Ilona Medveczky, 85, Reflects on a Life Forged in Dance and a Pragmatic Path to Freedom
The Hungarian performer, who captivated audiences from Las Vegas to her homeland, strategically navigated Cold War restrictions and built a remarkable career.
Budapest – Ilona Medveczky, the celebrated dancer and actress, turned 85 on March 4th. Her life story is a testament to ambition, resilience and a willingness to defy limitations, taking her from a modest upbringing to the bright lights of Las Vegas and a German aristocratic title.
Medveczky’s journey began with a childhood dream. At just three years aged, she declared her intention to become a “pinadonna” – a mispronunciation of “prima donna” – during a family gathering. Though met with a playful reprimand from her father, the declaration cemented her future path.
That early ambition fueled relentless dedication. By age seven, she was already performing as a stagehand at the Erkel Színház even as simultaneously being accepted into the newly established Állami Balettintézet (State Ballet Institute). Her days were filled with rigorous training, from dawn practice to late-night rehearsals, demanding discipline and exceptional stamina.
While her foundation was in classical ballet, Medveczky quickly discovered her true calling lay elsewhere. She transitioned from the founding class of the Pécsi Balett to the more vibrant, albeit riskier, nightlife of Budapest. It was on the stages of the Maxim Varieté, the Éden Bár, and the Moulin Rouge that she found her niche in revue, earning more in a single night than her father made in a month.
Her talent soon attracted the attention of an impresario who opened doors to the Western world. She secured contracts first in West Berlin, then in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas – a rare opportunity for a Hungarian artist during the 1960s and 70s.
At the peak of her international career, a performance at the New York opera house featuring the recently defected Mihail Barisnyikov solidified her conviction that revue was her true artistic home. Meanwhile, Hungarian audiences came to know her through roles in popular films like A veréb is madár (The Sparrow is a Bird), Az oroszlán ugrani készül (The Lion is About to Jump), and Csak semmi pánik (Just Don’t Panic).
Decades later, in the 2000s, she became a familiar face to a new generation as a judge on the television show Szombat esti láz (Saturday Night Fever).
However, maintaining an international career presented significant challenges, particularly the restrictions imposed by the Iron Curtain. Medveczky found a pragmatic solution, one rooted in business acumen.
In 1974, she entered into a marriage of convenience with Wilhelm Alexander von Thurn und Taxis, a German prince. The union wasn’t driven by romance, but by necessity: it secured her Austrian citizenship and the freedom of movement that was unattainable for most Hungarians at the time. “I paid a fortune for the princess title, but money didn’t matter,” she stated.
The couple never lived together and officially divorced in 2004, but the title and the freedom it afforded shaped her life for decades.
Following the fall of communism, Medveczky returned to Hungary and became a prominent figure in the country’s social scene, serving as the guest of honor at the 2007 Budapest Sisi-bál (Sisi Ball). State recognition followed in 2004 when she was named Érdemes Művész (Honored Artist), and in 2020, she was elected as a lifetime member of the Halhatatlanok Társulatának (Immortals Society).
Despite these accolades, she continues to express regret over not receiving the Kossuth-díj (Kossuth Prize), Hungary’s highest cultural honor. “I am an Honored Artist and a member of the Immortals Society – the latter of which I am particularly proud of…” she told 24.hu.
Medveczky Ilona remains an active public figure. Her biographical interview collection, compiled by Karizs Tamás, was released in November and quickly garnered attention. A dispute over financial compensation arose in February when the artist expressed dissatisfaction with receiving only 50 complimentary copies of the book instead of a royalty. Recently, she gave the TV2 Tények Plusz program an exclusive tour of her home.
