Lajos Básti (1911-77) , Artist of Merit (1954), Kossuth Prize (1955), Artist of Excellence (1963) and SZOT Award (1965). , After graduating from the Academy of Dramatic Arts, he be-gan his career at the Bárdos Artúr Theatre in downtown Bu-dapest, and then joined Budapest’s Comedy Theatre in 1937. In 1941 he was still appearing in the Magyar and Andrássy Theatres, but then could not appear on stage until the end of World War II. Between two periods of forced labour he was involved in book publishing and writing. After 1945 he became a distinguished artist at the National Theatre. His marvellous voice meant that he could also play singing and operetta hero roles. Besides numerous film roles, he is also remembered for his outstanding poetry recitals. He taught at the Academy of Drama and Film between 1952 and 1960.