Stephen Bekassy

Stephen Bekassy, born István Békássy in Nyíregyháza, Hungary (February 10, 1907 – October 30, 1995), was a Hungarian-born American film actor.

Stephen Bekassy
Stephen Bekassy (center)
Born	Békássy István (1907-02-10)February 10, 1907 Nyíregyháza, Hungary
Died	October 30, 1995(1995-10-30) (aged 88) Budapest, Hungary
Resting place	National Graveyard in Fiumei Street, Budapest, Hungary
Nationality	Hungarian
Other names	Istvan Bekassy
Years active	1930–1964
Spouse(s)	Teri Fejes (1931-1933) Lívia Neufeld (1936-1938) Beverly Violet Bidwell (1941-?) Erika Beregi (1969-?) Hanna Hertelendy
Children	Stefan (Steffi) Dilworth

He married to Teri Fejes in 1931, but divorced in 1933. In 1936 he married to Lívia Neufeld, but as well divorced soon in 1938.

Bekassy immigrated to the US, where he eventually married Beverly Violet Bidwell (1905 - 1971) on October 8, 1941 in Carson City, Nevada. Beverly Violet Bidwell wrote under the name, Hagar Wilde. In 1969 he married to Erika Beregi. He subsequently married Hanna Hertelendy (1919–2008), the widow of actor Robert Walker.

Bekassy's American stage debut came in Errand for Berenice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1944. His American film debut was in A Song to Remember (1945).[1]

He appeared in films such as Hell and High Water and Prisoner of War in 1954.[2] On television he made two guest appearances on Perry Mason. In 1958 he played art expert Laslo Kovac in "The Case of the Purple Woman," and in 1959 he played murder victim Rick Stassi in "The Case of the Bartered Bikini." During the Red Scare, Ronald Reagan accused Stephan of being a Communist, due to him being Hungarian. This in fact is ironic because during WWII, he recused Jewish escapees and worked with Radio Free Europe (RFL).