Katalin Karády was born on December 8, 1910. The movie star’s memory is preserved by a marble plaque on the wall of her former residence in Pest and in New York, and a lifelike figure depicts her unforgettable figure in the building of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum – Budapest.
Since May of this year, visitors may take a photo with a lifelike version of the Hungarian icon.
An international crew worked on Katalin Karády’s wax figure for several months to present the actress in the most authentic way. With the help of original photos and film footage, they tried to reproduce her queenly posture and suggestive gaze in the most authentic way. The actress was 174 cm tall with characteristic green color of eyes with tiny mole on her cheek. At Madame Tussauds Budapest, the public can see Karády in a black evening dress embroidered with white pearls. Its sleek simplicity is modern and timeless, just like the cult of the actress.
Karády’s life journey was a typical 20th century Hungarian fate. The actress and her fiancé, István Ujszászy, were arrested by the Gestapo in April 1944. She was interrogated and tortured for several weeks before she was allowed to return to her ransacked apartment. Ujszászy – head of Hungarian counterintelligence, was taken prisoner by Russia after the war, and then disappeared under unclear circumstances. Even in the most horrific hours of the war, the actress saved the persecuted, including children. However, after the fighting ended, she was only able to enjoy a peaceful new life for a very short time. The Rákosi system ran out of air around her. She did not receive a theater contract and was regularly harassed by the State Defense Authority. On 19th of February, 1951, Karády traveled to Szombathely under the pretext of a performance, and then left the country by a pre-organized action. She started a new life first in Brasil and then in the United States. After emigrating, Karády opened a cool hat shop, first in São Paulo, and then in New York under the name Rochelle Millinery, where even Nancy Reagan liked to shop. The star with excellent manual dexterity preferred to work in the workshop, she really enjoyed the creative work. After defecting from Hungary, she never crossed the Hungarian border again. She died in New York. However, her remains were brought home in accordance with her last will and laid to rest in the Farkasrét cemetery – Budapest – Hungary.
Update by Aggie Reiter
Rolling in Budapest 