Actress Eva Ruttkai: photos and roles in the cinema

Eva Ruttkai is a well-known Hungarian film actress of the mid-20th century. The most famous for her brought feature films "The Story of My Stupidity" and "Stars of Eger."

Biography of the actress

Eva Ruttkai was born in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, in 1927, on December 31. In the family she was the sixth child, her parents lived poorly, and childhood diseases were very common at that time. As a result, until the age of majority, only Eve and her two brothers, Ivan and Otto, lived.

As a result, poverty played a decisive role in choosing Eve's profession. Together with her brothers from a young 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 Hungarian comedy theater. This is one of the oldest of the currently operating theaters in the country, founded in the late XIX - early XX century. Then the future film actress moved to the specialized children's theater of Arthur Luckner. In it, Ruttkai worked with famous artists - Lily Darvas and Arthur Shomlai.

The first contract

Eva Ruttkai signed her first contract at the age of 16. The first producer who paid attention to her talent was the director of the Budapest comedy theater Daniel Yob. In the end, faithful to this theater, Eve remained until her death in 1986.

Her career in the theater of the comedy, she interrupted only once, for three years. From 1948 to 1951 years. Ruttkai played in the Hungarian National Theater.

On the stage

For the first time on a professional theatrical scene, actress Eva Ruttkai came out in the year of the end of the Second World War - in 1945. She was barely 18 years old. She performed the role of Emil in Thornton Wilder's play "Our Town". 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. The Hungarian actress Eva Ruttkai is most remembered by theater admirers for Louise's images in Frederick Schiller's play "Deceit and Love," Roxanne in the drama play of Edmond Rostand "Cyrano de Bergerac" and Natasha in the incarnation of the novel "Happiness" on the stage of the European theater of the novel by Soviet writer Pyotr Pavlenko.

Theater critics noted her attractive appearance, refined elegance and the depth of reincarnation she was capable of on stage. This is how many people remembered Natasha Rostova from Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace as Eva Ruttkai or Maggie from Thornton Williams's other play The Cat on the Hot Roof.

The main distinctive features that Eva fans remember are her bright creative temperament, a huge range of acting talent, the ability to play virtually any character or mood, reincarnated in a matter of seconds. All these are the distinctive features of her dramatic gift, thanks to which she entered the history of the Hungarian theater.

Success on the screen

Success accompanied Ruttkai and on the big screen. Here she also managed to show her best qualities as a dramatic actress. And the Hungarian actress managed to win popularity and spectator love not only in her native Hungary, but also far beyond its borders.

Especially popular were the comedies in which she played the main roles. For the first time in the movie Eva Ruttkai, whose photo by that time was already extremely popular with all theater lovers, appeared in 1955 as the young Yuliki in the movie "The Mug of Beer". Then followed a whole series of successful comedy works. The role of Vicki in the movie "Midnight" in 1957, Ani Barabash in the film "Haber's Photo" in 1963, Katya in the eccentric comedy "The Story of My Stupidity" in 1965.

Serious roles also played to her. So, in 1968 she played a school teacher Martu Veg in the Hungarian detective "Fake Isabella".

In general, from the 50s to 1986, the year of her death, she played in 50-plus paintings Eva Ruttkai. These films entered the golden fund of Hungarian cinema. In addition, she took an active part in recording television auditions 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 Folly." Eva Ruttkai played the main role of Catalina Kabok, nicknamed Katya.

The picture appeared on the screens in 1965. This comic comedy by the famous Hungarian director Marton Keleti in the original script by Miklos Dyarfasha.

The main character is an actress. In her life, perhaps, is the key moment. She finally got a major role in the play, which tonight should play on the stage of the capital's theater.

The plot of comedy

From the first minutes of the film, the audience is drawn into a classic love triangle. Her husband Katie - her partner in the play - Laszlo Merei (performed by Lajos Bashti). But his friend - the playwright Gyorgy Forbat (played by Laszlo Mensharosh) himself is secretly in love with the actress. True, he does not dare to admit his feelings and everything that he did so far has written this play dedicated to it.

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 was done in the form of a parody. True, the actress does not notice this by her charming charming stupidity. And he does not even suspect that the play can have double overtones.

The film details about one of the days of her life, in which the premiere is to take place. During this time, almost the whole of her life passes before the eyes of the heroine. She remembers how she began her career. She was young and naive, brought up in a poor family of workers, but from a young age she dreamed of a big stage. Immediately after graduation she went to enter the theater school, but failed miserably.

After failing at the 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 it again. He agrees, but constantly repeats that Katya is not an actress, but only his wife.

In 1956, she keeps her husband from a rash step that could cost him not only a career, but also life. Laszlo is going to speak in support of the Hungarian uprising, but Katya in time pretends to be seriously ill and forces him to stay at home. Ultimately, the attempted uprising 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, at last, the premiere of the play. The audience is ecstatic, the play and Katie are a resounding success, but her husband is furious. He guessed the intention of his playwright friend, he understood what he really portrayed in the play. All the viewers of the film also understood. Everything except Katya.

"Stupidity is my trusted friend," she says. She helps her out again. And family happiness remains to her the same light and cloudless.

"Stars of Eger"

Thanks to not only the comedies, but also the dramatic paintings was a success of Eva Ruttkai. Her filmography includes the drama Zoltan Varkonya "Stars of Eger", shot in 1968 under the script of Istvan Nemeskyurti. In the Hungarian cinema this film is considered a cult.

The painting is based on the novel of the same name by the Hungarian novelist Gesi Gardoni. This is one of his most famous works, which saw the light in 1899. In the early 2000s, following the results of the national survey, this book was recognized as the most popular among Hungarian readers. In the center of the narrative 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 Shebeshtien Tinodi, who is in his service. The Turkish invaders are confronted only by a small garrison under the command of István Dobo. If the fortress falls, then the fate of the entire Hungarian state is in question.

Ruttkai plays queen Isabella Jagiellonka, Polish-Lithuanian princess, who, thanks to the wedding, became the Hungarian queen in 1539. It provides the garrison with all possible support. But will it be sufficient?

Personal life

In 1950, 23-year-old Eve first married. Her chosen one is Miklos Gabor, an actor of the Hungarian National Theater. By the way, he played a brave defender of the fortress Eger in another film - "Time for Dreams".

Two years later they have a daughter, Julia. But soon the marriage falls apart. Eve is alone again.

The second wedding

Ten years after the first marriage, the actress finds her love again. At the rehearsals of the lyric play "Such Love" there are Eva Ruttkai and Zoltan Latinovich, an actor of theater and cinema, known for his role in the film "The Queen of the Csardas". They fall in love with each other, and no longer parted until Zoltan's death in 1976.

Fortunately they were allotted 16 years. But if Eve was happy in the marriage, then Zoltan often experienced creative and emotional crises. He was born in a wealthy metropolitan family, but his mother brought him up, since his father left her soon after his birth.

In his youth he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Budapest, took a great interest in drawing, participated in contemporary art exhibitions. His friends and contemporaries note that Zoltan was a versatile and gifted man in many respects.

His debut in the movie took place in 1959, when he was 28 years old. For his creative career he was lucky to work with the best European masters of cinema - Antonio Bardem, Andrash Kovac, Zoltan Fabry.

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, throwing himself under the train. Zoltan Latinovich was 44 years old.

Awards

During her career, the Hungarian actress received many awards and prizes.

In 1966 she became a well-deserved artist of the Hungarian People's Republic, and five years later she received the title of People. It was awarded with awards, established in honor of the outstanding Hungarian cinema Lajos Koshuta and Mari Yasai.

In 1984 she received an award from the National Council of Hungarian Trade Unions.

Death of the actress

Actress worked almost until her death. Back in early 1986, she appeared on stage, despite serious health problems. On September 27, Eva Ruttkai died. The cause of death, according to many fans, is the early departure from the life of her beloved spouse 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 Farkasreti cemetery in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.