Lugosi, the youngest of four children, was born Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó' in Lugos, Hungary on October 20, 1882. On arrival in America, the 6-feet-1 inch, 180 lb. Lugosi worked for some time as a laborer, then returned to the theater within the Hungarian-American community. He was approached to star in a play adapted by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston from Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. The Horace Liveright production was successful. Despite his excellent notices in the title role, and appearances in some American silent films, Lugosi had to campaign vigorously for the chance to repeat his stage success in Tod Browning's movie version of Dracula (1931), produced by Universal Pictures.