Victor Varconi

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Victor Varconi born Mihály Várkonyi 31 March 1891 6 June 1976 was a highly successful silent film actor in Hungary Born in Kisvárda AustriaHungary Varconi was the first Hungarian actor to make a film in the United States His normal speaking accent sounded almost exactly like that of Transylvanian Bela Lugosi He worked under contract to Cecil B DeMille and played Pontius Pilate in DeMilles 1927 production of The King of Kings Because of his accent Varconis popularity waned with the advent of sound films and he was cast in smaller parts often playing Hispanic characters He worked on the New York City stage and wrote for radio He died from a heart attack in Santa Barbara California on 6 June 1976 at the age of 85 He was interred at the Calvary Cemetery East Los Angeles California US