Béla Barsi(1906-1968)

Béla Barsi was a hyper-active thespian who worked without any interruption from the age of 22 to his death in 1968 at the too early age of 62. Barsi started his acting career in 1928 in the Romanian town of Cluj. One year later he settled down in his native Hungary where he landed roles alternately in Budapest and provincial theaters. From 1940 to 1944, he belonged to the Oradea company run by Bálint Putnik, and later (1948-1949) to the Györ Theater. Moving to Szeged, he performed in the town theater between 1949 and 1956. Then he became a member of the Budapest National Theater and played there until the end. As of 1952, he also worked in films, in roles of various importance. Bela Barsi thus had the opportunity to appear in films directed by the greatest names of Hungarian cinema, Zoltan Fábri (8 films), Imre Fehér (5 films), Miklós Jancsó (4 films), Karoly Makk (4 films), Felix Mariassy (3 films) and Istvan Gaal (1 film). One of his best roles is that of Istvan Pataki, a tyrannical farmer who has 'sold' his daughter's hand to his business partner in Fábri's stunning "Merry-Go-Round" (1955).