Vali Rácz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vali Rácz
Vali Rácz during the 1930s
Born	Rácz Valéria (1911-12-25)25 December 1911 Gölle, Hungary
Died	12 February 1997(1997-02-12) (aged 85) Munich, Germany
Occupation	Actress, Singer
Spouse(s)	Péter Halász (író, újságíró)

Vali Rácz (born Valéria Rácz) was a very popular Hungarian singer and film actress. She was born on December 25, 1911, and passed away on February 12, 1997.

Vali Rácz studied music at the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest, finishing in 1932. She performed in many theaters and appeared in about twenty films. However, she was best known as a singer, performing solo concerts and regularly singing at nightclubs.

In 1956, after the Hungarian Revolution, she left Hungary with her husband, Péter Halász, and their children, Mónika and Valér. They lived in New York City and later in London. In 1975, they settled in Munich, Germany.

Vali Rácz was honored in 1992 by Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. She received the title of Righteous Among the Nations for saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust. She died at the age of 85.

Vali Rácz's Early Life and Career

Vali Rácz was a famous Hungarian singer and actress. She was most popular in the late 1930s and 1940s. She often performed in nightclubs and recorded many songs. She also acted in about 20 Hungarian movies.

Vali Rácz was born on December 25, 1911. Her hometown was Gölle, a small village in southwestern Hungary. Her parents were very religious Catholics. Her father was the headmaster of the village school.

After finishing school at a convent, Vali moved to Budapest. There, she studied music at the Franz Liszt Music Academy. She had a beautiful mezzo-soprano voice. Soon after graduating, she started getting small singing roles in films. Popular songwriters began writing hit songs just for her.

Vali Rácz's Heroic Actions During World War II

During the Second World War, Vali Rácz was a favorite of Hungarian soldiers. In April 1944, Nazi forces took over Hungary. They began to send Jewish people away from the country. Vali Rácz decided to help her Jewish friends.

She hid five Jewish people at her home in Budapest. They stayed there secretly from April to November. Sadly, Vali was found out by accident. She was arrested by the Hungarian secret police. She was taken to a place called the Hotel Majestic. Prisoners there were questioned under harsh conditions.

But Vali's supporters helped her. They worked secretly to get her released. The Jewish people she had hidden also managed to escape capture. They all survived the war. Some of them later moved to Israel. In 1991, Vali Rácz was honored for her bravery. She received the "Righteous Among the Nations" award from Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. This award honors non-Jewish people who saved Jews during the Holocaust.

Life After the War and Family

In 1946, Vali Rácz married Péter Halász. He was a writer and journalist. Their son, Valér, was born in the 1950s. Two years later, their daughter, Mónika, was born. Mónika later became a journalist in London.

The family left Hungary after the 1956 Uprising. They moved to America. In 1970, they returned to Europe. In 1975, Vali Rácz and her husband made their home in Munich, Germany. Péter worked there as a writer and broadcaster for Radio Free Europe. Vali Rácz passed away in Munich on February 12, 1997.

Monica Porter, Vali's daughter, wrote a book about her mother's actions during the war. The book is called Deadly Carousel: A Singer’s Story of the Second World War. It was first published in 1990. This book helped more people outside Hungary learn about Vali Rácz's life and career.

Another book, The Other Schindlers: Why Some People Chose to Save Jews in the Holocaust, also tells Vali Rácz's story. It was written by Agnes Grunwald-Spier and published in 2010. Pages 45-49 of this book are about Vali Rácz.

Films and Roles

Vali Rácz acted in many films. Here are some of them:

See also

• Hungarian pop