Zoltán Latinovits


Zoltán Latinovits was a Hungarian actor.

Early life

His mother divorced his father Oszkár Latinovits in 1941 and married István Frenreisz, a doctor, with whom she had two more children. He began his school career in 1937, when he was enrolled to the Damjanich Street Primary School in Budapest, and graduated with excellent results in 1949 at the Szent Imre Gimnázium. He became a carpenter and worked for a bridge building firm. He was substitute basketball player for Haladás SE from 1951, and was also a good sailor. From 1952 he studied at the Technical University of Budapest and became involved in a drama group. He became a civil engineer in 1956.

Acting career

He started his professional acting career after various stints in student and amateur productions.
1956-1959. Debrecen, Csokonai Theatre.
1959-1961. Miskolc, National Theatre.
1961-1962. Debrecen, Csokonai Theatre.
1962-1966. Vígszínház. One of his most successful roles performed there was Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in 1963, playing with Éva Ruttkai, his later wife.
1966-1968. Thália Theatre.
1969-1971. Vígszinház.
1971-1976. Veszprém, Petőfi Theatre, where he was able to realise his longtime dream of being able to direct.
One of the best performer of the poetry of Attila József, Gyula Illyés and Endre Ady.

Film career

Performed in numerous films from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. One of the most famous is Szindbád, based on the short stories by Gyula Krúdy and directed by Zoltán Huszárik.

His death

Latinovits was run over by a train at the station of Balatonszemes near Lake Balaton in 1976. Though the official statements talked of suicide, it never became fully clear whether he had jumped deliberately in front of the train or whether his death was an accident. His death immediately became a romanticized legend, also due to the similarities with the suicide of poet Attila József, of whose poems Latinovits had been one of the foremost interpreters.

Selected filmography

1973. Ködszurkáló
1985. Emlékszem a röpülés boldogságára

Prizes

– Jászai Mari prize
– Balázs Béla prize
– Significant artist
– Kossuth Prize