Zita Szeleczky

Zita Szeleczky (born Zita Klára Terézia Szeleczky 20 April 1915 – 12 July 1999) was a Hungarian stage and film actress. She was discovered by the film studios in 1938 and soon became one of the most popular screen stars, performing in about 30 films between 1938-1944, mostly musical comedies. She was active in war effort and gave many patriotic recitals during the last days of the WW II, when the Soviet troops were already capturing Budapest. As Hungary was taken, she had to fake her own suicide and flee the country, where she in fact was sentenced to prison in absentia by the pro-soviet authorities. She spent years in Italy (where she had also starred in a film), Argentina and USA, but her film career was sadly never revived, even though she remained popular on concert stage. As the political climate changed, she returned to Hungary in 1988. In 1993 the Superior Court of Hungary exonerated Ms. Szeleczky, stating that the 1947 conviction was based on fabricated charges. She was awarded the Cross of the Hungarian Republic. Miss Szeleczky died in 1999. The Hungarian Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of this beautiful actress and singer in 2015.