Eva Ruttkai is a famous Hungarian film actress of the mid-20th century. She was best known for the feature films The Story of My Stupidity and The Stars of Eger.
Actress Biography
Eva Ruttkai was born in the capital of Hungary, Budapest, in 1927, on December 31. She was the sixth child in the family, her parents lived in poverty, and childhood illnesses were very common at that time. As a result, only Eve and her two brothers, whose names were Ivan and Otto, survived to adulthood.
As a result, poverty played a decisive role in Eve's choice of her profession. Together with her brothers, from an early age, she worked as an actress in a theater. Eva Ruttkai joined them when she was only two years old.
Together with Ivan, she played a little girl in the capital's Hungarian comedy theater. This is one of the oldest theaters operating in the country, founded in the late XIX - early XX centuries. Then, the future film actress moved to the specialized children's theater of Arthur Luckner. In it, Ruttkai worked with well-known artists - Lily Darvash and Arthur Shomlai.
First contract
Eva Ruttkai concluded her first contract at the age of 16. The first producer to pay attention to her talent was the director of the Budapest Comedy Theater, Daniel Jobs. As a result, Eva remained faithful to this theater until her death in 1986.
She interrupted her career in the comedy theater only once, for three years. From 1948 to 1951 Ruttkai played at the Hungarian National Theater.
On the theatrical stage
For the first time, the actress Eva Ruttkai entered the professional theater scene in the year of the end of World War II - in 1945. She was barely 18 years old. She played the role of Emil in the production of Our Town by Thornton Wilder. The audience of the Budapest Comedy Theater that evening applauded her.
After the first success, Ruttkai began to regularly receive roles in various performances. First of all, she succeeded in lyrical roles. Hungarian actress Eva Ruttkai was most remembered by theater fans in the images of Louise in the production of Friedrich Schiller's "Cunning and Love", Roxanne in the dramatic play by Edmond Rostan "Cyrano de Bergerac" and Natasha in the embodiment of the novel of the Soviet writer Peter Pavlenko "Happiness" on the stage of the European theater.
Theater critics noted her attractive appearance, sophisticated grace and the depth of transformation that she was capable of on stage. This is exactly what many remember Natasha Rostova from Leo Tolstoy's “War and Peace” in the image of Eva Ruttkai or Maggie from another play by Thornton Williams “Cat on a Hot Roof”.
The main distinguishing advantages that Eve remembered were her bright creative temperament, a huge range of acting talent, the ability to play almost any character or mood, reincarnating in a matter of seconds. All these are the distinctive features of her dramatic gift, thanks to which she went down in the history of the Hungarian theater.
Success on screen
Rutkai was also successful on the big screen. Here she was also able to show her best qualities as a dramatic actress. Moreover, the Hungarian actress managed to gain popularity and audience love not only in her native Hungary, but also far beyond its borders.
Comedies, in which she played the main roles, were especially popular. For the first time in the movie, Eva Ruttkai, whose photo by that time was already extremely popular among all theater lovers, appeared in 1955 as the young Julika in the film "Beer Mug". Then followed a series of successful comedic works. The role of Vicki in the movie "Midnight" in 1957, Ani Barabash in the film "Photo of Haber" in 1963, Katie in the eccentric comedy "The Story of My Stupidity" in 1965.
She also managed serious roles. So, in 1968, she played a school teacher Marta Veg in the Hungarian detective "Fake Isabella."
In total, from the 50s to 1986, the year of her death, Eva Ruttkai played in more than 50 paintings. These films are included in the golden fund of Hungarian cinema. In addition, she took an active part in the recording of television shows and television films. There were about 30 such projects in her career.
"The story of my stupidity"
One of her most famous films is The Story of My Stupidity. Eva Ruttkai played the main role in it of Catalina Kabok, nicknamed Katya.
The picture appeared on the screens in 1965. This is a comedy film by the famous Hungarian director Marton Keleti according to the original script by Miklos Dyarfash.
The main character is an actress. Perhaps, a key moment comes in her life. She finally got the main role in the play, which is supposed to play tonight on the stage of the capital's theater.
Comedy plot
From the first minutes of the film, viewers are drawn into the classic love triangle. Katya's husband is her play partner - Laszlo Merey (performed by Lajos Bashti). But his friend - playwright Gyorgy Forbat (played by Laszlo Mensharosh) himself is secretly in love with the actress. True, he still does not dare to confess his feelings and all that he has done so far has written this play dedicated to her.
It's funny that the events of the play in an ironic form describe the main episodes of the biography of Katya herself, and this is done in the form of a parody. True, the actress does not notice this by her natural charming stupidity. And he does not even suspect that the play may have a double implication.
The film tells in detail about one of the days of her life, in which the premiere should take place. During this time, almost the whole life passes before the eyes of the heroine. She recalls how she began her career. She was young and naive, brought up in a poor family of workers, but from an early age dreamed of a big stage. Immediately after graduation, she went to enter the theater school, but failed miserably.
After failing in exams, she goes home to the chairman of the admissions committee, the famous Hungarian actor Laszlo Merei, her current husband. With only one request - listen to her again. He agrees, but constantly repeats that Katie is not to be an actress, but only his wife.
In 1956, she kept her husband from a rash step that could cost him not only his career, but his life. Laszlo is going to support the Hungarian uprising, but Katie pretends to be seriously ill in time and makes him stay at home. Ultimately, the uprising attempt fails miserably, and the communist authorities, who retained their leadership in Hungary, make Laszlo one of the leading actors in the theater of socialist realism.
In her family life there were many other happy episodes, and here, finally, the premiere of the play. The audience is delighted, the play and Katya are a resounding success, but her husband is furious. He unraveled the plan of his playwright friend, he realized that he actually portrayed in the play. All viewers understood the film. Everyone except Katya.
“Nonsense is my trusted friend,” she says. She helps her out again. And family happiness remains for her the same bright and cloudless.
"Eger Stars"
Thanks not only to comedies, but also to dramatic films, Eva Ruttkai was a success. Her filmography includes the drama of Zoltan Varkonya “The Stars of Eger”, shot in 1968 according to the script of Istvan Nemeshkurti. In Hungarian cinema, this film is considered a cult.
The picture is based on the eponymous historical novel by the Hungarian prose writer Gesa Gardoni. This is one of his most famous works, which saw the light in 1899. In the early 2000s, according to the results of a national survey, this book was recognized as the most popular among Hungarian readers. In the center of the story is the famous multi-day siege of the Hungarian city of Eger by the Turkish army of the Ottoman Empire, which took place in 1552.
Among the heroes are real historical characters - Balint Terek, poet and wandering bard Shebestien Tinodi, who is in his service. The Turkish invaders confront only a small garrison under the command of Istvan Dobo. If the fortress falls, then the fate of the entire Hungarian state is in question.
Ruttkai plays Queen Isabella Jagiellonka, the Polish-Lithuanian princess, who, thanks to her wedding, in 1539 became the Hungarian queen. She provides the garrison with all possible support. But will it be enough?
Personal life
In 1950, the 23-year-old Eve got married for the first time. Her chosen one is Miklos Gabor, an actor of the Hungarian national theater. By the way, who played the courageous defender of the fortress Eger in another film - "It's time for dreams."
Two years later, their daughter Julia is born. But soon the marriage is falling apart. Eve is left alone again.
Second wedding
10 years after the first marriage, the actress again finds her love. At rehearsals of the lyric performance "Such Love", Eva Ruttkai and Zoltan Latinovich, an actor in theater and cinema, known for their role in the film "Queen of the Czardash", meet. They fall in love with each other, and no longer part until the death of Zoltan in 1976.
Fortunately, they were allotted 16 years. But if Eve was happy in marriage, then Zoltan often experienced creative and emotional crises. He was born into a rich metropolitan family, but his mother raised him, since his father left her soon after his birth.
In his youth he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Budapest, was fond of drawing, participated in exhibitions of modern painting. His friends and contemporaries note that Zoltan was a versatile and gifted man in many ways.
His film debut took place in 1959, when he was 28 years old. During his creative career, he was lucky to work with the best European cinema masters - Antonio Bardem, Andras Kovacs, Zoltan Fabri.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was a sex symbol of Hungarian cinema. In 1976, when he was at the peak of his fame, he committed suicide by throwing himself under a train. Zoltan Latinovich was 44 years old.
Awards
During her career, the Hungarian actress has received many awards and prizes.
In 1966, she became a Honored Artist of the Hungarian People's Republic, and five years later she received the title of People. She was awarded prizes established in honor of the outstanding Hungarian cinemas Lajos Kossuty and Mari Yasai.
In 1984, she received an award from the National Council of Hungarian Trade Unions.
The death of the actress
The actress worked almost until her death. At the beginning of 1986, she went on stage, despite serious health problems. On September 27, Eva Ruttkai died. The cause of death, according to many fans, is the early death of her beloved husband Zoltan Latinovich. All 10 years after his death were difficult for her, she was constantly overcome by some ailments.
Eve was 58 years old. She was buried in the Farkashreti cemetery in the Hungarian capital Budapest.