Stunning Stories of Famous Hungarians Who Made It In Hollywood

Stories of Hungarian Filmmakers who Became World-famous in the Hollywood Film Industry

Last updated on January 22nd, 2025

There is a well-known saying in Hungary: "Wherever you go in the world, you are sure to find Hungarians." What you may not realize is how true this has been for Hollywood, especially during its golden age.

Hungarians began emigrating to the United States after the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, but the largest wave came during and after World War II, when many were forced to flee Europe. For some, this emigration marked the beginning of a remarkable transformation, as they went on to play pivotal roles in shaping the American film industry. This article is dedicated to sharing some of their incredible stories.

WILLIAM FOX, the Founder of Fox Film Corporation

William Fox, born as Fried Vilmos in 1879 in the small Hungarian village of Tolcsva, became a prominent producer and the founder of Fox Film Corporation.

When Fox was just nine months old, his family emigrated to the United States due to the harsh living conditions in Hungary. Upon arrival, they adopted the surname "Fox," taken from his mother’s maiden name. Having left Hungary at such a young age, Fox never learned to speak Hungarian.

He grew up in one of New York’s poorest neighborhoods, where he began working at the age of 8 as a servant in a lavatory. Of his eleven siblings in America, only six survived the family’s dire living conditions. Fox left school at just 11 years old.

As a young man, Fox worked as a salesman in the fur garment industry. After saving a few thousand dollars, he transitioned to the flourishing film industry, purchasing a nickelodeon in Brooklyn. By the end of the year, he owned an entire chain of nickelodeons and a production company, marking the beginning of his empire. Fox laid the groundwork for the Hollywood studio system by founding Fox Film Corporation and the Fox West Coast Theatres chain. He pioneered the star culture and played a crucial role in breaking Thomas Edison’s monopoly on the film industry.

Industry Accomplishments

After spending a few years in the film production industry, William Fox realized that increasing profitability could be achieved by exhibiting films multiple times. This required smaller investments than producing new films, so he founded the Box Office Attractions Company, a film distribution enterprise. This move marked one of his first steps in challenging Thomas Edison’s monopoly on the industry. Fox even initiated an antitrust lawsuit against Edison’s Patent Company, which he won. This victory revolutionized the film industry, as it ended Edison’s dominance and allowed free competition, leading to a rapid improvement in the quality of productions.

Fox produced his first film, Life’s Shop Window, in 1914, and the following year, he founded Fox Film Corporation. Before long, he owned the Fox theatre chain, consisting of 1,000 cinemas, which made him a millionaire. With his substantial profits from mainstream films, Fox funded art house projects and provided opportunities to talented, up-and-coming directors.

A visionary businessman, Fox was the first to recognize the potential of marketing films through their actors rather than solely their directors or writers. He introduced the concept of giving screen credits to actors, attracting top talent to his productions. Fox even transformed unknown performers into stars, meticulously crafting their public images and careers.

One notable example of Fox’s marketing brilliance was Theda Bara, an ordinary girl from Cincinnati whom he turned into a major star and the first on-screen “vamp”. Audiences adored these larger-than-life personalities, flocking to theaters to see them, which in turn generated immense profits for Fox.

In 1923, Fox constructed the Fox Hill studios, now the home of 20th Century Fox. In 1926, he made a groundbreaking acquisition of the Movietone sound-on-film system, becoming one of the first studios, alongside Warner Brothers, to experiment with sound films. That same year, he built “Movietone City,” a 300-acre, state-of-the-art studio in Beverly Hills.

During this period, Fox reached the pinnacle of his career and wealth. He often boasted that not a single day passed without his name appearing on at least one movie screen worldwide. According to legend, Fox never carried a bill smaller than $100 and, in his desire to defy time, never wore a watch.

During his time in Hollywood, Fox collaborated closely with numerous Hungarian actors, writers, and creatives. Although he never returned to Hungary, he sent a filmmaker to his hometown to capture footage, which he later shared with his family in the United States. In 1999, a memorial tablet made of Hungary’s renowned Herendi porcelain was placed in the screening room of Fox Film Studio to honor his legacy.

Fox’s former home in Tolcsva was recently rediscovered and is set to be transformed into a museum in his honor, a project expected to significantly boost tourism in the town. His contributions to the art, technology, and business of the film industry solidify his reputation as a pioneer.

However, Fox’s success story was not without hardship. The stock market crash of 1929, coupled with legal troubles and a car accident, forced him into bankruptcy. In 1930, Fox lost control of the Fox Film Corporation in a hostile takeover.

In 1941, he was imprisoned for several months for bribing a judge during the liquidation of his holdings. After being blacklisted, Fox was forced to retire from the film business. He passed away in New York in 1952 at the age of 73. None of his former colleagues from the film industry attended his funeral. Despite losing his holdings in the 1930s, William Fox’s legacy endures through the name 20th Century Fox and the films that have touched the lives of millions.

ADOLPH ZUKOR, the Founder of Paramount Pictures

Adolph Zukor, the founder of Paramount Picture *Photo: Wikipedia*

Adolph Zukor became one of the founding fathers of the Hollywood film industry by establishing Paramount Pictures. Rising from humble beginnings, he achieved everything he ever aspired to through relentless hard work, cementing his place as a key figure in the development of the American film industry.

Born in 1873 in the Hungarian town of Ricse, Zukor grew up in modest circumstances, with his parents running a small shop. Tragedy struck early when he became an orphan at the age of 7.

Despite being an exceptional student, Zukor had to begin working at the age of 12 while attending night school. At 15, he made the bold decision to emigrate to the United States entirely on his own. Having completed only elementary school, he never returned to formal education. With just a few dollars sewn into the lining of his coat, he arrived in New York in 1889.

In the United States, Zukor found his first job at a furrier. During his free time, he played baseball and sang Hungarian songs with fellow immigrants. Over the years, he saved enough money to visit Hungary, where he married Lottie Kaufman, a Hungarian immigrant.

Youtube The History of the founders of hollywood

Zukor eventually established his own fur shop, but everything changed when he saw his first movie. Recognizing the potential of the motion picture industry, he invested in a Union Square penny arcade in 1903. The venture was so successful that he sold his fur business and opened additional arcades, laying the foundation for what would become a vast motion picture production and distribution empire.

Industry Accomplishments

Adolph Zukor’s success largely stemmed from his realization that feature films were more economically viable than short films. When he acquired the American rights to the feature film Queen Elizabeth for $40,000 and served as its exclusive distributor, it became an instant hit, earning him a fortune and proving the profitability of feature films.

In 1912, Zukor founded the Famous Players Film Company, which produced such classics as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Prisoner of Zenda. These films exceeded all expectations, and with significant financial backing, Zukor set his sights on bringing celebrated stage actors to the screen.

Zukor also opened Hollywood’s first studio building, attracting a host of famous actors. His studio worked with legends like Mary Pickford, Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, Gary Cooper, and Douglas Fairbanks, propelling them to stardom.

One of Zukor’s key innovations was the concept of exclusivity, requiring his actors to sign contracts that prevented them from working for other studios. While not always financially favorable or fair to the actors, these contracts guaranteed them the fame they sought. To this day, the stars on Paramount’s logo symbolize the studio’s first signed stars.

In 1916, Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky, owner of the Lasky Company, purchased Paramount’s owner and merged their three companies into one. Zukor became president of the newly formed Paramount, which thrived under his leadership.

Unlike many of his peers, Zukor wasn’t an eccentric or highly publicized figure. Often mistaken for a typical businessman, he preferred to work behind the scenes. Around the studio, he earned playful nicknames, such as "Sugar," a nod to the Hungarian meaning of his surname. By the 1910s and 1920s, Zukor had built a cinema chain with nearly 2,000 screens, ran two production studios, and invested in radio. However, his true genius lay in his ability to organize his company’s industrial structure.

Zukor pioneered the model of an integrated film studio, centralizing all aspects of the film industry—production, distribution, and exhibition—under one company, giving Paramount unparalleled control. He was also notorious for his hands-on approach, visiting movie sets every morning and keeping a watchful eye on production.

By the 1910s and 1920s, Zukor’s career had reached its zenith. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood, founding Paramount Pictures and building an extensive network of cinemas and studios. Despite his success, Zukor never forgot his roots, maintaining close ties to his hometown of Ricse. He sent money to build a school and supported residents in need, consistently finding ways to give back.

Though Zukor spent most of his life in the United States, his connection to his homeland remained strong. One of the most famous anecdotes about him is tied to an inscription in his office that read: “It is not enough to be Hungarian,” to which he would quietly add, “but it may help.”

In 1932, Paramount went bankrupt, prompting Zukor to step down as president and take on the role of chairman of the board.

Zukor’s visionary approach to the motion picture industry earned him an Academy Award in 1949 for his lifetime achievements. He documented his extraordinary journey in his 1953 memoir, The Public Is Never Wrong. While Zukor retired from Paramount in 1949, he continued to serve as chairman emeritus until his death in 1976 at the remarkable age of 103.

Today, Paramount Pictures stands as the fourth-oldest surviving film studio in the world, a testament to Zukor’s enduring legacy.

BÉLA LUGOSI, a.k.a Dracula

Béla Lugosi, born Béla Blaskó, is best known for his iconic portrayal of Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic Dracula. This world-renowned character actor was born in 1882 in Lugos, Hungary, a town that later inspired his stage name.

Lugosi began his acting career in Hungary but fled the country after the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1919 due to his involvement in the actors’ union. He first worked in Germany before settling in the United States. His American career began with a Broadway adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, where his mesmerizing portrayal of the titular vampire earned him widespread acclaim. In 1931, he was cast in the same role for the hit feature film, cementing his legacy.

Lugosi’s portrayal of Dracula was groundbreaking, characterized by an enigmatic, seductive, and menacing presence. His performance made him an instant sensation, but his thick Hungarian accent severely limited his acting opportunities. Typecasting kept him confined to character roles, and he struggled with frustration throughout his career.

Following the success of Dracula, Lugosi became one of America’s most celebrated horror stars. He frequently collaborated with the legendary Boris Karloff, creating classics like The Black Cat and Son of Frankenstein. However, as time went on, he found it increasingly difficult to secure substantial roles outside the horror genre. Producers began relegating him to minor parts, and during this period, Lugosi developed a morphine addiction, which further affected his career.

During his later years, Lugosi found himself working with Ed Wood, a director known for his low-budget, infamous films. A devoted fan of Lugosi, Wood offered him roles in movies like Bride of the Monster and Glen or Glenda. Despite this renewed collaboration, Lugosi’s decline continued, and he passed away in 1956 from a heart attack. In an enduring tribute to his most famous role, he was buried wearing one of his Dracula costumes. Today, the iconic cape he wore in Dracula is preserved by Universal Studios.

Although his career ended on a somber note, Lugosi’s legacy lives on. In the 1994 film Ed Wood, directed by Tim Burton, Lugosi was portrayed by Martin Landau, who won an Academy Award for his performance.

To this day, many consider Béla Lugosi to be the definitive Dracula, his portrayal remaining unmatched in the annals of cinematic history.

MICHAEL CURTIZ, the Oscar-winning Director of Casablanca

Michael Curtiz, born Kertész Mihály, was a Hungarian-American film director best known for directing one of the greatest films in cinematic history: Casablanca.

Michael Curtiz won Academy Award for Best Director with the movie, Casablanca

Born in 1886 in Hungary, Curtiz studied filmmaking and directing before launching his career. He left Hungary in 1919 when the nationalization of the Hungarian film industry prompted him to seek opportunities abroad. He first worked in Vienna before moving to the United States in 1926, where he was hired by Jack Warner as a director.

Curtiz’s career in America was prolific, producing numerous classics such as The Adventures of Robin Hood, Mildred Pierce, and Casablanca, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director. Casablanca is still celebrated today, with the American Film Institute ranking it as the third greatest American film of all time. Curtiz received four prior Oscar nominations for Captain Blood, Angels with Dirty Faces, Four Daughters, and Yankee Doodle Dandy. Over his illustrious career, Curtiz collaborated with legendary actors like Elvis Presley, Errol Flynn, and Humphrey Bogart.

Curtiz’s limited grasp of English became a famous part of Hollywood lore. One of the most well-known anecdotes involves him shouting, “Bring on the empty horses!” during a shoot, intending to request riderless horses. His phrasing left his colleagues in fits of laughter.

Curtiz’s most successful period was during his time at Warner Brothers. However, his career began to decline in the 1940s when he transitioned to freelancing. Despite this, he continued directing films until his death in 1962. Over the course of his career, Curtiz directed more than 50 films in Europe and over 100 in the United States.

Andrew G. Vajna, the producer of Rambo and Terminator

Andrew G. Vajna, widely known as Andy Vajna, was one of the most significant Hollywood producers of the late 20th century. He served as executive producer for the Rambo series, Terminator 3-5, Die Hard with a Vengeance, and Evita. He also founded two major production companies: Carolco Pictures and Cinergi Productions.

Although Vajna achieved immense success in Hollywood, his early life was marked by turmoil. In 1956, following the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian Revolution, 12-year-old Vajna emigrated to the United States with the help of the Red Cross. This experience—leaving his family behind to start a new life on another continent—shaped his driven, innovative, and fearless personality. After learning English, he studied cinematography at the University of California. However, his career began in an unexpected field: he became a hairdresser and later started a high-quality wig business in Hong Kong, which proved highly successful.

Selling the wig business provided Vajna with the financial stability to venture into film. He purchased cinemas in the Far East and established Panasia, a thriving film distribution company. After selling Panasia, Vajna co-founded Carolco Pictures with Mario Kassar in 1976. Starting as a small operation with just a handful of partners, the company grew into a global powerhouse, handling film distribution, funding, and sales.

Andrew Vajna (left) and Mario Kassar (right)

Vajna and Kassar’s first major success as producers was Rambo: First Blood, released in 1982. They purchased the rights to the book and envisioned Sylvester Stallone as the lead—though Stallone was not yet a major star. After initially agreeing to the role and then backing out, Stallone was drawn back when Vajna and Kassar cleverly hired him to rewrite the script for $100,000. His work on the script reignited his interest in the role, leading to the film’s success and a lasting partnership. The sequel, Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), achieved phenomenal box office success and cemented Vajna’s reputation in Hollywood.

Youtube TRAILER of RAMBO - FIRST BLOOD

Alongside his Hollywood success, Andy Vajna always maintained a strong connection with Hungary, even before the political transformations of the late 1980s. He was one of the first to bring a large-scale Hollywood production to the country when, as the producer of Red Heat in 1988, he led the cast and crew across the Iron Curtain. With Hungary already on the cusp of political change, the environment for international filmmaking was more welcoming than in Moscow, where the production was denied permits for even a single scene. Undeterred, Vajna devised a bold plan: the key crew members secretly flew to Moscow and managed to film a scene in Red Square without authorization. The production’s presence in Hungary was groundbreaking, providing opportunities for Hungarian actors and offering Budapest residents the unique experience of witnessing a Hollywood production in action for the first time.

After parting ways with Carolco due to disagreements with his partner, Vajna founded Cinergi Productions in 1989. This allowed him to continue pursuing his passion for independent film production and distribution, emphasizing close collaborations with his creative partners. Despite the split, Vajna maintained a good relationship with Carolco and even collaborated with the company as a producer on Terminator 2, one of its most iconic films.

Through Cinergi, Vajna partnered with Walt Disney Studios for nine years, producing several notable films. These included Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), the highest-grossing movie of that year. Another landmark project was Evita (1996), the historical musical starring Madonna as Eva Perón. The film earned critical acclaim, winning multiple awards, including a Golden Globe for Madonna’s performance and accolades for Best Picture and Best Original Song. While much of the filming took place on location in Buenos Aires, several key scenes were shot in Budapest. During this time, Vajna also worked with numerous star actors, including Anthony Hopkins, Sean Connery, and Danny DeVito. However, despite these high-profile productions, several of Cinergi’s projects faced financial difficulties, ultimately leading to the company’s closure in 1998.

Youtube TRAILER OF DIE HARD 3

Vajna and the Hungarian Film Industry

Among the many Hollywood filmmakers of Hungarian origin, Andy Vajna stands out for never forgetting his roots and integrating them into his identity. Whenever he had the chance, he supported Hungary’s film industry—either by sharing his expertise or by bringing American productions to the country. Following the political changes in Hungary, he founded InterCom, which became the leading distributor of Hollywood films in the country.

Vajna was determined to demonstrate that Hungarian actors, creators, and crews could produce blockbuster movies comparable to those made in Hollywood. To prove his point, he produced his first Hungarian film in 1997, Out of Order, which became one of the country’s most successful comedies. From the outset, Vajna sought the perfect story, which he discovered in a Ray Cooney play performed in a theater. By the end of that same evening, he had purchased the rights, and within a year, the film was in cinemas—a testament to his drive and enthusiasm. Vajna also produced other Hungarian films, including Children of Glory, a poignant love story set during the 1956 revolution, the very event that had forced him to emigrate. The film premiered to commemorate the revolution’s 50th anniversary, earning critical and public acclaim.

In the final chapter of his life, from 2011 until his passing, Vajna moved back to Hungary permanently and began a transformative period in the country’s film industry. Appointed Government Commissioner for the renewal of Hungarian cinema, Vajna pursued two major objectives: to make Hungary a premier destination for international productions and to elevate Hungarian films to meet international standards.

Vajna played a pivotal role in introducing two legal reforms that made Hungary highly attractive to foreign filmmakers. First, he spearheaded the creation of a streamlined permit system for filming in public spaces. Second, he helped enhance the tax incentive program, which now offers a 30% rebate for international productions with projects that connect to European culture.

Beyond attracting international productions, Vajna sought to empower Hungary’s film industry by sharing his extensive knowledge and experience. His efforts led to a renaissance in Hungarian cinema, as evidenced by an upsurge in high-quality, diverse films that garnered international recognition. Highlights include the Academy Award, Grand Prix, and Golden Globe won by Son of Saul, as well as the Golden Bear awarded to On Body and Soul. Thanks to Vajna’s influence, Hungarian films once again achieved global respect after decades of relative obscurity.

However, in his final years, Vajna also became a politically polarizing figure in Hungary. He gained ownership of several major Hungarian media outlets, including commercial television and radio channels, as well as tabloids. Critics argued that these platforms became increasingly aligned with government interests and leaned toward tabloid-style content, making his role in Hungarian media a topic of significant controversy.

Until his death in Budapest in 2019 at the age of 74, Vajna remained fully active in the film industry. His funeral in Hungary’s prestigious Fiumei Road Cemetery was attended by notable figures such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Given the significant part of his life spent in Los Angeles, a second funeral was held in the United States, where his ashes were buried alongside his family members. This ceremony was attended by some of Hollywood’s most prominent figures. Vajna’s passing leaves an undeniable void in both Hungarian and international filmmaking, marking the end of a remarkable career that bridged continents and industries.

ISTVÁN SZABÓ, Academy Award Winning Director

István Szabó, born in 1938 in Hungary, is an acclaimed film director and screenwriter, best known for his Academy Award-winning film Mephisto (1981), which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

During World War II, Szabó and his family were pursued by the Nazis, but he survived by hiding in an orphanage. Unsurprisingly, many of his films explore themes of political conflict and the history of Central Europe.

István Szabó with Klaus Maria Brandauer at the 1982 Oscars

Szabó began his directing career in Hungary during the 1960s, creating films like Father and Confidence. The latter earned him the Best Director award at the Berlin Film Festival in 1980 and was nominated for an Academy Award. Szabó achieved his first Oscar win the following year with Mephisto, which also received the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival, solidifying his international reputation.

Despite these accolades, Szabó’s most famous film is arguably the 1999 historical drama Sunshine. Widely regarded as his most ambitious project, the movie features Ralph Fiennes in the lead role and chronicles the lives of the Jewish Sonnenschein family through the first half of the 20th century. The film was nominated for three Golden Globes and received glowing reviews, including praise from renowned critic Roger Ebert. Szabó has continued to direct internationally acclaimed films, including Being Julia (2004), for which Annette Bening won the Golden Globe for Best Actress.

In recent years, Szabó’s career has been overshadowed by controversy. In 2020, the Hungarian Film Academy Association presented him with a lifetime achievement award, sparking heated debate. A well-known Hungarian historian opposed the recognition, citing Szabó’s alleged activities as a government informant from 1957 to 1963. After the fall of communism, it was revealed that Szabó had reported on anti-government activities at the Hungarian Film University, including information about his classmates. Later, as a graduate, he allegedly continued reporting on fellow filmmakers and actors during a time of intense political repression following the 1956 revolution. Szabó ceased his informant activities at the age of 26 but received significant opportunities to direct feature films—privileges that were often denied to other talented directors who refused to cooperate with the Communist Party.

News of Szabó’s collaboration with the communist regime became public in 2006, but he and others claimed that his reports were intended to protect people rather than harm them. Nevertheless, the controversy raises important ethical questions: Can a lifetime of artistic achievements be celebrated if they were partly enabled by a dictatorial system? Public access to the archives remains limited, making it difficult to conclusively determine whether Szabó’s actions were driven by good intentions or not.

VILMOS ZSIGMOND, Oscar Winning Cinematographer

Vilmos Zsigmond, Academy Award-winning cinematographer with Jack Nicholson in 1989 *Photo: Eliot Marks*

Vilmos Zsigmond, born in Hungary in 1930, is celebrated as one of Hollywood’s most prestigious and innovative cinematographers, known for his distinctive visual style. The early years of his career were spent in Hungary, where he studied cinematography and began working in the film industry. However, a pivotal moment came in 1956 when Zsigmond, alongside a friend, filmed the events of the Hungarian Revolution. Their footage played a crucial role in informing the West about the uprising, but the act forced them to flee the country.

After arriving in the United States, Zsigmond became a citizen in 1962 and began working as a photographer in Los Angeles. Throughout the 1960s, he tirelessly sought to break into the film industry, taking on numerous independent film projects. His breakthrough finally came in the 1970s when director Robert Altman hired him as the cinematographer for the now-cult classic McCabe & Mrs. Miller.

Youtube A SCENE FROM McCabe & Mrs. Miller

Zsigmond was given the freedom to implement his artistic vision, crafting a unique visual style for the film. He achieved this by using a specialized laboratory process that gave the movie a distinctive, vintage look, evoking the atmosphere of early cinema. This innovation earned Zsigmond widespread acclaim and recognition.

In the years that followed, Zsigmond worked on a series of iconic films, including Altman’s The Long Goodbye, John Boorman’s Deliverance, and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Throughout his career, Zsigmond received four additional Oscar nominations for his work on McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Deer Hunter, The River, and The Black Dahlia. He also collaborated multiple times with Woody Allen on films such as Cassandra’s Dream and Melinda and Melinda.

And Many, Many Others...

Countless Hungarians have made their mark on Hollywood, but we only have the space to mention a few more extraordinary figures.

You might know that the protagonist of the legendary Some Like It Hot with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, was also Hungarian. This might not come as a surprise, as in the later decades of his life, he took great interest in his Hungarian heritage, alongside his daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis.

His parents were Hungarian immigrants to America, and Curtis himself spoke only Hungarian until the age of six, which made starting school a challenge. Together with his daughter, Tony Curtis helped finance the restoration of Budapest’s Great Synagogue in the 1990s and founded the Emanuel Foundation for Hungarian Culture. He also appeared in several commercials promoting tourism in Hungary.

If you are a fan of classic Hollywood, you might have heard of George Cukor, the master of romantic movies. Yes, he too had Hungarian roots. Though born in New York, his parents were Hungarian immigrants. Cukor directed timeless classics such as The Philadelphia Story, My Fair Lady, and Romeo and Juliet. He is also credited with playing a pivotal role in shaping Katharine Hepburn’s legendary career.

Hungarians have also achieved unparalleled success in music. Miklós Rózsa, a three-time Oscar-winning composer, created scores for cinematic masterpieces such as Hitchcock’s Spellbound, Ben-Hur, and El Cid. His contributions to film music have left an indelible mark on the industry.

Frank Darabont is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of Hungarian heritage, whose life story exemplifies the adventurous and dangerous journeys of Hungarian émigrés from the 1956 Revolution. According to his recollection, his parents fled the country with the infant Darabont hidden in a picnic basket, eventually arriving in Chicago and later settling in Los Angeles when he was five years old. He grew up to become a celebrated filmmaker, earning three Academy Award nominations and a Golden Globe. Darabont is renowned for his masterful adaptations of Stephen King’s works, including The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist. He is also widely respected for developing and executive producing the first season of the acclaimed horror series The Walking Dead and for creating the neo-noir TNT series Mob City.

Joe Eszterhas, a screenwriter born in a Hungarian village, ended up in an Austrian refugee camp during the Second World War and then moved with his family to the poor immigrant area of Cleveland, New York. In the 1970s, he worked for Rolling Stone and wrote his first screenplay for F.I.S.T., starring Sylvester Stallone. He continued to write the scripts of such cult films as Basic Instinct, Flashdance, and Jagged Edge. He also wrote the script for the movie Showgirls, which earned him an award for the worst screenplay. Paradoxically, as time went on, the film gained immense popularity among the public, becoming one of MGM’s top 20 all-time bestsellers. However, all the scripts he wrote during the following decade failed to be produced. After a long period of setbacks, one of his scripts was finally brought to life in 2006. The producer was Andy Vajna, a Hollywood filmmaker also born in Hungary. Together, they returned to Hungary to shoot the Hungarian-language film Children of Glory, a story about the 1956 Revolution in Budapest.

Klasky Csupo Inc. was founded and is led by Gábor Csupó and his ex-partner Arlene Klasky. Csupó was born and grew up in Budapest, but escaped the Communist regime in 1975 at the age of 23, moving first to Sweden and later to the United States. Klasky Csupo Inc. is one of the most renowned animation studios in Hollywood. Its success peaked in the 1990s while working on the pilot and the first three seasons of the iconic The Simpsons. Csupó himself decided on the show’s signature quirky coloring, which has since become legendary. Another major success came with the production of Rugrats, one of Nickelodeon’s first animated series. The studio also created Duckman and went on to produce numerous other animated series, films, and commercials, even earning an Emmy Award.

In recent years, Hungarian-made films have achieved remarkable success in Hollywood, earning Oscars and other internationally renowned awards.

Made in 2015, Son of Saul is an Oscar-winning Hungarian film that approaches the Holocaust in an innovative and transformative way, leaving a profound impact on both the mainstream film industry and audiences. Its story and unique visual style were inspired by documents and photographs created by members of the Sonderkommando—prisoner work units forced to carry out the gruesome tasks behind the Nazi extermination process. The extraordinary collaboration between cinematographer Miklós Erdélyi and director László Nemes Jeles resulted in the film’s distinctive close-up framing, which immerses viewers in the harrowing reality of the death camps while avoiding direct depictions of violence and death.

Another victory came in 2016 when the short film Sing won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film. Set in 1991, it is a partially psychological and partially symbolic story about community and authority, subtly linking its themes to history and the political transition of that era, though it can just as easily be interpreted as a commentary on contemporary issues.

On Body and Soul is a psychological and spiritual film unlike any other, telling the story of a love that begins in the shared dreams of two workers in a slaughterhouse. Directed and written by Ildikó Enyedi, the film captivated both audiences and the film world with its profoundly unique perspective on the human condition and the art of filmmaking. Released in 2017, the movie won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, received an Oscar nomination, and saw its lead actress, Alexandra Borbély, honored with the European Actress award at the European Film Awards.

The list of Hungarians in Hollywood and the Hungarian films recognized in Hollywood could go on endlessly, but this article cannot. As you can see, the presence of Hungarians in the American film industry is so remarkable that it almost begs for an explanation—though none can truly be given. Norman Macrae, the former chief editor of The Economist, once humorously suggested that the word "movie" might have originated from the Hungarian word for it: "mozi."

Whatever the reason behind this phenomenon may be, one thing is certain: without these remarkable Hungarians, the Hollywood film industry would not be what it is today.