Charles Puffy

Charles Puffy
File:Charles puffy-2.png
Born	Károly Hochstadt (1884-11-03)3 November 1884 Budapest, Hungary
Died	1942 or 1943 Tokyo, Japan or Karaganda, Soviet Union (now Kazakhstan)
Other names	Karl Huszar Charles Huszar-Puffy Karl Huszar-Puffy Károly Huszár
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1914-1938

Charles Puffy (3 November 1884 – 1942 or 1943) born Károly Hochstadt in Budapest, was a Hungarian film actor. He appeared in 134 films between 1914 and 1938. He was the only slapstick star in Hungary's silent film era, appearing under the name "Pufi" (meaning "Fatty" in Hungarian, referring to his weight) and Puffy in the United States for Universal Studios. His other stage names were "Károly Huszár" or "Pufi Huszár". Besides his work on films, he frequently appeared on stage, mostly in comical roles.

Later, he worked in films in both Germany and the United States, including such classics as Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler) (1922) and Josef von Sternberg's Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) (1930). He used the names "Karl Huszar", "Karl Huszar-Puffy" or "Charles Puffy". In the sound era, he returned to his native Hungary, where he was featured in smaller roles in a number of films.

Puffy was Jewish, and decided to flee Hungary when the Holocaust started. He and his wife tried to get away to the United States, but Puffy died mid-way, in Tokyo, Japan. Other sources say that he and his wife were captured by the Red Army and imprisoned in a Gulag in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Puffy participated in the camp's amateur acting company, but after one year in capture, he died of diphtheria.

Selected filmography

• Tavasz a télben (1917)
• Az Ezredes (1917)
• St. Peter's Umbrella (1917)
• Lili (1918)
• About the Son (1921)
• The Earl of Essex (1922)
• Open All Night (1924)
• The Great Unknown (1924)
• The Man Who Laughs (1928)
• Yellow Lily (1928)
• My Heart is a Jazz Band (1929)
• Land Without Women (1929)
• My Sister and I (1929)
• Father and Son (1929)
• My Daughter's Tutor (1929)
• Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame (1929)
• The Great Longing (1930)
• The King of Paris (1930)
• The Mad Bomberg (1932)
• Five from the Jazz Band (1932)
• Scandal in Budapest (1933)
• The Racokzi March (1933)
• Little Mother (1935)

External links

• Charles Puffy at the Internet Movie Database