Tolnay, Klári

Born July 27,1914, in Budapest. Hungarian actress. People’s Artist of the Hungarian People’s Republic (1954).

In 1946, Tolnay joined the Vigszínház Theater; by 1949 she was a leading actress of the Madách Theater in Budapest. Her interpretation of roles from the Russian classical repertoire, such as Liubov’ Andreevna and Irina in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard and The Three Sisters and Elena in Gorky’s Smug Citizens, showed a remarkable ability to render character vividly. She gave a powerful performance of the tragic role of the mother in Marta, written for the actress by P. Müller. Perhaps her finest role from the contemporary stage was Blanche in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, in which the actress conveyed the tragedy of the “little people” in present-day America. In 1966, Tolnay toured the USSR with the Madách Theater. She received the Kossuth Prize in 1951 and 1952. Tolnay has also appeared in films.