Biography
Victor Varconi (born Mihály Várkonyi) was a Hungarian actor who appeared in silent films in Hungary, Germany and Austria before becoming one of the first Hungarian performers in American cinema. Born in Kisvárda, Austria-Hungary, on 31 March 1891, he trained at the Actor Art High School in Budapest and performed with the National Theatre there before entering films.
He worked under contract to Cecil B. DeMille and played Pontius Pilate in the director’s 1927 production of The King of Kings. Other notable screen roles include General Aguirre in The Sea Hawk (1940), Primitivo in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Lord of Ashdod in Samson and Delilah (1949) and Clifford Kent in The Atomic Submarine (1959). With the arrival of sound, his roles became smaller and he often portrayed Hispanic characters; he also worked on the New York stage and in radio.
Varconi died of a heart attack in Santa Barbara, California, on 6 June 1976.
