Turhan Bey

Turhan Bey (30 March 1922 – 30 September 2012) was an Austrian born actor. Bey was active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953. Bey was born as Gilbert Selahettin Shahultavey. He was the son of Turhan Bey a Turkish Diplomat and of Irma Meyer a Czech Jewish lady. In 1930, he moved to the United States. There he studied with Ben Ard at the School of Dramatic Art and at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Bey began using his stage name soon after moving to the United States. He moved with his Jewish mother from Vienna to escape the Nazis. His popular nickname was "The Turkish Delight". This was a reference to his good looks that made him an very good partner for exotic actresses such as Maria Montez movies set in faraway places.

He began his career in Hollywood in 1941. He became one of the actors who almost always appeared in the Universal movies with Maria Montez. The movies he appeared with her include Raiders of the Desert, Bombay Clipper, Arabian Nights, White Savage, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, Follow the Boys and Bowery to Broadway.

Bey acted with the big stars of that time in movies such as A Night in Paradise, Out of the Blue, and The Amazing Mr. X until the popularity of the genre lessened in the 1950s.

Bey moved back to Vienna and worked as a photographer. He did some work as a stage director, and also one of the founder of the Pro Circumcision Group "Eurocirc". He returned to Hollywood for a short time in the 1990s. During this time, he worked on both television and movies. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work as Turval on the space fantasy TV series Babylon 5.

Turhan Bey died in Vienna on September 30, 2012 after being ill with Parkinson's disease for a long time. He was cremated on October 8, 2012.