Charles Korvin(1907-1998)
- Actor
- Director
- Cinematographer
He was born in Piestany, Hungary, going to the United States in 1940
having studied at the Sorbonne and working in still and
motion picture photography. After studying acting at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon Virginia, he made his 1943 debut on Broadway in "Dark Eyes" under
the name Geza Korvin. It was then than movie producer Charles K.
Feldman signed him to a contract with Universal Studios. There, with the new
stage name Charles Korvin, he played the title role, a French thief, in
"Enter Arsene Lupin" (1944). His next three movies paired him
romantically with Merle Oberon. After a contract dispute with Universal,
and though blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1951, he played a number of villain,
thief and philanderer roles for different studios, including the part
of the evil Russian agent Rokov in Lex Barker's "Tarzan's Savage Fury"
(1952). He also appeared in many TV episodes, notably as The Eagle in
the "Zorro" series (1957) and as the Latin dance instructor Carlos in
"The Honeymooners". He returned to Hollywood in Stanley Kramer's "Ship
of Fools" (1965). He had homes in Manhattan, USA and Klosters, Switzerland,
and died, aged 90, at the Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, survived by
his wife, Natasha; a daughter, Katherine Pers of Budapest; a son,
Edward Danziger Dorvin of Santa Monica, California; and three
grandchildren.
