Steffi Duna


Steffi Duna was a Hungarian-born film actress.

Hungarian dancer

Born in the Eastern name order in Budapest of Czech extraction and nicknamed Stefi by her friends and family, Duna started dancing at the age of nine and first attracted attention as a thirteen-year-old ballet dancer in Europe. She made her first stage appearance in dramatized fairy tales at the Children's Theater of Budapest. Initially opposed to the idea, her father sent her to the best schools in the Hungarian capital to learn dancing, and soon she had danced in most of the capitals of Europe.
In 1932, she appeared on the London stage in Noël Coward's revue Words and Music as one of the four actresses to create the song "Mad about the Boy".

Film actress

When she came to Hollywood in 1932, Duna could not speak a word of English. She made up her mind to learn quickly. Directors advised her to stay away from her Hungarian friends to speed up her learning. Within a few years, she could speak not only English but five other languages.
During the 1930s, she played a variety of nationalities. However, despite her European background, she was often cast as fiery Latin femmes fatale in films that made full use of her exotic and glamorous persona, such as La Cucaracha, the first live-action short film made in three-strip Technicolor.
She made her film debut in The Indiscretions of Eve in the starring role. Signed by RKO Radio Pictures, she played Guninana, the Eskimo wife of Francis Lederer, in Man of Two Worlds. Lederer had performed with Duna in the Berlin, Germany production of Die Wunderbar.
In 1936, she played Nedda in the British film version of Pagliacci, starring Richard Tauber. Films in which she played lead roles, such as Panama Lady with Lucille Ball, were popular but did not make her a major star. Her best remembered films include Anthony Adverse and Waterloo Bridge.

Personal life and death

Duna was married twice. Her first marriage was in 1935 to actor John Carroll, her co-star in the screen comedy Hi, Gaucho!. They had one child, a daughter, and divorced in 1938.
On October 18, 1940, Duna married actor Dennis O'Keefe in Phoenix, Arizona. They had a son.
Duna died on 22 April 1992 of cancer at her home in Beverly Hills.

Partial filmography

The Indiscretions of Eve as EveThe Iron Stair as Elsa DamondMan of Two Worlds as GuninanaLa Cucaracha as ChaquitaRed Morning as Kara PeravaOne New York Night as Countess Louise BroussiloffHi, Gaucho! as Inez del CampoLa Fiesta de Santa Barbara as HerselfI Conquer the Sea! as Rosita GonzalesDancing Pirate as Serafina PerenaAnthony Adverse as NeletaPagliacci - Nedda SalvatiniEscape by Night as Josephine 'Jo' ElliottRascals as StellaFlirting with Fate as CarlitaPanama Lady as CheemaThe Girl and the Gambler as Dolores 'The Dove' RomeroThe Magnificent Fraud as CarmelitaWay Down South as PaulineHitler – Beast of Berlin as Elsa MemlingLaw of the Pampas as ChiquitaThe Marines Fly High as TeresaWaterloo Bridge as LydiaPhantom Raiders as DoloresThe Great McGinty as The Dancing GirlRiver's End as CheetaGirl from Havana as Chita

Literature