Géza Hofi

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Géza Hofi (born Géza Hoffmann, July 2, 1936 in Budapest; died April 10, 2002 in Budapest) was a Hungarian actor and comedian. He is probably the most popular Hungarian parodist and had strong influence on Hungarian cabaret.

[edit] About Hofi

Hofi Géza was for many years the highlight of Hungarian cabaret. He never followed any pattern nor movement, he was always following his own trail. His unique performances made him probably the most popular comedian of his time, whilst many say, of all times. His death created an enormous vacuum in Hungarian comedy, though there never will come another comedian like him. Even today, he is referred to as "A Hofi", or "The Hofi" in English, with the definite article. He was truly a national institution. His style as a comedian was somewhat quite unique. It couldn't be categorised as stand-up comedy, though it didn't fit any other category either. His shows were so unique, and his performances so popular, that nobody has dared to follow his trail. His theatre shows were sold out many months in advance, and there was rarely an empty seat in the house. His style and his shows were generally not understood by foreigners. Strangely enough, Hungarians living outside Hungary, especially those living overseas never really understood what he was saying either. This wasn't because of a language gap, it was because of having experienced events in a different way.

[edit] Career

He inherited his sense of criticism from his father, and he also claimed to have inherited his musicality from his mother. Géza Hoffmann, as he was then known, applied for placement at the Academy of Theatrical Arts, but he was not admitted. So instead he went to work as a worker at a porcellain factory. He signed up to the theatrical school directed by Kálmán Rózsahegyi, where amongst others he met József Sas and István Sztankay, who were later both his colleagues and good friends. Whilst working in the factory, he joined the theatrical circle lead by András Jászai. He has already been painting porcellain for five years when in 1960, József Szendrő, a well-known theatrical director of the time spotted his talent. He was offered a contract with the Csokonai theatre of Debrecen in September, 1960. Whilst an actor here, he was keen to parodise the performances with his friends. He became so good at this, that by 1963 he has decided to move back to his native Budapest, and with the permission of the National Directing Agency, under his stage name of Hofi, was now allowed to perform.

He became famous when on New Year's Eve of 1968 he performed his brilliant song-contest parody, on the Hungarian Radio. He signed a contract with Mikroszkóp Theatre in 1969, where he remained until 1982. His director here was János Komlós. In 1983 Ottó Ádám convinced him to move to Madách Kamara, where he entertained the public with his own scripts and dramaturgy. His show Hofélia was played more than 500 times, and his new show My Life's Worth was played some 1400 times, from October, 1987. His performances were released on LP records several times, many of them have sold hundreds of thousands of copies. He recorded a song with János Koós, called Cowardly Cats, which was a smash hit. This was also made into an animated film.

Hofi carried on playing after the changeover in 1989, his style, provocative humour, and the tone of his performances remained unchanged. He suffered a heart-attack in the early 1990-s, and was also operated on his eye several times. He had been ridden with ill health during the early 2000-s, and he returned to the stage for the last time in February, 2002, where he performed for another two months. He died in his sleep on April 10, 2002. He is resting among famous Hungarian celebrities in the Farkasréti cemetery.

Hofi was probably one of the greatest stars of the Radio Cabaret, and his performance in the New Year's Eve programmes was a guarantee for success. His recording of the song Relax! remains popular and often sung even today.

He was closely watched because of his criticisms of the political régime, and he mentioned this several times during his performances. He was even monitored by the Czechoslovakian Secret Services. Though he was critical about the régime, he even parodied the head-of-state of the time, János Kádár, who was witnessed laughing whilst watching the performance.

[edit] Awards and prizes

Géza Hofi was presented with awards several times, receiving some more than once.

• Jászai Mari Prize for Actors (1970, 1973)
• Merited Performer Award (1977)
• Excellent Performer Award (1988)
• Déryné Prize for Actors (1995)
• Officer's Cross of the Order of the Republic of Hungary (1996)
• The Kossuth Prize, the highest award for a performer (1998)
• Pro Cultura Urbis prize, presented by the Assembly of Budapest (2002)

Although it is not an award, it is worth mentioning that the statue called "Theatre", sculpted by Géza Stremeny, which was erected in front of the main entrance of Mikroszkóp Theatre, was modelled after Hofi. This statue is popularly referred to as "the Hofi-statue", although many feel that it would be appropriate for him to receive another, even more depicting statue.