Biographic - Sunday October 29, 2006 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Dracula Published in 1897, Bram Stoker's classic Vampire novel "Dracula" was first brought to the screen under the title "Noseratu" in 1922. The movie borrowed heavily from the original tale, and Stoker's widow sucessfully sued for infringement of copyright. "Dracula" was subsequently adapted for the stage, with classically trained Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi in the title role. "Dracul" was finally brought to the screen in 1931, catapulting Bela Lugosi to stardom for a time, he was second only to Boris Karloff as film's top boogeyman. During the 1949's, Count Dracula was portrayed by Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine. In 1948, with his career in decline, Lugosi reprised the role in the comedy "But Abbott and Lou Costello meet Frankenstein" Lugosi died of a heart attack in 1956. A renowned eccentric, he was buried wearing his Dracula cape. Christopher Lee, a distant cousin of James Bond creator Ian Fleming, first portrayed Dracula in a 1958 production by Britian's Hammer Films, reprising the role several times over the next two decades. Other actions who portrayed Dracula during that period include Jack Palance, Louis Jourdan and Frank Langella. The legend spawned many spoofs, with everyone from Marty Felfman to David Niven donnign fake fangs, and inspired such movies as 1979's "Love At First Bite" with George Hamilton and 1995's "Dracula: Dead and Loving it" which starred Leslie Nielsen. Francis Ford Coppola directed Gary Oldman in 1992's "Bram Stoker's Dracula"Christopher Atkins took the lead in 1993's "Dracula Rising" and Director Wes Craven tackled the tale in 2000. In 2004, "Van Helsing" Hugh Jackman played the title role, locked in combat with Richard Roxburgh as the infamous vampire ount.

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