Biographies: Turhan Bey - Actor

Biographies

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An Austrian actor, born in Vienna, Austria, as Turhan Gilbert Selahattin Sahultary. Among his most important works are Night in Paradise (1946), The Gay Falcon (1941), The Mummy's Tomb (1942), and The Adventures of Smilin Jack (1943). Turhan Bey was of Turkish Muslim and Czech-Jewish descent. He was given the nickname "The Turkish Delight". Because of his gentle behavior, handsome appearance, and strange modified voice, he played mysterious and sinister roles. After his retirement, he appeared in some documentaries, including a German-language documentary about his life. When his parents divorced, he fled with his Jewish mother to the United States, fleeing from Hitler. Turhan and his mother settled in Los Angeles. He joined the Ben Bard School of Dramatic Arts, in California, to improve his English and learn acting. He later joined the Pasadena Playhouse, where he was discovered by Warner Bros. He was cast in films in 1941, and he played small roles in the Warner Bros. films. He moved to Universal Pictures and then to RKO. When Turkey declared war on Germany. Turhan Bey was recruited into the army and spent a year and a half. It affected his artistic career, and he turned to production. He produced 4 films. He returned to America to accompany his mother in 1953 and returned permanently to Austria. He worked in documentary production, commercial photography, and theater directing. After 40 years, he returned to the United States in the 1990s, to be a guest on television series and present some films. His last work was the series Babylon 5 (1998). He returned to Austria and remained there until he died from Parkinson’s disease on September 30, 2012, in Vienna, Austria.

• 11 January 2024
• Toqa Hesham