Hungarian bass Jozsef Gregor dead at 66

Posted:
Oct 28, 2006

World-famous Hungarian bass Jozsef Gregor, a cast member of the animated TV series Szerencsi, fel!, died Friday at 66.

Gregor died of an undisclosed illness. His death was announced by the National Theater of the Szeged, a southern Hungarian city where Gregor sang for years before becoming director of its opera company.

He was cast as Bika in Szerencsi, fel!, a 2004 series of five-minute shorts.

Gregor, who took part in over 100 recordings, announced his retirement in last month after a 48-year career that included performances at New York's Metropolitan Opera in New York and Milan's La Scala.

He was as well-known for his acting talents as for his strong voice. He sang such noted bass roles as the lead in Mozart's
The Marriage of Figaro, Mephistopheles in Gounod's Faust and Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni. He also performed as the lead -- originally a baritone part -- in Verdi's Falstaff.

Gregor also acted in the Hungarian dramatic films Just Like Amerika (Pure America; 1987) and Melodrama (Love and Freedom) (1991).

He was born on August 8, 1940, in Rakosliget, a small town incorporated into Budapest in 1950.

Although first drawn to the violin, he studied singing at Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. However, he never graduated.

In 1958, he began his career in the men's choir of the Hungarian Army.

Jozsef Gregor is survived by his wife, Dr. Mária Takács, and two daughters, including Hungarian actress Bernadette Gregor. Funeral details were not immediately announced.