Miklós Benedek, Actor of the Nation, Kossuth and Jászai Mari Prize winner, theater director, died on Tuesday morning at the age of 78 after an illness he bore with dignity, the family informed MTI.
The hereditary member of the Society of the Immortals was on stage until the end of his life, they wrote in the announcement.
Miklós Benedek graduated from the Academy of Theater and Film Arts in 1969 and then signed a contract with the National Theatre. From 1983, he was a member of the József Katona Theater for twenty years, and later again a member of the National Theater for six years. From 1992, he taught at the College of Theater and Film Arts for fifteen years. In the nineties, he was the manager of the Hungarian Chamber of Actors. As a freelance artist, he played or directed in almost every theater in the country. As a director, he staged several Heltai and Molnár plays, many comedies, musical plays, and also played in countless TV and feature films. In 1981, he was awarded the Jászai Mari award, and in 1989, he was awarded the title of meritorious artist. In 1998, he was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic, and in 2012 he was recognized as an outstanding artist. In 2016, he was awarded the Kossuth Prize. He has been a permanent member of the Society of Immortals since 2020.
Benedek Miklós is known to the Hungarian audience for his theater, TV and film roles. We can also hear his voice in quite a few animated films.
Miklós Benedek regularly appeared in the TV entertainment programs of the eighties and nineties, and without exaggeration, he became an actor known throughout the country thanks to these. Even in his old age, the actor continued to work as long as his health allowed, but in recent years he has been hospitalized several times due to his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The last time he returned to the stage was in October, and then he also talked about working on an autobiographical book.
24.hu
Photo: MTI – Gyula Czimbal
