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Vilma Bánky
Bánky in 1929
Born	(1901-01-09)9 January 1901 Nagydorog, Tolna County, Austria-Hungary (now Hungary)
Died	18 March 1991(1991-03-18) (aged 90) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1919–1933
Spouse	Rod La Rocque ​ ​(m. 1927; died 1969)​

Vilma Bánky (born Vilma Koncsics; 9 January 1901 – 18 March 1991) was a Hungarian-American silent film actress. Although her acting career began in Budapest, and she later worked in France, Austria, and Germany, Bánky was best known for her roles in the American films The Eagle and The Son of the Sheik with Rudolph Valentino, and for several romantic teamings with Ronald Colman.

Early life

Bánky was born on 9 January 1901 (although some sources inaccurately cite her birth year as 1898 or 1903) to János Bánky Koncsics and Katalin Ulbert, in Nagydorog, Austria-Hungary. Her father was a bureau chief in Franz Joseph's Austro-Hungarian Empire. Shortly after her birth, her father, a police sergeant, was transferred to Budapest, and the family relocated. She had two siblings – an older brother, Gyula (AKA Viktor Bánky), and a younger sister, Gizella (Gizi). After graduation from secondary school, Bánky (as she would later be known) took courses to work as a stenographer, but was offered a role in a film.

Career

She was hailed as "The Hungarian Rhapsody" and was an immediate hit with American audiences. The New York Times remarked in its review of her first American film, The Dark Angel (1925), that she "is a young person of rare beauty ... so exquisite that one is not in the least surprised that she is never forgotten by Hillary Trent" (the movie's leading male character who decides to allow his family and fiancée to believe him dead rather than place what he perceives as the burden on them of a life caring for a blinded war veteran).

She appeared opposite silent film star Rudolph Valentino in The Eagle (1925) and The Son of the Sheik (1926). Valentino reportedly was fascinated by Vilma, and chose her as the leading lady in the films. She also appeared opposite Ronald Colman in a series of love stories, including The Dark Angel and The Winning of Barbara Worth. It is commonly believed that her thick Hungarian accent led, with the advent of sound, to her career being cut short; however, she began losing interest in films and wanted to settle down with Rod La Rocque and simply be his wife. In 1930, she announced her retirement. She came out of retirement briefly in 1933 to star in The Rebel with Luis Trenker.

Of her 24 films, eight exist in their entirety (Hotel Potemkin, Der Zirkuskönig (The King of the Circus) with Max Linder, The Son of the Sheik, The Eagle, The Winning of Barbara Worth, The Night of Love, A Lady to Love, and The Rebel), and three exist in fragments (Tavaszi szerelem in scattered bits, the first five reels of The Magic Flame, and an incomplete copy of Two Lovers).

Personal life and death

She married actor Rod La Rocque in 1927; they remained married until his death in 1969. She became an accomplished golfer, while La Rocque devoted his time to real estate. The couple had no children, but established the Banky-La Rocque Foundation to fund various educational and artistic endeavors, which donated millions well after Bánky died.

Bánky died on 18 March 1991, from cardiopulmonary failure, aged 90, but notice of her death was not made public until the following year. She was reportedly upset that no one had come to visit her in her last years, and directed her lawyer to make no mention of her death. While this is what was reported in the newspapers, she did in fact have many visitors. Her ashes were scattered at sea where her husband's had been consigned.

For her contributions to the film industry, Bánky received a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Her star is located at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.

In popular culture

• Bánky is mentioned by Mr. Burns in The Simpsons episode "Homer Defined".

• William Holden's character Joe Gillis references Bánky in the film Sunset Boulevard.

• Bánky is referenced in an episode "Lucy Does the Tango" on I Love Lucy.

Filmography

Bibliography

• Schildgen, Rachel A. More Than a Dream: Rediscovering the Life & Films of Vilma Banky; ISBN 978-0-9827709-2-4.

References

1. National Archives of Hungary: microfilm 30790, image 291, fiche 3.
2. ^ Hungarian civil registration document from Nagydorog, available through LDS records; film number 1793002 Items 4–5
3. "Vilma Banky, Hollywood Star With Short but Influential Career". The New York Times. 1992-12-12. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
4. The New York Times Directory of Film, 'The Dark Angel' film review by Mordaunt Hall, 12 October 1925, p. 17, Arno Press and Random House, USA, 1971
5. "VILMA BANKY TO RETIRE.; Film Actress Says She Will Henceforth Be Mrs. La Rocque". The New York Times. 1930-05-05. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
6. ^ "Vilma Banky, Hollywood Star With Short but Influential Career". The New York Times. 12 December 1992. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
7. Donnelley, Paul (1 June 2003). Fade To Black: A Book Of Movie Obituaries (2nd ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 108. ISBN 0-7119-9512-5.
8. "Hollywood Walk of Fame - Vilma Bánky". walkoffame.com. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2017.

External links

• Vilma Bánky at IMDb
• Vilma Bánky at AllMovie
• Vilma Bánky: Hungarian Rhapsody, vilma-banky.com Archived 2021-06-21 at the Wayback Machine
• Information on Vilma Bánky, szineszkonyvtar.hu Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
• Photographs of Vilma Bánky, film.virtual-history.com
• "Vilma Bánky profile". NYPL Digital Gallery.

• 1901 births
• 1991 deaths
• 20th-century American actresses
• American silent film actresses
• American film actresses
• Hungarian emigrants to the United States
• Hungarian silent film actresses
• 20th-century Hungarian actresses
• People from Tolna County