Turhan Bey

Turhan Bey
Turhan Bey in 1945
Born	Turhan Gilbert Selahattin Şahultavi (1922-03-30)30 March 1922 Vienna, Austria
Died	30 September 2012(2012-09-30) (aged 90) Vienna, Austria
Cause of death	Parkinson's Disease
Years active	1941 - 1953 and 1990 - 1998

Turhan Bey (30 March 1922 – 30 September 2012) was an Austrian born actor. Bey was active as aHollywood actor 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 woman.

Bey relocated with his Jewish mother from Vienna to the United States in 1930. There he studied with Ben Ard at the School of Dramatic Art and at the Pasadena Playhouse. He began using his stage name soon after relocating to the United States. His popular nickname was "The Turkish Delight". This was a reference to his good looks that made him a 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 usually appeared in 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 major actors of that time for movies such as A Night In Paradise, Out of the Blue, and The Amazing Mr. X until demand for him lessened during the 1950s.

Bey then relocated back to Vienna and worked as a photographer, and did some work as a stage director. He returned to Hollywood for a brief time during the 1990s. During this time, he worked on both television and movies, including a role as the Centauri Emperor Turhan in 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.