Turhan Bey is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actor of Turkish

Turkish people

Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...

 and Czech

Czech people

Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...

 descent. Bey was active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953. He was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans for his exotic handsome looks. After his return to Europe, he pursued careers as a photographer and stage director.

Returning briefly to Hollywood to receive an award, he made several guest appearances in 1990s television series (most notably SeaQuest DSV

SeaQuest DSV

seaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it was renamed seaQuest 2032. Set in "the near future", seaQuest mixes high drama with realistic scientific fiction...

, Murder, She Wrote

Murder, She Wrote

Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...

and Babylon 5

Babylon 5

Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...

) and in a number of films.

Since retiring he has appeared in a number of documentaries, including a German-language

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

 documentary on his life.

Early years

Bey was born Turhan Gilbert Selahattin Sahultavy in Vienna, Austria on March 30, 1922 as the son of a Turkish

Turkish people

Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...

 diplomat and a Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

n mother. After the annexation of Austria to Nazi Germany the family emigrated to the U.S. in 1940.

Frequently cast in "exotic" roles, Bey often appeared with María Montez

María Montez

María Montez was a Dominican-born motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s as an exotic beauty starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume adventure films. Her screen image was that of a hot-blooded Latin seductress, dressed in fanciful costumes and sparkling...

. They appeared together in Raiders of the Desert, Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights (1942 film)

Arabian Nights is a 1942 adventure film starring Sabu, Maria Montez, Jon Hall and Leif Erickson and directed by John Rawlins. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but owes more to the imagination of Universal Pictures than the original Arabian stories...

, White Savage, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944 film)

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a 1944 adventure film starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall, and directed by Arthur Lubin. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but its story departs greatly from the tale of the same name and includes an actual historic event...

, Bowery to Broadway

Bowery to Broadway

Bowery to Broadway is a 1944 American film starring Maria Montez, Jack Oakie, and Susanna Foster. Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan also had a small specialty act, and it was the only film they were in together where they didn't have a name or character....

, Follow the Boys

Follow the Boys

Follow the Boys , also known as Three Cheers for the Boys, is a musical film made by Universal Pictures as an all-star cast morale booster to entertain the troops abroad and the civilians at home. The film was directed by A. Edward "Eddie" Sutherland and produced by Charles K. Feldman...

, and Sudan

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

. He also had roles in Night in Paradise,The Amazing Mr. X

The Amazing Mr. X

The Amazing Mr. X, also known as The Spiritualist is a film noir directed by Bernard Vorhaus with cinematography by John Alton. Like Nightmare Alley , this film tells the story of a phony spiritualist racket...

and Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue (1947 film)

Out of the Blue is a 1947 comedy based on the short story by Vera Caspary who also co-wrote the screenplay. It stars George Brent, Ann Dvorak, Turhan Bey and Virginia Mayo...

.

Bey's career faded towards the end of the 1940s, with his last movie role being Sam Katzman

Sam Katzman

Sam Katzman was an American film producer and director. Born into a poor Jewish family, Katzman went to work as a stage laborer at the age of 13 in the fledgling East Coast film industry...

's Prisoners of the Casbah in 1953, until he had a brief renaissance in the 1990s. He appeared in two episodes of the science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 TV series Babylon 5

Babylon 5

Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...

: first as the Emperor of Centauri

Centauri (Babylon 5)

The Centauri are a humanoid species in the fictional universe of the Babylon 5 television series. They were the first alien species to make open contact with the human race. Their homeworld is Centauri Prime, a small Earth-like planet consisting of two large continents and several smaller islands...

 (who also had the name Turhan), and later as a Minbari

Minbari

The Minbari are a fictional alien race featured in the television show Babylon 5. The Minbari characters of Delenn and Lennier figure prominently throughout the series; Neroon, Draal, and Dukhat are less prominent Minbari characters....

 Ranger

Ranger (Babylon 5)

Rangers are a fictional class of warriors that play a prominent role in the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-History:...

 named Turval. A documentary film

Documentary film

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

 about Bey, Vom Glück verfolgt. Wien - Hollywood - Retour, was made in 2002 by Andrea Eckert

Andrea Eckert

Andrea Eckert is an Austrian stage and film actress, singer and documentary filmmaker.Born in Vienna, Eckert first studied literature in Paris, France, then decided on a stage career and trained with Dorothea Neff...

.

Filmography

Actor

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1941	Shadows on the Stairs Shadows on the Stairs - Cast :*Frieda Inescort as Mrs. Stella Rosabelle Armitage*Paul Cavanagh as Joseph "Joe" Reynolds*Heather Angel as Sylvia Armitage*Bruce Lester as Hugh Bromilow*Miles Mander as Tom Armitage*Lumsden Hare as Inspector Gregg*Turhan Bey as Ram Singh...	Ram Singh
1941	Footsteps in the Dark Footsteps in the Dark (film) Footsteps in the Dark is a light-hearted 1941 mystery film starring Errol Flynn as an amateur detective investigating a murder. It was based on the play Blondie White.-Cast:*Errol Flynn as Francis Monroe Warren II*Brenda Marshall as Rita Warren...	Ahmed
1941	Raiders of the Desert	Hassen Mohammed
1941	Burma Convoy	Mr. Yuchau
1941	The Gay Falcon The Gay Falcon The Gay Falcon is the first in a series of films about a suave detective nicknamed The Falcon. The 1941 B film was intended by RKO Radio Pictures to introduce a replacement for The Saint, after RKO decided that renewing the film rights to the latter character would be too expensive...	Manuel Retana
1941	Bombay Clipper	Captain Chundra
1942	Unseen Enemy	Ito
1942	The Falcon Takes Over The Falcon Takes Over The Falcon Takes Over, also known as The Falcon Steps Out, is a 1942 black-and-white mystery film directed by Irving Reis. The film was the third, following The Gay Falcon and A Date with the Falcon , to star George Sanders as the character Gay Lawrence, a gentleman detective known by the sobriquet...	Jules Amthor
1942	Danger in the Pacific	Tagani
1942	Junior G-Men of the Air Junior G-Men of the Air Junior G-Men of the Air is a Universal film serial starring the Dead End Kids and the Little Tough Guys.-Plot:Japanese sabateurs attack America in preparation for an invasion during World War II. They are discovered by "Ace" Holden and The Dead End Kids, who do not trust the police enough to help...	Henchman Araka
1942	Drums of the Congo	Juma, Henchman
1942	Destination Unknown Destination Unknown Destination Unknown may refer to:*Destination Unknown , a 1954 novel by Agatha Christie*Destination Unknown , a 2001 Mest album*Destination Unknown , a 2005 Ron Sexsmith album...	Captain Muto
1942	The Mummy's Tomb The Mummy's Tomb The Mummy's Tomb is the 1942 sequel to The Mummy's Hand .Lon Chaney, Jr. disliked the role of Kharis the mummy. Make-up artist Jack Pierce spent up to eight hours to wrap Lon Chaney. A rubber mask was used for long shots...	Mehemet Bey
1942	Arabian Nights Arabian Nights (1942 film) Arabian Nights is a 1942 adventure film starring Sabu, Maria Montez, Jon Hall and Leif Erickson and directed by John Rawlins. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but owes more to the imagination of Universal Pictures than the original Arabian stories...	Captain of the Guard
1943	The Adventures of Smilin' Jack The Adventures of Smilin' Jack (serial) The Adventures of Smilin' Jack is a Universal movie serial based on the comic strip The Adventures of Smilin' Jack.-Cast:* Tom Brown as 'Smilin' Jack' Martin* Rose Hobart as Gertrude Muller, alias Fräulein von Teufel...	Kageyama	Serial film
1943	White Captive	Tamara
1943	Captive Wild Woman Captive Wild Woman Captive Wild Woman is a sci-fi horror film, starring John Carradine, Milburn Stone, Evelyn Ankers, and Acquanetta. It was released by Universal Pictures and was directed by Edward Dmytryk.-Plot:...	End Narrator (voice)	Uncredited
1943	Background to Danger Background to Danger Background to Danger is a 1943 film starring George Raft and featuring Brenda Marshall, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre. Based on the novel of the same title by Eric Ambler and set in Turkey , the screenplay was credited to W.R. Burnett, although William Faulkner also contributed, and the movie...	Hassan
1943	Crazy House		Uncredited
1943	The Mad Ghoul The Mad Ghoul The Mad Ghoul is a science fiction horror film featuring George Zucco as Dr. Alfred Morris. It was also known as Mystery of the Ghoul.- Plot :...	Eric Iverson
1944	Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944 film) Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a 1944 adventure film starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall, and directed by Arthur Lubin. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but its story departs greatly from the tale of the same name and includes an actual historic event...	Jamiel
1944	Dragon Seed	Lao Er Tan - Middle Son
1944	The Climax	Franz Munzer
1944	Bowery to Broadway Bowery to Broadway Bowery to Broadway is a 1944 American film starring Maria Montez, Jack Oakie, and Susanna Foster. Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan also had a small specialty act, and it was the only film they were in together where they didn't have a name or character....	Ted Barrie
1945	Frisco Sal	Dude Forante
1945	Sudan Sudan (film) Sudan is a 1945 historical drama film set in Egypt during the reign of the pharaoh Khafra . The film was directed by John Rawlins and starred Maria Montez.-Cast:* Maria Montez as "Naila"* Jon Hall as "Merab"* Turhan Bey as "Herua"...	Herua
1946	Night in Paradise	Aesop
1947	Out of the Blue Out of the Blue (1947 film) Out of the Blue is a 1947 comedy based on the short story by Vera Caspary who also co-wrote the screenplay. It stars George Brent, Ann Dvorak, Turhan Bey and Virginia Mayo...	David Gelleo
1948	Adventures of Casanova	Lorenzo
1948	The Spiritualist	Alexis
1948	Parole, Inc. Parole, Inc. - Plot summary :The film opens with a scene of FBI agent Richard Hendricks bedridden in a hospital bed, dictating the results of his investigation for a report to the California Governor...	Barney Rodescu
1949	Song of India Song of India Song of India may refer to:* Dracaena reflexa, a popular ornamental plant* Song of India , a 1949 film starring Sabu Dastagir* "Song of India", aria in 1896 opera Sadko...	Gopal
1953	Prisoners of the Casbah	Ahmed
1993	SeaQuest DSV SeaQuest DSV seaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it was renamed seaQuest 2032. Set in "the near future", seaQuest mixes high drama with realistic scientific fiction...	Dimitri Rossovich	TV series (one episode: "Treasure of the Mind")
1994	Healer	Igor Vostovich
1994	Possessed by the Night Possessed by the Night Possessed by the Night is a 1994 erotic thriller directed by Fred Olen Ray, who also co-wrote and had a brief appearance in the film. It also stars Shannon Tweed.-Synopsis:...	Calvin
1995	Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...	Sherif Faris	TV series (one episode: "Death 'N Denial")
1995	VR.5 VR.5 VR.5 was an American television program. It was broadcast on the Fox network from March 10 to May 12, 1995. Of the 13 episodes that were produced, only 10 aired during its original run.-Premise:...	Abernathy	TV series (one episode: "Reunion")
1995	Grid Runners	Dr. Cameron
1997	The Visitor The Visitor (TV series) The Visitor was a science fiction television series created by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin which aired on Fox from 1997–1998. It starred John Corbett as Adam McArthur who was abducted by extraterrestrials 50 years earlier and escapes back to Earth to help improve life for...		TV series (one episode: "The Black Box")
1995-1998	Babylon 5 Babylon 5 Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...	Centauri Emperor / Turval	TV series (two episode: "Learning Curve Learning Curve (Babylon 5) "Learning Curve" is an episode from the fifth season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Sech Turval and Sech Durhan visit Babylon 5 to report to Delenn on the Anla'shok training. They bring with them two trainees, Rastenn and Tannier.Garibaldi has an argument with Captain... " and "The Coming of Shadows The Coming of Shadows "The Coming of Shadows" is a key episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. It won the 1996 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.-Synopsis:... " )
2000	The Skateboard Kid II	Zeno, an Angel
2002	Vom Glück verfolgt. Wien - Hollywood - Retour	Himself	TV documentary

Producer

Year	Film	Notes
1953	Stolen Identity	Producer

External links