Sándor Csikos was elected to replace Miklós Benedek, who died on January 9. Continue reading
Géza D. Hegedűs, Kossuth Prize and Jászai Mari Award-winning actor, director and university lecturer, has been elected as the Actor of the Nation, writes the National Theater. Earlier, Világgazdaság reported that Levente Király, previous holder of the title and a perpetual member of the Szeged National Theater, passed away in July. Thus, for the third time this year, the Actors of the Nation gathered to elect a new member.
Earlier this year, Sándor Csikos and János Kulka were elected as holders of the prestigious title. On Tuesday, the choice fell on Géza D. Hegedűs.
Géza D. Hegedűs has been awarded numerous prizes and prestigious distinctions for his artistic work. He was awarded the Jászai Mari Award in 1980 and the Merited Artist of Hungary Award in 1989. He was honored with the Hegedűs Gyula Prize (Hegedűs Gyula Memorial Ring) of the Comedy Theatre of Budapest (Vígszínház) in 1982 and the Andor Ajtay Memorial Award for Best Actor seven times. In 2006 he received the Zsolt Harsányi Memorial Award.
According to the National Theater,
the actor is one of the most active and most performed artists of his generation, with almost 150 stage roles, 40 stage productions and more than 70 film and TV productions to his credit.
The title of Actor of the Nation, first awarded on August 22, 2000, can be held by 12 artists at a time. It is awarded by the National Theater to a person who has performed outstandingly in a leading or episodic role, has reached the age of 62, and has spent four decades in the acting profession or 20 seasons – at least one role per season – on the stage of the National Theater. Among the first recipients there are famous Hungarian artists such as Ferenc Bessenyei, Iván Darvas, Erzsi Máthé, Irén Psota, Imre Sinkovits, Mari Törőcsik, and many more.
Current holders of the title: Piroska Molnár, László Szacsvay, Gyula Bodrogi, Tamás Jordán, Dorottya Udvaros, Zsuzsa Lehoczky, Éva Almási, György Cserhalmi, Mari Csomós, János Kulka, Sándor Csikos and Géza D. Hegedűs.
Via Világgazdaság; Featured image via Wikipedia/Tóth Csilla Ilona