Ferenc Molnár
actor, miscellaneous, writer
- Birth name:
- Ferenc Neumann
- Born:
- 1878-01-12, Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]
- Died:
- 1952-04-01, New York City, New York, USA
- Professions:
- actor, miscellaneous, writer
Biography
Budapest, January 12, 1878: Ferenc Molnár enters the world and will grow up to juggle words, greasepaint, and headlines on both sides of the Atlantic. His pen and wit travel first to the stage—Liliom beguiles Vienna and later metamorphoses into the musical Carousel on Broadway—then to Hollywood, where Tales of Manhattan (1942) and I’ll Be Yours (1947) carry his signature mix of heartbreak and champagne bubbles to the screen. Three tempestuous marriages—painter Margit Vészi, musical-comedy star Sári Fedák, and actress Lili Darvas—keep pace with the plots he invents. After Hitler’s shadow forces him into exile, he lands in Manhattan, the city that never sleeps, and dies there on April 1, 1952, leaving behind a legacy spun from laughter, tears, and a stubborn belief in humanity’s better angels.
