Ica Lenkeffy a.k.a. Ica von Lenkeffy (1896-1955) was a Hungarian actress of the stage and screen, who was most active in Hungarian silent cinema in the late 1910s and early 1920s. She also made some films in Austria, Germany, and France.
German postcard by NPG, no. 999. Photo: Angelo, Budapest, 1918.
German postcard by NPG, no. 1000. Photo: Angelo, Budapest, 1918.
German postcard. NPG, no. 1062. Photo Angelo, Budapest 1918.
Ica (von) Lenkeffy was born in 1896, in Miskolc, Hungary. She was the daughter of actor Kornél Lenkefi (originally Manó József Győző Kaukal) and Ernesztin (Catherine) Kaukal, so her real name was Ilona Kaukál.
Lenkeffy attended school in Budapest but did not complete drama school. She first appeared in the countryside, and at the age of fifteen introduced herself in the role of Julie in 'Summer Love' at Vígszínház (the Comedy Theatre of Budapest).
Until 1913, she was a member of the Vígszínház, then worked from 1914 at the Hungarian Theatre, and in 1915 she became a member of the Royal Theatre. In 1918, she married Imre Roboz, the director of the company Projectograf in Budapest, but they divorced in 1923.
Ica Lenkeffy started in film in 1912 with director Sándor (Alexander) Góth, who had just started his career. Her first successful film was Szulamit (1916, directed by Jenő Illés (Eugen Illés), set in Old Testaments times and with Dezsõ Kertész as her co-star.
Lenkeffy then mostly played in films directed by Márkus László, Bela Balogh, Mihály Kertész (Michael Curtiz) and Sándor (Alexander) Korda. Among her film partners were Alfréd Deésy, Oscar Beregi Sr., Gyula Csortos, Mihály Várkonyi (Victor Varconi), Artúr Somlay, Jenő Törzs, Svetislav Petrovic (Iván Petrovich), and the later Oscar winner Pál Lukács (Paul Lukas).
Hungarian postcard. Photo: Corvin Film. Ica Lenkeffy and Mihály Várkonyi (Victor Varconi) in A csikós (M. Miklós Pásztory, 1917).
Hungarian postcard by Jòzsef Reinitz, Budapest.
Hungarian postcard by József Reinitz, Budapest. Photo: Miklós Labori, Budapest.
In 1921 Ica Lenkeffy moved to Vienna for acting in films there, e.g. in Boccaccio (Michael Curtiz, 1920), also with Paul Lukas.
She then moved on to Berlin, where she e.g. starred opposite Paul Hartmann in the May-Film production Die Erbin von Tordis (Robert Dinesen, 1921). In the German production of Othello (Dimitri Buchowetzki, 1922), Ica (by now von) Lenkeffy played Desdemona opposite Emil Jannings as Othello and Werner Krauss as Jago.
In 1923 Lenkeffy married again, this time to Parisian banker Louis Mannheim. She moved to Paris with him, where she lived in luxury, but left the cinema at her husband's request.
In the late 1920s she tried to return and appeared in two French silent films, Yvette (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1928) and Souris d'hôtel (Adelqui Migliar, 1929) - she had the lead in the latter film.
The advent of sound cinema made any follow-ups impossible. She then escaped her husband with Miklós Goldberger, son of industrial magnate Leo von Goldberger de Buday.
In the 1930s Lenkeffy returned to Hungary, where she died in 1955, in Budapest.
German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K.2303. Photo: Astra Film. Ica Lenkeffy in the Hungarian silent film Vengerkák (Béla Balogh, 1917), based on a play by Sándor Góth.
French postcard by Edition de la Cinematographie Française. Photo: Grandes Productions Cinématographiques (G.P.C.). Emil Jannings and Ica von Lenkeffy in Othello (Dimitri Buchowetzki, 1922).
French postcard by Edition de la Cinematographie Française. Photo: Grandes Productions Cinématographiques (G.P.C.). Photo: publicity still for Othello (Dimitri Buchowetzki, 1922) with Ica von Lenkeffy and Theodor Loos.
French postcard by Edition de la Cinematographie Française. Photo: Grandes Productions Cinématographiques (G.P.C.). Emil Jannings and Ica von Lenkeffy in Othello (Dimitri Buchowetzki, 1922).
Sources: Wikipedia (Hungarian and English) and IMDb.
German postcard by NPG, no. 999. Photo: Angelo, Budapest, 1918.
German postcard by NPG, no. 1000. Photo: Angelo, Budapest, 1918.
German postcard. NPG, no. 1062. Photo Angelo, Budapest 1918.
Summer Love
Ica (von) Lenkeffy was born in 1896, in Miskolc, Hungary. She was the daughter of actor Kornél Lenkefi (originally Manó József Győző Kaukal) and Ernesztin (Catherine) Kaukal, so her real name was Ilona Kaukál.
Lenkeffy attended school in Budapest but did not complete drama school. She first appeared in the countryside, and at the age of fifteen introduced herself in the role of Julie in 'Summer Love' at Vígszínház (the Comedy Theatre of Budapest).
Until 1913, she was a member of the Vígszínház, then worked from 1914 at the Hungarian Theatre, and in 1915 she became a member of the Royal Theatre. In 1918, she married Imre Roboz, the director of the company Projectograf in Budapest, but they divorced in 1923.
Ica Lenkeffy started in film in 1912 with director Sándor (Alexander) Góth, who had just started his career. Her first successful film was Szulamit (1916, directed by Jenő Illés (Eugen Illés), set in Old Testaments times and with Dezsõ Kertész as her co-star.
Lenkeffy then mostly played in films directed by Márkus László, Bela Balogh, Mihály Kertész (Michael Curtiz) and Sándor (Alexander) Korda. Among her film partners were Alfréd Deésy, Oscar Beregi Sr., Gyula Csortos, Mihály Várkonyi (Victor Varconi), Artúr Somlay, Jenő Törzs, Svetislav Petrovic (Iván Petrovich), and the later Oscar winner Pál Lukács (Paul Lukas).
Hungarian postcard. Photo: Corvin Film. Ica Lenkeffy and Mihály Várkonyi (Victor Varconi) in A csikós (M. Miklós Pásztory, 1917).
Hungarian postcard by Jòzsef Reinitz, Budapest.
Hungarian postcard by József Reinitz, Budapest. Photo: Miklós Labori, Budapest.
Living in Luxury
In 1921 Ica Lenkeffy moved to Vienna for acting in films there, e.g. in Boccaccio (Michael Curtiz, 1920), also with Paul Lukas.
She then moved on to Berlin, where she e.g. starred opposite Paul Hartmann in the May-Film production Die Erbin von Tordis (Robert Dinesen, 1921). In the German production of Othello (Dimitri Buchowetzki, 1922), Ica (by now von) Lenkeffy played Desdemona opposite Emil Jannings as Othello and Werner Krauss as Jago.
In 1923 Lenkeffy married again, this time to Parisian banker Louis Mannheim. She moved to Paris with him, where she lived in luxury, but left the cinema at her husband's request.
In the late 1920s she tried to return and appeared in two French silent films, Yvette (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1928) and Souris d'hôtel (Adelqui Migliar, 1929) - she had the lead in the latter film.
The advent of sound cinema made any follow-ups impossible. She then escaped her husband with Miklós Goldberger, son of industrial magnate Leo von Goldberger de Buday.
In the 1930s Lenkeffy returned to Hungary, where she died in 1955, in Budapest.
German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K.2303. Photo: Astra Film. Ica Lenkeffy in the Hungarian silent film Vengerkák (Béla Balogh, 1917), based on a play by Sándor Góth.
French postcard by Edition de la Cinematographie Française. Photo: Grandes Productions Cinématographiques (G.P.C.). Emil Jannings and Ica von Lenkeffy in Othello (Dimitri Buchowetzki, 1922).
French postcard by Edition de la Cinematographie Française. Photo: Grandes Productions Cinématographiques (G.P.C.). Photo: publicity still for Othello (Dimitri Buchowetzki, 1922) with Ica von Lenkeffy and Theodor Loos.
French postcard by Edition de la Cinematographie Française. Photo: Grandes Productions Cinématographiques (G.P.C.). Emil Jannings and Ica von Lenkeffy in Othello (Dimitri Buchowetzki, 1922).
Sources: Wikipedia (Hungarian and English) and IMDb.
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