Christ in The Passion. During WWI, Bela fought in the Hungarian Army on the Russian front and was wounded three times. He returned to his career on the stage, and in 1917 began acting in Hungarian silent films. Lugosi was instrumental in the formation of the National Trade Union of Actors, and during the political turmoil of 1919 he was among many in Hungary’s artist community who were forced to flee the country under threat of death. Bela continued acting in films in Germany before coming to the United States in 1920. In 1927 he was cast as the lead role in the Broadway stage production of Dracula. It was
there, on the stage, that Bela Lugosi created his unique interpretation of the character: the make-up, the mode of dress, the mannerisms. Along with his hypnotizing gaze and distinct accent, this became the characterization which made him a star. He brought his portrayal to the screen in the 1931 Universal film, which is credited as the catalyst for horror as a popular film genre. Lugosi’s portrayal of Count Dracula set the standard for all future interpretations of the character. He personified evil while romanticizing the vampire—Bela Lugosi is Dracula. (BelaLugosi.com) How long has his name been a brand, and how long has there been a licensing program around him? Our licensing program has an interesting history. In 1963, my dad, Bela G. Lugosi, discovered that Universal Studios had embarked on a program to license his father’s image on merchandise. He filed suit against the studio in what has become the landmark case, Lugosi v. Universal Pictures. His suit maintained that the characterization of Dracula created by Bela Lugosi was not the property of Universal Studios, but rather the property of Bela Lugosi and his heirs. There was no precedent in this area, and consequently the case was in the courts for 16 years. The favorable result finally came in 1984 with the enactment of the California Celebrity Rights Act by the California Legislature, making the right to exploit the name and likeness of a celebrity a property right which survives his or her death. Soon after the enactment of the California law, Bela G. Lugosi began a licensing program which enabled the Lugosi family to both protect Bela Lugosi’s name and likeness and extend his legacy through quality, approved merchandise. Bela Lugosi is more than a celebrity likeness, he is a brand embodying all things horror. Although we have been licensing Bela Lugosi’s name and likeness for commercial use for many years, we began exhibiting as a brand at the Licensing TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
