Eva Bartok facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eva Bartok
Bartok in 1959
Born	Éva Márta Szőke Ivanovics (1927-06-18)18 June 1927 Kecskemét, Kingdom of Hungary
Died	1 August 1998(1998-08-01) (aged 71) London, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1947–1966
Spouse(s)	Géza Kovács (annulled) Alexander Paal (1948–1950; divorced) William Wordsworth (1951–1955; divorced) Curd Jürgens (1955–1956; divorced) Dag Molin (1980–1983; divorced)
Partner(s)	Frank Sinatra David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven
Children	1

Eva Bartok (born Éva Márta Szőke Ivanovics on June 18, 1927) was a famous actress from Hungary and Britain. She acted in movies from 1950 to 1966. She appeared in over 40 films from different countries like America, Britain, and Germany. You might know her from movies like Blood and Black Lace, The Crimson Pirate, and Operation Amsterdam.

Early Life and Childhood

Eva Bartok was born in a town called Kecskemét in Hungary. Her father was Jewish and her mother was Catholic. From a young age, Eva loved to perform. She started acting in school plays when she was six years old.

During World War II, Eva's father stayed in Budapest. Eva and her mother moved to Kecskemét to live with relatives. Her father would visit them, but he later disappeared during the war.

When Eva was 15, she had to marry a Hungarian officer named Géza Kovács. This was to protect her because her father was Jewish. After the war, this marriage was officially cancelled.

Becoming an Actress

After World War II ended, Eva decided to become an actress. She passed a special test at the Drama Centre in Budapest. In 1945, she was offered a three-year acting contract.

She made her first professional appearance in a play called A Conway család. It was very popular and ran for three months. She also performed in other plays.

First Film Roles

Eva first appeared in a Hungarian film in 1947 called Prophet of the Fields. However, the movie was banned by the government at the time.

Feeling unsafe in Hungary, Eva moved to London with the help of a producer named Alexander Paal. She later helped her mother leave Hungary too. In London, Eva changed her professional name to "Bartok" after a famous Hungarian composer.

Starting in British Films

Eva got a contract with London Films, a big movie studio. She took English lessons and worked hard to get acting roles. She even made her own dresses to look good at events, showing how creative she was.

In 1951, Eva's first international film, A Tale of Five Cities, was released. This movie helped her get noticed by important people in Hollywood.

Big Break in Hollywood

The famous actor Burt Lancaster saw Eva in A Tale of Five Cities. He was looking for an actress for his new adventure film, The Crimson Pirate. Eva was offered the role and spent over three months filming on an island.

The success of The Crimson Pirate led to many more acting offers for Eva. She appeared in many "B" movies and German-language films.

Working with Curd Jürgens

In 1953, Eva made her first German film, Rummelplatz Der Liebe (Circus of Love). She starred alongside actor Curd Jürgens. They had great chemistry on screen and made several more movies together, including Der letzte Walzer and Orient Express.

Later Career Highlights

In 1957, Eva appeared in the musical Ten Thousand Bedrooms with Dean Martin. She lived in Los Angeles for a while during this time.

Some of her other well-known films include The Doctor of Stalingrad (1958) and It Can't Always Be Caviar [de] (1961).

Eva also wrote two books: a novel called Fighting Shadows in 1955 and her autobiography, Worth Living For, in 1959.

Later Years

In her later life, Eva became interested in a spiritual group called Subud. She spent three years studying with them in Indonesia. She even opened a school in Hawaii to teach their ideas.

In her final years, Eva lived in a small hotel in London. She passed away on August 1, 1998, in London.

Family Life

Bartok with daughter, Deana Jürgens (1958)

Eva Bartok was married five times. Her first marriage was to Géza Kovács in 1944, which was later cancelled.

Her second husband was producer Alexander Paal, who helped her leave Hungary. They divorced in 1951.

She gained British citizenship through her third marriage to William "Bill" Wordsworth in 1952. This marriage also ended in divorce.

Eva had a relationship with British aristocrat David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven, in the 1950s.

She married German actor Curd Jürgens in 1955, after they worked together on a movie. They divorced in 1956.

Shortly after her marriage to Curd Jürgens ended, Eva gave birth to her daughter, Deana, in London in 1957. Later, Eva claimed that Deana's father was actually Frank Sinatra, after a brief meeting with him. Frank Sinatra never confirmed this.

In 1980, Eva married her fifth husband, American producer Dag Molin. They lived in Los Angeles until their divorce in 1983.

Film Appearances