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Turhan Bey
1922-
NEW 9/5/2008!
biography
Born Turhan Selahettin Schultavy on March 30, 1919, in Vienna, Austria (some sources cite 1919 and 1920 as his year of birth), Turhan Bey was born the son of a Turkish diplomat. Following his parents' divorce, Bey and his mother relocated to the U.S. in the late 1930s, finally settling in California. Soon afterward, he began training as an actor. In 1940, Bey landed a contract with Warner Bros., where he was cast in his first film, the mystery Shadows on the Stairs (1941; with Paul Cavanagh and Heather Angel). After two films at Warner Bros., he moved on to Universal in 1941 where his exotic looks got him cast in a number of adventure films, such as Burma Convoy (1941; with Charles Bickford and Evelyn Ankers) and Raiders of the Desert (1941; with Richard Arlen and Maria Montez). After several more adventures and crime dramas, Bey was cast in the Technicolor swashbuckler Arabian Nights (1942; with Jon Hall and Maria Montez).
LEFT: Turhan Bey sifts through his mail with the assistance of Universal Studios office staff in the early 1940s. RIGHT: Universal Studios portrait
In addition to feature films, Bey acted in several serials, such as the twelve-chapter Junior G-Men of the Air (1942; with Lionel Atwill and Huntz Hall) and the thirteen-chapter Adventures of Smilin' Jack (1943; with Marjorie Lord and Sidney Toler). During his days at Universal, he was romantically linked to Merle Oberon, Ava Gardner, and Lana Turner, among other actresses.
the films of turhan bey
Burma Convoy (1941)
From the low-budget Universal adventure Burma Convoy. LEFT: With Evelyn Ankers, Keye Luke, and C. Montague Shaw. RIGHT: Bey romances Evelyn Ankers
The Mummy's Tomb (1942)
Lon Chaney Jr. portrays the title character opposite Bey as Mehemet Bey in Universal's The Mummy's Tomb
Background to Danger (1943)
With George Raft in the Warner Bros. wartime thriller Background to Danger
The Mad Ghoul (1943)
From the fun Universal science fiction/horror film The Mad Ghoul with Evelyn Ankers
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944)
From Universal's escapist adventure Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves with Maria Montez
Dragon Seed (1944)
With Katharine Hepburn in the MGM historical drama Dragon Seed
Frisco Sal (1945)
From the Universal western Frisco Sal. LEFT: With Andy Devine. CENTER: Bey as Dude Forante. RIGHT: With Alan Curtis
Night in Paradise (1946)
From the Universal comedy costume flick Night in Paradise with Merle Oberon
Out of the Blue (1947)
With Virginia Mayo in the Eagle-Lion comedy Out of the Blue
Parole, Inc. (1948)
Lobby card from the Eagle-Lion film noir thriller Parole, Inc.
Prisoners of the Casbah (1953)
From Columbia's low-budget adventure flick Prisoners of the Casbah. LEFT: With Gloria Grahame and Cesar Romero. RIGHT: Bey swashbuckling in his last film before a 40-year break from acting
turhan bey today
The swashbuckling, escapist films in which Bey had been starring fell out of favor following the end of World War II. In 1946, Bey was drafted into the army for a two-year hitch, which stole momentum from his acting career. Upon his release, Universal sold his contract to Eagle-Lion, where he starred in a few films, including Out of the Blue (1947; with George Brent and Virginia Mayo) and The Amazing Mr. X (1948; with Lynn Bari, Richard Carlson, and Cathy O'Donnell). Following the release of Columbia's Song of India (1949; with Sabu and Gail Russell), Bey acted in just once more film, the adventure Prisoners of the Casbah (1953; with Gloria Grahame and Cesar Romero) before retiring from acting. Later in 1953 Bey returned to Austria and produced the film Stolen Identity (1953; with Francis Lederer). He remained in his native country for a number of years and became a respected photographer. After his return to the U.S., Bey took another stab at acting, with great success, beginning with a guest appearance on the television series SeaQuest DSV in September 1993. Bey continued to act in films and on television through the late 1990s. Nearly 90 years old, Turhan Bey is now retired.
Shadows On The Stairs [DVD](1941) DVD
A "Ten Little Indians" type murder mystery in which a boardinghouse serves as a setting for strange deaths. Who done it? The young lovers? The man with the curious past? The enigmatic Asian? Or the innkeepers? Heather Angel, Turhan Bey, Frieda Inescort star. 65 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono. Plays All Regions.
Junior G-Men Of The Air [DVD](1942) DVD
Axis agents plan to destroy America's oil wells, and the Junior G-men join with airfield grease monkeys Huntz Hall, Billy Halop and Gabe Dell foil their scheme in a high-flying Universal chapterplay. With Frank Albertson, Lionel Atwill. 13 episodes; 3 3/4 hrs. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono. Plays All Regions.
Arabian Nights [DVD](1942) DVD
A dazzling spectacle, loosely based on the famous 19th-century fables, focusing on the battle between two brothers over their late father's throne. Evil brother Leif Erickson nearly kills sibling Jon Hall in a fight, but sultry dancing girl Maria Montez nurses the fallen brother back to health. With help from best friend Sabu, an aging Sinbad (Shemp Howard) and Aladdin (John Qualen), Hall sets out to regain his rightful position. 87 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French; theatrical trailer.
The Mummy's Hand (1940)/The Mummy's Tomb [DVD](1942) DVD
The first entry in Universal's revived (no pun intended) "Mummy" series features Western star Tom Tyler as the bandaged Kharis, who sips a little tana-leaf tea and is sent to kill the defilers of an Egyptian tomb. George Zucco and Peggy Moran co-star. Then, Lon Chaney, Jr. gets all wrapped up in the role of Kharis, the ancient mummy taken to America by an Egyptian high priest to wreak vengeance on the archeologists who disturbed his 4,000-year sleep. While in the States, Chaney finds himself attracted to the archeologist's pretty girlfriend. Dick Foran, Turhan Bey star. 128 min. total. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: French; theatrical trailers; more.
The Mummy: The Legacy Collection [DVD] DVD
You're certain to get wrapped up in this two-disc set. Boris Karloff embarks on a murderous search for his reincarnated lover in "The Mummy" (1932), with Edward Van Sloan, David Manners. Next, "The Mummy's Hand" (1940) belongs to Tom Tyler, as he attempts to kill the defilers of an ancient tomb. Then, Lon Chaney, Jr. emerges from "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942) and proceeds to terrorize Dick Foran and Elyse Knox; and "The Mummy's Ghost" (1944) has him finding his dead love reborn in the guise of a college student. John Carradine, George Zucco co-star. Finally, Chaney, Jr. and princess Virginia Christine reveal "The Mummy's Curse" (1944) to scientists in Louisiana. 5 1/2 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; audio commentary; documentary; theatrical trailer.
The Adventures Of Smilin' Jack [DVD](1943) DVD
The happy-go-lucky aviator of comic strip fame flies into action, joining with American and Chinese forces to prevent the Axis takeover of a strategic Pacific island. Danger-filled Universal serial features Tom Brown in the title role, Marjorie Lord, Philip Ahn and Keye Luke. 12 high-flyin' chapters; 4 1/2 hrs. on two discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
The Boris Karloff Collection [DVD] DVD
Boris Karloff is an ailing scientist who gets abducted by a gang of thieves who want to get their hands on his latest invention: a device that neutralizes burglar alarms, in "Night Key" (1937). Jean Rogers co-stars. The bloody reign of King Richard III is chronicled in "Tower of London" (1939), with Basil Rathbone as the crippled monarch who eliminates all rivals with the help of bald, clubfooted executioner Karloff. A young Vincent Price also stars. "The Climax" (1944) has Karloff as a Paris Opera House physician obsessed with a beautiful singer he believes to be the reincarnation of the star he murdered years earlier. Based on a Robert Louis Stevenson story, "The Strange Door" (1951) stars Charles Laughton as a 17th-century nobleman who imprisons his brother in a dungeon after he marries Laughton's true love. Karloff co-stars as Laughton's reluctant henchman. And, "The Black Castle" (1952) follows an English aristocrat who vows revenge against the 18th-century Austrian count who murdered two of his friends. Karloff and Lon Chaney, Jr. star. 7 hrs. total on three discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French.
Katharine Hepburn: 100th Anniversary Collection [DVD] DVD
First, in "Morning Glory" (1933), Katharine Hepburn earned her first Best Actress Oscar for portraying a feisty New Englander determined to be a Broadway star. With Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Adolphe Menjou. Next, in "Sylvia Scarlett" (1935), Hepburn stars with Cary Grant (in their first film together) as an embezzler's daughter whose love life is complicated when she is forced to disguise herself as a boy. Co-stars Brian Aherne, Edmund Gwenn. Then, in "Dragon Seed" (1944), Hepburn is a Chinese patriot who leads a resistance movement against Japanese forces. Features Walter Huston, Turhan Bey. In the hilarious "Without Love" (1945), sparks fly after widow Hepburn rents a room to man of science Spencer Tracy. Keenan Wynn and Lucille Ball lend support. The film noir fave "Undercurrent" (1946) has Kate discovering that her new husband is full of dark secrets. Robert Taylor, Robert Mitchum co-star. Finally, in "The Corn Is Green" (1979), Hepburn is a British spinster teacher trying to help a brilliant young Welsh miner fulfill his potential. With Ian Saynor, Bill Fraser. 10 1/2 hrs. total on six discs. Standard/Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French; bonus shorts.
The Amazing Mr. X [DVD](1948) DVD
Suspenseful melodrama about a man who fakes his own death and teams up with a phony spiritualist in order to bilk his rich "widow." Donald Curtis, Lynn Bari, Turhan Bey star. AKA: "The Spiritualist." 78 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono. Plays All Regions.
Parole, Inc. [DVD](1948) DVD
Dark crime story focuses on an FBI agent who takes a dangerous undercover assignment aimed at squelching a parole racket that rewards convicts who are loyal to mob bosses. Risking his life to stop the crooks, can he succeed in halting their operation before his ruse is discovered? Michael O'Shea, Evelyn Ankers, Turhan Bey, and Lyle Talbot star. 70 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
seaQuest DSV: Season One [DVD](1993) DVD
All 23 episodes from the debut season--including "To Be or Not to Be," "Treasures of the Tonga Trench," "Better Than Martians," "Abalon," and "Higher Power"--are featured in a four-disc set. 18 1/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English (SDH), Spanish; deleted scenes.
Babylon 5: The Complete Second Season: The Coming Of Shadows [DVD](1994) DVD
All 22 episodes from season two--including "Points of Departure," "The Geometry of Shadows," "The Coming of Shadows," "And Now for a Word," and "The Fall of Night"--are included in a six-disc set. 16 hrs. total. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; audio commentary; featurettes; interviews; previews; scene access.
Babylon 5: The Complete Fifth Season: The Wheel Of Fire [DVD](1998) DVD
All 22 episodes from season five--including "No Compromises," "The Very Long Night of Londo Molari," "Day of the Dead," "All My Dreams, Torn Asunder," and "Sleeping in Light"--are included in a six-disc set. 16 1/4 hrs. total. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; audio commentary on selected episodes; additional scenes; "making of" documentary; featurettes.
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filmography
FILM
Virtual Combat (1996) with Don 'The Dragon' Wilson, Stella Stevens, and Rip Taylor
The Skateboard Kid II (1995) with Dee Wallace, Bruce Davison, Andrew Stevens, and Kin Shriner
Possessed by the Night (1994) with Shannon Tweed, Sandahl Bergman, Chad McQueen, Henry Silva, and Fred Olen Ray
Healer (1994) with Tyrone Power Jr., David McCallum, Lee Patterson, and Tobey Maguire
Prisoners of the Casbah (1953) with Gloria Grahame, Cesar Romero, and Nestor Paiva
Song of India (1949) with Sabu, Gail Russell, and Anthony Caruso
Parole, Inc. (1948) with Michael O'Shea, Evelyn Ankers, Lyle Talbot, and Michael Whalen
The Amazing Mr. X (1948) with Lynn Bari, Cathy O'Donnell, Richard Carlson, Donald Curtis, and Virginia Gregg
Adventures of Casanova (1948) with Arturo de Córdova, Lucille Bremer, John Sutton, George Tobias, Noreen Nash, and Nestor Paiva
Out of the Blue (1947) with George Brent, Virginia Mayo, Ann Dvorak, and Carole Landis
A Night in Paradise (1946) with Merle Oberon, Gale Sondergaard, Ray Collins, George Dolenz, John Litel, and Jerome Cowan
Sudan (1945) with Maria Montez, Jon Hall, Andy Devine, and George Zucco
Frisco Sal (1945) with Susanna Foster, Alan Curtis, Andy Devine, and Fuzzy Knight
Bowery to Broadway (1944) with Maria Montez, Jack Oakie, Susanna Foster, Ann Blyth, Louise Allbritton, Rosemary DeCamp, Leo Carrillo, Andy Devine, Evelyn Ankers, and George Dolenz
The Climax (1944) with Boris Karloff, Susanna Foster, Gale Sondergaard, June Vincent, and George Dolenz
Dragon Seed (1944) with Katharine Hepburn, Walter Huston, Akim Tamiroff, J. Carrol Naish, and Agnes Moorehead
Follow the Boys (1944) with George Raft, Regis Toomey, and George Macready
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944) with Maria Montez, Jon Hall, and Andy Devine
The Mad Ghoul (1943) with David Bruce, Evelyn Ankers, George Zucco, Robert Armstrong, and Milburn Stone
Background to Danger (1943) with George Raft, Brenda Marshall, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Osa Massen
White Savage (1943) with Maria Montez, Jon Hall, Sabu, and Sidney Toler
Adventures of Smilin' Jack (1943) with Marjorie Lord, Keye Luke, and Sidney Toler
Arabian Nights (1942) with Sabu, Jon Hall, Maria Montez, Leif Erickson, Billy Gilbert, and Shemp Howard
The Mummy's Tomb (1942) with Lon Chaney Jr., Dick Foran, John Hubbard, Elyse Knox, George Zucco, and Wallace Ford
Destination Unknown (1942) with William Gargan, Irene Hervey, Sam Levene, Keye Luke, and Edward Van Sloan
Drums of the Congo (1942) with Ona Munson, Stuart Erwin, Peggy Moran, Don Terry, and Dorothy Dandridge
Danger in the Pacific (1942) with Don Terry, Leo Carrillo, Andy Devine, and Louise Allbritton
Junior G-Men of the Air (1942) with Billy Halop, Lionel Atwill, Frank Albertson, Huntz Hall, and Frankie Darro
Unseen Enemy (1942) with Irene Hervey, Don Terry, Leo Carrillo, and Andy Devine
Bombay Clipper (1942) with William Gargan, Irene Hervey, Maria Montez, and Lloyd Corrigan
The Gay Falcon (1941) with George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, and Gladys Cooper
Burma Convoy (1941) with Charles Bickford, Evelyn Ankers, Frank Albertson, Cecil Kellaway, and Keye Luke
Raiders of the Desert (1941) with Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, and Maria Montez
Footsteps in the Dark (1941) with Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Ralph Bellamy, Alan Hale, William Frawley, and Roscoe Karns
Shadows on the Stairs (1941) with Frieda Inescort, Paul Cavanagh, and Heather Angel
TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Babylon 5, episode Learning Curve, originally aired February 18, 1998
The Visitor, episode The Black Box, originally aired October 24, 1997
VR.5, episode Reunion, originally aired May 12, 1995
Babylon 5, episode The Coming of Shadows, originally aired February 1, 1995
Murder, She Wrote episode Death 'N Denial, originally aired January 22, 1995
SeaQuest DSV, episode Treasure of the Mind, originally aired September 26, 1993
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This page premiered September 5, 2008.
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