Turhan Bey
| Turhan Bey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Turhan Gilbert Selahattin Sahultavy 30 March 1922 Vienna, Austria |
| Died |
30 September 2012 (aged 90) Vienna, Austria |
| Years active | 1941–1953 and 1990–1998 |
Turhan Bey (30 March 1922 – 30 September 2012)[1] was an Austrian-born[2] actor. Turhan was active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953. He was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans.[3] After his return to Europe, he pursued careers as a photographer and stage director. Returning briefly to Hollywood to receive an award, he made several guest appearances in 1990s television series including SeaQuest DSV, Murder, She Wrote and Babylon 5 as well as a number of films. After retiring he appeared in a number of documentaries, including a German-language documentary on his life.
Life and career
Turhan was born Turhan Gilbert Selahattin Sahultavy in Vienna, Austria, on 30 March 1922, as the son of a Turkish diplomat and a Czechoslovakian Jewish mother.[3][4] After the annexation of Austria to Nazi Germany and his parents' divorce, he and his mother emigrated to the U.S. in 1940, settling in Los Angeles.[5]
When he enrolled in classes to improve his English, he also was asked to play a role in a teacher's play. A talent scout from Warner Brothers was in the audience, was impressed and signed him to a contract, under the name of Turhan Bey.[5]
He often appeared with María Montez; they appeared in such films as Raiders of the Desert, Arabian Nights, White Savage, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Bowery to Broadway, Follow the Boys, and Sudan. He also had roles in Night in Paradise, The Amazing Mr. X and Out of the Blue. In 1944 a poll by exhibitors of "Stars of Tomorrow" listed him at number nine.[6]
Turhan's career faded by the late 1940s and, after filming Sam Katzman's Prisoners of the Casbah in 1953, and facing an unknown scandal,[7] he moved back to Vienna and lived with his mother while working as a photographer for girlie magazines.[7] Turhan returned to the United States in the early 1990s and appeared in two episodes of the science fiction TV series Babylon 5: first as the Emperor of Centauri (who also had the name Turhan), and later as a Minbari Ranger named Turval. A documentary film about Turhan, Vom Glück verfolgt. Wien - Hollywood - Retour, was made in 2002 by Andrea Eckert.
Death
Turhan died on 30 September 2012 from Parkinson's disease.[8]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Shadows on the Stairs | Ram Singh | |
| 1941 | Footsteps in the Dark | Ahmed | |
| 1941 | Raiders of the Desert | Hassen Mohammed | |
| 1941 | Burma Convoy | Mr. Yuchau | |
| 1941 | The Gay Falcon | Manuel Retana | |
| 1941 | Bombay Clipper | Captain Chundra | |
| 1942 | Unseen Enemy | Ito | |
| 1942 | The Falcon Takes Over | Jules Amthor | |
| 1942 | Danger in the Pacific | Tagani | |
| 1942 | Junior G-Men of the Air | Henchman Araka | |
| 1942 | Drums of the Congo | Juma, Henchman | |
| 1942 | Destination Unknown | Captain Muto | |
| 1942 | The Mummy's Tomb | Mehemet Bey | |
| 1942 | Arabian Nights | Captain of the Guard | |
| 1943 | The Adventures of Smilin' Jack | Kageyama | Serial film |
| 1943 | White Savage | Tamara | |
| 1943 | Captive Wild Woman | End Narrator (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1943 | Background to Danger | Hassan | |
| 1943 | Crazy House | Uncredited | |
| 1943 | The Mad Ghoul | Eric Iverson | |
| 1944 | Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves | Jamiel | |
| 1944 | Dragon Seed | Lao Er Tan - Middle Son | |
| 1944 | The Climax | Franz Munzer | |
| 1944 | Bowery to Broadway | Ted Barrie | |
| 1945 | Frisco Sal | Dude Forante | |
| 1945 | Sudan | Herua | |
| 1946 | Night in Paradise | Aesop | |
| 1947 | Out of the Blue | David Gelleo | |
| 1948 | Adventures of Casanova | Lorenzo | |
| 1948 | The Amazing Mr. X | Alexis | |
| 1948 | Parole, Inc. | Barney Rodescu | |
| 1949 | Song of India | Gopal | |
| 1953 | Prisoners of the Casbah | Ahmed | |
| 1993 | SeaQuest DSV | Dimitri Rossovich | TV series (one episode: "Treasure of the Mind") |
| 1994 | Healer | Igor Vostovich | |
| 1994 | Possessed by the Night | Calvin | |
| 1995 | Murder, She Wrote | Sherif Faris | TV series (one episode: "Death 'N Denial") |
| 1995 | VR.5 | Abernathy | TV series (one episode: "Reunion") |
| 1995 | Grid Runners | Dr. Cameron | |
| 1997 | The Visitor | TV series (one episode: "The Black Box") | |
| 1995, 1998 | Babylon 5 | Centauri Emperor Turhan / Turval | TV series (two episodes: "The Coming of Shadows" and "Learning Curve" ) |
| 2000 | The Skateboard Kid II | Zeno, an Angel | |
| 2002 | Vom Glück verfolgt. Wien - Hollywood - Retour | Himself | TV documentary |
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Stolen Identity | Producer |
References
- ↑ Garrett 2005, 28.
- ↑
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Feramisco & Koster 2008, 167.
- ↑ http://thegardenisland.com/news/world/s-hollywood-actor-dies-in-austria/article_59f223f6-b319-5a22-93fd-8d56e76a154d.html
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hevesi, Dennis (13 October 2012). "Turhan Bey, 90, Screen's 'Turkish Delight'". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ↑ "SAGA OF THE HIGH SEAS.". The Mercury (Hobart, Tasmania: 1860-1954) (Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia). November 11, 1944. p. 9. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lamparski, p.93.
- ↑ Hevesi, Dennis (11 October 2012). "Turhan Bey, Actor, Dies at 90". The New York Times.
Bibliography
- Feramisco, Peggy Moran; Koster (2008), The Mummy Unwrapped: Scenes Left on Universal's Cutting Room Floor, McFarland, ISBN 0-7864-3734-0
.
- Garrett, Eddie (2005), I Saw Stars in the 40's and 50's, Trafford Publishing, ISBN 1-4120-5838-4.
- Lamparski, R. (1980) Jane Russell Presents Whatever Became Of, Bantam Premium: New York.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Turhan Bey. |
- Turhan Bey at the Internet Movie Database
- Turhan Bey at AllMovie
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