Bela Ernyey

C
Making a career in a small country is like stretching out in a room where the ceiling is close enough to touch. This time I'm talking about a country behind the Iron Curtain - Hungary. I played classical roles, comedies and musicals in Budapest and became a celebrated star as the leading character in a popular television series - but I was by no means truly free. The year was 1973. 
At the age of 31, the young actor of noble birth - I'm still talking about me - takes the big leap and, as he speaks perfect German, applies to the director of the Theater an der Wien - Austria, who was currently looking for a protagonist to play the half-naked king's son Pippin in the musical of the same title, which has already enjoyed great success on Broadway. 
No wonder, the director's name was Bob Fosse.
And our hero also becomes a star in Vienna. After Pippin, he was given the role of the bored beau Gaston in the musical Gigi, which he played alongside Johannes Heesters five hundred times! Ultimately, he was given the title role in the British musical Billy, achieving everything a young talent could dream of: international film- and TV offers, high salaries and - to top it all off - the citizenship of the country thanks to a special law. But Austria is also a small country - so I had to move on again... So I finally went to Germany, where I was allowed to act, sing, dance and do theatre even more, where I filmed with stars that I used to only admire in the cinema, appeared in popular TV series, was able to perform in the country's biggest shows, even got a recording contract from Phonogram and finally received the "Star of the Year" press award for best musical performer.   
And now I have a big request for you, dear Casting Directors: call me, cast me and we'll see about the rest...