Lukas was born Pál Lukács in
Budapest into a Hungarian-
Jewish family, the son of Adolf Munkácsi and Mária Schneckendorf. He was later adopted by Mária (née Zilahy) and János Lukács, an advertising executive. Lukas made his stage debut in Budapest in 1916, and his film debut in 1917. At first, he played elegant, smooth womanizers, but increasingly, he became typecast as a villain. He had a successful stage and film career in Hungary, Germany, and Austria, where he worked with
Max Reinhardt. He arrived in Hollywood in 1927, and became a
naturalized citizen of the United States in 1937. In 1935, he built a home near the new
Racquet Club of Palm Springs, California. 's
Watch on the Rhine (1941) Lukas was busy in the 1930s, appearing in such films as the
melodrama Rockabye, the crime caper
Grumpy,
Alfred Hitchcock's
The Lady Vanishes, the comedy
Ladies in Love, and the drama
Dodsworth. He followed
William Powell and
Basil Rathbone, portraying the series detective
Philo Vance, a cosmopolitan New Yorker, once in
The Casino Murder Case (1935). His major film success was
Watch on the Rhine (1943), where he played a man working against the
Nazis, a role he originated in the
Broadway premiere of the
play of the same name in 1941. His portrayal of Kurt Mueller, a German émigré with an American wife, played by
Bette Davis, was universally lauded by critics.
Brooks Atkinson of the
New York Times, wrote: "As the enemy of fascism, Mr. Lukas' haggard, loving, resourceful determination becomes heroic by virtue of his sincerity and his superior abilities as an actor." He won the
Academy Award for Best Actor for the role. He also received the
New York Film Critics Award for his performance. as well as the character of a blind composer in the episode "A World of Darkness". On 2 April 1944, he starred in "The Steadfast Heart" on
Silver Theater. In the 1940s, Lukas was a charter member of the
Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, a conservative lobbying group opposed to possible
Communist influence in Hollywood. Lukas also starred as Professor Aronnax in
Walt Disney's film version of
Jules Verne's
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). Lukas's film career continued into the 1960s, with nine films, including
Fun in Acapulco with
Elvis Presley in 1963 and
Lord Jim with
Peter O'Toole in 1965. His final film,
The Challenge, was released in 1970. The remainder of his career moved from Hollywood to the stage, and to television. His only singing role was as Cosmo Constantine in the original 1950 Broadway stage version of
Irving Berlin's
Call Me Madam, opposite
Ethel Merman for over 600 performances (although he is heard singing a song in the 1933 film
Little Women). Lukas died 15 August 1971, in
Tangier, Morocco, reportedly while searching for a place to spend his retirement years. He is buried in Spain. ==Recognition==