Istvan Gyergyay, a diminutive, gentle-featured character actor, specialized in portraying meek, reticent, or kindly gentlemen, often with Gallic, Germanic, or Eastern European backgrounds. Born in the old Austro/Hungarian town of Ungvar, now Uzhgorod, he studied at Budapest University before commencing his acting career on stage with the Hungarian National Theatre in 1924.
By the end of the decade, Gyergyay had appeared in Hungarian films, including Tokajerglut (1933),which starred S.Z. Sakall, a future Hollywood favorite. In 1934, he relocated to Britain, where he initially adopted the names "Stefan" and later "Steven". Despite initial linguistic challenges, he quickly secured steady work on screen and in radio.
Seven years later, Gyergyay turned up in Hollywood, where he soon found himself in high demand for playing waiters, maitre d's, stewards, doctors, and the occasional ship captain. He appeared in a variety of roles, including The Mask of Dimitrios (1944),Hotel Berlin (1945),and Gilda (1946),where he played the crucial role of Uncle Pio, the casino's washroom attendant.
Gyergyay also gave valuable support in films with military or espionage themes, such as The Moon and Sixpence (1942),where he effectively essayed the buffoonish painter Dirk Stroeve. However, Bosley Crowther of the New York Times found his performance "inclined to affectation". Under contract at Columbia from 1946 to 1952, Gyergyay even featured in a rare starring role in the cult film noir So Dark the Night (1946).
From the mid-1950s, Gyergyay worked almost exclusively as a reliable TV guest actor. Unfortunately, he rounded off his career as Dr. Frankenstein's grandson Rudolph in the low-budget exploitation flick Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966).
