This time, unusually, only ten people took part in the voting.
Sándor Csikos was elected Actor of the Nation by the current ten holders of the title to replace Miklós Benedek, who died on January 9. This time, two members were missing from the panel, which made its decision on April 4.
The title of Actor of the Nation can be awarded to artists who have reached the age of 62, who have spent 40 years in the acting field or who have spent at least 20 seasons - in at least one role per season - on the stage of the National Theatre.
The title can be held by up to twelve people at the same time, who - according to the current regulations - receive a net monthly benefit of HUF 630,000 as an annuity until the end of their lives.
If one of them dies, the other holders of the title can only choose a new actor based on a unanimous decision. They always choose a woman instead of a woman, and a man instead of a man.
The title has been awarded since August 2000 to the most outstanding artists of Hungarian acting. Most recently, after the death of Mari Csomós, Judit Pogány became the Actress of the Nation.
This time, in an unusual way, only a board of ten people selected the new member, since after Miklós Benedek's death on January 9, 2024 - before the election of the new Actor of the Nation - Géza Tordy also left on March 30.
The current decision is also significant because they set a record: they did not choose a new Actor of the Nation for 86 days, which surpassed the previous peak of 71 days.
Sándor Csikos, a Jászai Mari and Kossuth award-winning actor, a worthy and excellent artist, became the new Actor of the Nation. He was born in Karcagon in 1941, his father was a member of parliament from the small farmers' party. He graduated from Mihály Fazekas High School in Debrecen - later he taught at the drama department of Ady Endre High School in Debrecen.
In 1965, he graduated from the University of Theater and Film, where in 2009 he obtained an art degree equivalent to a doctorate.
He played at the National Theater in Miskolc, the Literary Theater, the Csokonai Theater in Debrecen, the Kisfaludy Theater in Győr, the Móricz Zsigmond Theater in Nyíregyháza - of which he was also the director - and then returned to the Csokonai Theater.
The audience could see him in many roles. Among others, he played in adaptations of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Hamlet, Chekhov's Seagull, The Three Sisters, Imre Madách's Tragedy of Man, and Ferenc Molnár's Play in the Castle.
Cover photo: Sándor Csikos became the Actor of the Nation
Source: Facebook/Nemzeti Színház
